It's Firefighter Friday - Meet Stephen Sullivan

Good Morning to all of those ready for.... Firefighter Friday! Let me introduce you to Stephen Sullivan! Stephen is a Driver/Pump Operator. He started at LFD as a volunteer in 2010. In 2012 he became a paid firefighter and his promotion to DPO was recently in June! On to the questions:

1. *What made you want to be a firefighter?
-I wanted to do something that put me in a position where I could help and make an impact in people's lives on a regular basis. I also wanted to do something that constantly challenged me and was exciting and always changing.

2. *What’s the best thing about being a firefighter at LFD?
-Without exception it is the people I work with. You can not find a person in our department that does not have a genuinely good heart and a vast knowledge of their field. I came to Leander for the profession, I stay with Leander because of the people. 

3. What’s the funniest thing that has happened at your job?
-I may or may not have fallen out of my chair while we were watching a scary movie. 

4. What’s your favorite food?
-Sushi

5. What are your hobbies?
-Leander Fire Combat Challenge team, Rock climbing, Hanging out with my wife and our dogs, Working out, Working on our home.

6. What’s something about you citizens might find unusual or interesting?
-Before I became a firefighter, I considered a career as a professional bowler.

7. If you could invite 3 famous people to dinner, who would they be?
-Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Chris Pratt

8. If you could recommend one place for people to go on vacation where would it be and why?
-Disney World, it is absolutely entertaining for all ages

9. Who is your role model and why?
-My dad is a huge source of inspiration for me as well as an example of who I strive to be.

10. What would I find in your refrigerator right now?
-Yogurt, steaks, asparagus, avocados, chicken, fruit

Thanks Stephen! And good luck with your upcoming Combat Challenge Team competitions!

Oh, The Places You'll Go...

If anyone saw a group of firefighters at Robin Bledsoe Park, have no fear, LFD was just training! Sometimes, having a world class fire fighting organization is about having instructors and staff that can think out of the box to prepare firefighters for any situation in new environments. LFD Firefighters attend weekly continuing education classes with their shifts. For the last 2 days LFD changed things up by practicing maneuvers with their breathing apparatus on and moving in confined spaces at the park. Who knew that crawling on the playscape in full bunker gear would be such a great simulation? One thing I should add is the firefighters also had wax paper in their masks, so they were virtually blind, just as they might be in a smoky room. Later the firefighters practiced crawling blinded in full gear in straight lines. Well done LFD!

It's Firefighter Friday - Meet John McNabb

It's Firefighter Friday! (Just a reminder that we do this each Friday for you to learn about your LFD Firefighters and Volunteers. You might discover something interesting or that they have a sense of humor when filling out the odd questions! Enjoy and feel free to give them a "like.")

1. * What’s your name and position?
John McNabb, Fire Fighter

2. *How long have you been with LFD and in what capacity?
Volunteer - 3 years Paid - 4 months

3. *What made you want to be a firefighter?
Being part of a team environment and helping those in need

4. *What’s the best thing about being a firefighter at LFD?
Helping people in a community that my family and I will be a part of for a very long time.

5. What’s your favorite food?
perogies

6. If you could recommend one place for people to go on vacation where would it be and why?
The mother land a.k.a. Canada - it snows.

7. Who is your role model and why?
Scott Karr because he's like Mcgyver. (FYI Scott is another firefighter.)

8. If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role?
Steve Buscemi

9. Where would you go in a Time Machine?
High school state championship game. "If coach had a put me in in the 4th quarter we would have won state."

10. Pepsi or Coke?
Crystal Pepsi

Thanks McNabb!

It's Firefighter Friday - Meet Marc Harris!

Firefighter Friday! Have a great weekend!

1. * What’s your name and position? Marc Harris, Firefighter

2. *How long have you been with LFD and in what capacity? Four years, volunteer 

3. *What made you want to be a firefighter? Serving the public is a great way to keep me off the streets at night!

4. *What’s the best thing about being a firefighter at LFD? Top notch training and excellent support as you work towards higher levels of credentials.

5. What’s the funniest thing that has happened at your job? Saving a pet goldfish from a structure fire and then helping the Battalion Chief change the water out so it would live.

6. What’s your favorite food? Knoepfli and goulash.

7. What are your hobbies? Too many to list: Running, home brewing, kayaking, fishing, hiking, camping, juggling, grilling/smoking, stunt kite flying, scuba diving, etc... You name it, I've probably at least tried it.

8. What’s something about you citizens might find unusual or interesting? At one point in my life I was a very competitive video game player and was nationally ranked in the game Counter Strike. Then I decided that my daughter might like to eat on a regular basis, so I stopped playing so many games.

9. If you could recommend one place for people to go on vacation where would it be and why? Anywhere out in the middle of a mountain range. It's good for the soul to unplug once in a while.

10. Who is your role model and why? Benjamin Franklin. We've both worked in the postal industry, the printing industry and the firefighting industry. He's also a great American!

Thanks Marc!

It's Leander Fire Department Day!

The City of Leander named today "Leander Fire Department Day" at the City Council meeting tonight! Our recent participation in the International Association of Fire Chief's Annual Meeting as a featured Fire Department was a great honor acknowledged by the city at this meeting. The Leander Fire Department would like to thank its firefighters and staff for their continued service to the community, making this honor possible. And thank YOU, Leander, for your support!

