(He) walked over to this thing, grabbed it with his thumb and forefinger, and lifted it off the table. The place just erupted. |
Coincidentally the crews were actually in the midst of doing high-angle scenario training at our training and maintenance centre this morning when the call came in. |
From a fire department standpoint our number 1 priority is life safety. |
He literally spent every waking hour walking around with those things in his hand, squeezing them. He was determined to improve. |
He's definitely considered a leader among fire chiefs in the industry. His emphasis . . . has always been to ensure our crews are performing with the highest level of professionalism and have the best training and equipment. |
Our fire department is better than it has ever been. It's as a result of his leadership without a doubt. The next fire chief to walk in . . . will have big shoes to fill. |
Surprisingly, he had only minor injuries. |