Women in Fire President Rachael Staebell shares her excitement as we welcome over 610 attendees to the 2026 Women in Fire International Conference! Get ready for a week of training, education, & community! We are so glad you are all here & hope you have a great time! #WIF2026

The job changes you. The calls. The losses. The mistakes. The lessons. You can let those experiences harden you, or you can use them to build perspective, resilience and purpose. Resilience isn't always bouncing back. Sometimes it's bouncing forward. Read more on Firefighter Nation: ow.ly/yZwu50ZCuo9

More than 1,300 firefighters answered @FireRescue1 's fifth annual #WhatFirefightersWant survey. This year the subject was #training, and the results say something most of the #fireservice already suspected. The motivation is there. Nine out of ten respondents earned a certification in the past five years. The system around that drive is where it breaks down — scheduling, staffing, facilities, and no consistent way to tell whether the drill actually made anyone better. Every training officer who has stood in front of a budget committee knows how hard it is to fund a feeling. It's much easier to fund a number. Bring this report to your next funding request. 🔗Link in the comments.

Thanks to a plow from @douglascountyco the intersection of Meridian Boulevard and Oswego Street will be opening soon. Thanks to @dcsheriff for their assistance with traffic control.

#RFQ: @theIPSDI is seeking qualified vendors to assess the integration of wearable data into the IPSDI Exposure Tracker, to help firefighters build a more complete record of their occupational exposure to carcinogens and hazardous conditions. Scope includes an environmental landscape, technical feasibility, data modeling, and privacy/HIPAA considerations. Questions due: Aug 14, 2026 Quotations due: Aug 24, 2026 Project target: Sept 1 – Nov 13, 2026 If you​ have experience with consumer wearables, health-adjacent data pipelines, or public safety/occupational health work, this could be a great fit. Full RFQ: i-psdi.org/rfq/wearable-tech…

Is your fire department ready? Enroll 50% (or 300+) of your active firefighters in the NIOSH National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer to earn Gold Helmet recognition. Help reduce cancer in the fire service. Learn more: bit.ly/4jFT20G

🚒 How Full Is Your Tank? Every tour, the same gauge: 🟢 8+ hours sleep 🟡 2nd consecutive shift 🟠 4th OT 🔴 Pediatric call 🔴 Mandatory callback 🔴 95° heat The gauge is low. 🚨 You check your air before every fire. ⛽ When's the last time you checked yourself? 🔗in comment

Zion Clark was born without legs due to a rare disorder called Caudal regression syndrome. He became the "fastest man on two hands”.

Thank you so much for taking the time and having the heart to save the sea lions. 💖 I truly hope everyone will be more mindful and stop throwing trash into the water so that nature no longer has to suffer.

During a Philadelphia plane crash, 10-year-old Andre Howard shielded his little sister from falling debris, taking the impact himself. After surgery, his first words were: "Daddy, did I save my sister?" On the evening of January 31, 2025, Andre Howard Sr. had promised his son Trey a donut run after school, a promise made on Tuesday, kept on Friday. He loaded three of his kids into the car, ages 4, 7, and 10, and headed to Dunkin' near Cottman Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia. As they were leaving, a Learjet 55 air ambulance fell out of the sky. "It sounded like a missile was firing bullets, metal at my car, everyone else's car," Andre Sr recalled. He reversed the car, using the donut shop as a shield. From the backseat he heard his 10-year-old son Trey shout to his 4-year-old sister: "Get down, baby girl." Trey threw himself over her. "I turn around and he has metal out the side of his head," his father said. A piece of plane debris had gone into Trey's skull. As Andre tried to move him, it fell out, blood everywhere. He wrapped his son's head with socks while a stranger gave his shirt. A police officer drove them straight to hospital. Doctors warned the family Trey might not survive. He underwent emergency brain surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. When he woke up, his first words weren't about the pain. "Daddy, did I save my sister?" His father confirmed she was fine. Trey's second concern: had he missed the Eagles in the Super Bowl? "As a dad, it's bittersweet," Andre Sr. said. "I'm glad he listened but that's my job, not his job, to protect his sister." Philadelphia 76ers player Tyrese Maxey visited him in hospital. Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown posted on social media: "You are a Hero young man!" The Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl. Trey watched every second. The plane k*lled all six people on board, including 11-year-old Valentina Guzmán Murillo, a child from Mexico who had just finished cancer treatment at Shriners Children's Hospital and was being flown home. Seven people died in total. A fourth grader who took a piece of metal to the head so his little sister wouldn't have to.