Making Movies and Making News

Remember when we were doing filming at the station? Well the final product is here! It was an honor to be selected and the short film was shown at the International Association of Fire Chief's Annual Meeting this past week. Now, we want to share it with you! Feel free to like it and share it! If you know anyone who has a dream to be a firefighter, we hope you might share this with them. Who knows, maybe we will one day find them at LFD in our Cadet Academy and as Volunteer Firefighters!

It's Firefighter Friday - Meet Carroll Cubit

Firefighter Friday #1:

1. * What’s your name and position? Carroll Cubit/ Driver

2. *How long have you been with LFD and in what capacity? I started as a Volunteer in 1997. I then became Full Time in 2001. (Side Note- Carroll was one of our very first career staff at LFD!)

3. *What made you want to be a firefighter? I started my career as a Firefighter because of my passion to help others. I wanted to help my community with saving lives and property and educating them. 

4. *What’s the best thing about being a firefighter at LFD? The best thing about Leander Fire Department is the family atmosphere and the level of professionalism. We are all brothers and sisters and treat each other as such. We all strive to make sure our costumers are well taken care of. 

5. What’s your favorite food? Steak and Potato 

6. What are your hobbies? Wood Working and playing sports

7. What’s something about you citizens might find unusual or interesting? Something they might find unusual is that I make custom wood Urns.

8. If you were a box of cereal, what would you be and why? Captain Crunch, because I am a leader and help those who need direction. 

9. If you could recommend one place for people to go on vacation where would it be and why? Vermont, because of the seasons and how mesmerizing it can be. It is a place for a family to have fun and see the beauty it has to offer you.

10. Who is your role model and why? My role model is my dad. He has always been there for me. I am very proud of him and what he has taught me.

Sean Goes to Fire School

LFD has one more Firefighter that went to Fire School this summer that we'd like to introduce and that's Sean Thomas. Sean is one of our Volunteer Firefighters! This means he probably has one or more other jobs to pay the bills! Being a volunteer firefighter is a big commitment, so we are thrilled Sean was able to take time out to go to Fire School. Sean is on B shift at station 2 and has been at LFD since 2012. He took "Phase V" class where they learned appropriate procedures during Hazmat emergencies and critical life safety precautions that need to take place during these type of emergencies. According to Sean, "The firefighting aspect of the class was nothing short of a blast. Fighting fire is obviously what all of us in the fire service love doing, so being able to do that everyday for a week was awesome." In the class they brushed up on their hose handling skills and worked on multi-line attacks. Sean said, "The fire scenarios we went through were large scale and had complex tactics that required the multiple lines to work as one big team. This really worked on keeping us all on our toes and helped us grow as firefighters as individuals and as a team." Sean was thankful for the opportunity to attend and hopes he gets to go again in the future! Thanks Sean for telling us about your experience and for volunteering at LFD!

Daniel goes to Fire School

It's that time again! A time in the morning when you get to learn MORE about Fire School and appreciate your Leander Firefighters! Daniel Donner is a DPO, AKA Driver/Pump Operator. He too can drive the truck! Daniel has been a volunteer Firefighter with Leander Fire Department since 2007, paid Firefighter since 2008, and promoted to DPO in 2014. The class he recently took with Ryan Blake was confined space rescue training. Students were taught techniques for using ropes and hardware to lower and retrieve rescuers and victims from containers or spaces with limited access. Daniel says the class also taught how to monitor and deal with hazardous atmospheres. "It was an excellent review of some rope practices and taught different ways to approach and organize a rescue" according to Daniel. We hope our firefighters never need these skills for an emergency, but it's important they receive this training and practice so they'll be prepared.

Ty Goes to Fire School

Everyone say Good Morning to Lt. Ty Wade! This morning we'll share about what he learned at Fire School. Ty is a Lieutenant on B shift Station 2. Ty began as a Volunteer with Leander Fire Department in 2005, and got hired as a Firefighter in 2006. (As the person copying Ty's info into this post, I get so excited when I see our staff started as volunteers!) At Fire School Ty took Public Fire Educator I. Ty learned how departments across the state provide education about fire prevention and the fire service to the public. He also said that the students studied several legacy fires that led to what we consider common practice today like panic bars on doors, inspection requirements, out-swinging doors, and occupancy loads. Ty learned new ways to deliver information to younger children that don’t understand the dangers of fire and the lifelong physical and emotional scars that people take on when an accident happens. Also included in Ty's studies was dealing with the media, how to prepare a press release and effective ways to convey your departments fire safety message. Quoting Ty, "In the end I learned how to think outside of the box when it comes to educating the public, it sounds cliché, but if just one life is saved as a result of our education then we were successful." Thanks for sharing Ty! I'm sure Leander looks forward to hearing from you!

Matt Goes to Fire School

Today you are going to meet Matt Shapiro via Facebook because he too went to Fire School last week! Matt is a Driver/Pump Operator. Yes, this means he gets to drive the truck! He also must "step up" to the officer role when one of the Lieutenants is sick or on vacation. Matt has been in public safety for over 23 years. He has been a paramedic for the past 20 years and he started volunteering with Leander Fire Department in 2005 and was hired on full-time in 2008. Matt attended the Fire Officer Development II course in College Station last week. Matt said the course provided him with extra training to solidify the officer training he has had with LFD. The main focus of the class involved making the proper decisions that would allow for safe and effective fire fighting leadership. "As an fire officer, your job is make sure everyone does their jobs in a manner that allows for everyone to go home safe, " Matt said. Through table top and interactive scenarios, he was not only able to polish his tactical and incident command skills, but he was able to witness how other fire officers from other departments achieve the same goal. Thanks Matt for sharing some information about your recent training!