Views from the Jumpseat
Ryan Pennington

View from the Jumpseat - Ryan Pennington shares his views while riding the back seat of the fire engine in West Virginia. He writes about firefighter safety, tactics, leadership and EMS

  • Crawling Through Filth
    by Ryan Pennington - Sunday May 13, 2012
    Good evening from the Jumpseat. Yeah, here on the East Coast it is late in the night and I would like to share an experience that happened here in my local area. Since I have started the research into the world of hoarders I have had the honor of sharing many different stories of responses. From EMS incidents to working structure fires with entrapped victims the stories continue to blow me away, all the while providing for new areas of research. My first fire chief called me to relate a story of a hoarder fire. His response has taken my research to a whole new level and it was seen from the perspective of the first due crew hitting their knees to make entry and finding filth! The short version of the story is that they responded to a...

  • Are you a Pink Flamingo?
    by Ryan Pennington - Tuesday April 17, 2012
    Good afternoon from the Jumpseat! In talking with some friends I have noticed that there seems to be growing breed of firefighter around the world. This is the pink flamingo breed. You know the type: they are laid out in the yard with their new gear, air bottle full, drinking all the water while looking pretty, just like a pink flamingo. We all have them in our department. I have often heard the term "yard breather," but they have taken it to a new level. Here is my two cents on this subject. I like socializing with my fellow firefighters too, but the fireground is not the place to do it, nor is it the place to stand there looking cool in your fire gear. The fires scene is a work zone. With today's staffing levels going down faster than...

  • When a Flashlight isn't Enough
    by Ryan Pennington - Monday April 9, 2012
    Hello from the J umpseat . As the sun sets on another evening riding backwards we stand ready for the next fire. With my flashlight charged and ready, let the bells ring out "structure fire." Maybe you are asking yourself "Is he seriou, is he taking the time to write a blog post about a flashlight?" Yep, and with two points in mind here it goes. First: "bring your own light!" because as much as you are my brother or sister firefighter you are not borrowing mine. Yes I said it; they named a street after me in every town: One Way. Your department places them on the trucks or issues one to you and it is not my job to make sure you carry one. It never fails that on every fire I have someone is asking, "hey, let me borrow your light...

  • The Charleston Nightmare
    by Ryan Pennington - Thursday March 29, 2012
    With a solemn greeting from the jumpseat, I am writing with a heavy heart to give a huge shout out to the members of my home department. My department here in West Virginia is the Charleston Fire Department - an urban department nestled in between the big beautiful mountains of West Virginia. We have around 170 proud firefighters that serve a community of 50,000 that swells to over 100,000 during the day. On Saturday, March 24 the CFD experienced a tragic event that resulted in the death of nine lives, seven of which were children under the age of 10. As the call rang out on that fateful night, just two blocks from the nearest fire station, my coworkers stood ready to answer the call and lay down their lives to save others. The fire...

  • I Might be a Freelancer
    by Ryan Pennington - Friday March 16, 2012
    Hello from the jumpseat. I wanted to take a moment to announce that "I might be a freelancer." It's true and I may be coming to the realization that after all these years this might just be me. I truly believe that one of the hardest positions on the fireground is the role of follower. When the alarm sounds there are certain tasks that have to be accomplished under the direction of a leader; not me the follower. As your career progresses you will know these tasks like the back of your hand as you begin to learn what it takes to be a leader. Sometimes this can be the hardest thing to do. I will use myself as the example. With 17 years in the fire service and almost 10 years on the career side, I have not began my rise through the ranks...