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Articles by Dennis Rubin
The Backstep Boys: Mastering Command Decisions and Crew Resource Management
In this episode of The Backstep Boys, guests Dennis Rubin and Tom Currao join hosts Ron Kanterman and Tom Aurnhammer to dissect the complexities of fireground decision making. From battling large-scale urban fires to pioneering crew resource management, they draw from decades of frontline and leadership experience to explore how instinct, training, and teamwork shape command success under intense pressure.
Choosing To Command: The Time Has Come
December 28, 1978, United Airlines Flight #173 crash landed in Portland, Oregon. The plane was out of fuel about eight miles short of the Portland airport, killing ten (10) and injuring twenty-three (23) of the souls on board that evening. The investigation and crash mitigation that followed would be a perpetual game changer for the safety of all US commercial flights.
What Might Our Future Hold: Accountability
Predicting the future of our noble profession is both challenging and an opportunity to start a broad, kitchen-table dialogue among today's and tomorrow's fire service leaders. So, what does the future hold for the women and men that answer the fire bell? How can individual members shape or at least influence our direction? Will the changing direction be a benefit or a bust? All will be revealed to us in good time.
What Might Our Future Hold: The Can and the Hoseline
Predicting the future of our noble profession is both challenging and an opportunity to start a broad, kitchen table dialogue among today and tomorrow’s fire service leaders. So, what does the future hold for the women and men that answer the fire bell? How can individual firefighters shape or at least influence our direction? Will the changing direction be a benefit or a bust? All will be revealed to us in good time.
What Might our Future Hold: PPE
Predicting the future of our noble profession is both challenging and an opportunity to start a broad, kitchen table dialogue among today and tomorrow's fire service leaders. So, what does the future hold for the women and men who answer the fire bell? How can individual members shape or at least influence our direction? Will the changing direction be a benefit or a bust? All will be revealed to us in good time.
What Might Our Future Hold: Fire Apparatus
By Dennis L. Rubin Predicting the future of our noble profession is both challenging and an opportunity to start a broad, kitchen table or perhaps a national dialogue among tomorrow's fire service leaders. So, what does the future hold for the women and men that answer the fire bell? How can individual members shape or at least influence our direction? Will the changing direction be a benefit or a bust? All will be revealed to us in good time.
Must-read books for fire service leaders and firefighters
By FireRescue1 staff Whether you’re seeking inspiration, looking to sharpen your leadership skills or aiming to expand your operational expertise, reading is a powerful tool for professional growth in the fire service. We’ve gathered book recommendations from fire service leaders and FireRescue1 contributors, as well as book excerpts showcasing reads that cater to firefighters, aspiring firefighters and fire service leaders.
Dennis Rubin Products - Fire Engineering Books
Dennis L. Rubin was first appointed as a fire chief in December 1996. Chief Rubin’s experience in fire and rescue service spans more than 30 years: he has served as a line firefighter, company officer, command level officer, and fire chief in several major US cities. In 1994, Rubin served as the president of the State Fire Chiefs Association of Virginia. Rubin was the host fire chief for the 1999 Southeastern Fire Chiefs Association conference held in Dothan, Alabama.
D.C. Fire
By Chief Dennis Rubin Chief Dennis Rubin, a 40-year fire service veteran and author of Rube's Rules for Survival, offers his newest leadership text based on his tenure as chief of Washington, D.C. Fire & EMS. This fast-paced collection of behind-the-scenes stories and case studies provides the reader with insight on how leadership techniques can be applied for better or worse in a real-world setting where a new chief has to hit the ground running.
First Due: CRM: Avoiding Fire & Rescue Errors
In December 1978, United Airlines Flight 173 crashed: The cause was determined to be human error. Based on this disaster, the Federal Aviation Administration gave all U.S. commercial aviation carriers two years to develop a human error prevention management system. What resulted was crew resource management (CRM). CRM focuses on all crew members making appropriate and effective decisions to ensure that human inputs are correct, from preflight checks to deplaning.
16 must-read books for firefighters
By Megan Wells, FireRescue1 Contributor FireRescue1 asked readers to recommend some of the best firefighter-related books they’ve read, and you shared plenty of interesting titles. Whether you’re shopping for a holiday gift for your firefighter or just looking to pick up a new read, check out this list of firefighter-recommended books. There are many great books that can help firefighters with professional development. (Photo/Wikimedia) 1.
16 must-read books for firefighters
Editor’s note: Whether it’s for pleasure, to learn new skills, or to introduce little ones to community helpers, books are a gateway to knowledge, understanding and growth. This month, May 15-20, get (or give!) the gift of knowledge for less with the Amazon Book Sale. Check out our list of epic public safety reads and take advantage of books up to 50% off, eBooks up to 80% off, or pick up a new Kindle Scribe at up to 29% off.
15 must-read books for firefighters
FireRescue1 readers recommend these 15 books for entertainment or professional development By Megan Wells, FireRescue1 Contributor FireRescue1 asked readers to recommend some of the best firefighter-related books they’ve read, and you shared plenty of interesting titles. Whether you’re shopping for a holiday gift for your firefighter or just looking to pick up a new read, check out this list of firefighter-recommended books.
Protecting resources by conducting a 360-degree view
Conduct a 360-degree view before deliberately placing our most important resource in harm’s way “You don’t know what you don’t know until you know it,” is a great quote that sounds a lot like something longtime catcher and all-star Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees may have coined. Not sure of the author, but these true words of wisdom are often used liberally in both fire department leadership and emergency operations training sessions.
Conducting a Floor-To-Floor Check Early in An Event Is Critical to Firefighter Safety
October was a wonderful time of the year in our nation’s capital. The leaves were slowly changing to panoramic brilliant fall colors, signaling that Old Man Winter was just around the corner. The hot, hazy, and humid days of summer were gone and forgotten for a good long while. The midday temperatures were generally ideal with nothing but the sun shining on America’s treasured city.
Pick a Door, Either Door
Most firefighters understand and enjoy the “art” of forcible entry techniques to get through doors. Using a flathead ax to drive the adz of the halligan bar (“the irons”) into a door jamb is a feeling of raw power and total control over the situation. Perhaps it’s the use of a K-Tool or Rabbit Tool to gain rapid access to the “belly of the beast” to go to work quenching the flames. Getting the hazard zone opened up quickly and professionally is mission critical for operational effectiveness.
Long Days and Longer Nights
NBC’s blockbuster hit “Chicago Fire” has become a fire station staple and a “must” watch, if the alarm bells keep quiet for the 60-minute program. In fact, some company officers have asked to report the crew time watching this TV show on the daily training report (not a very good idea). In fact, the storylines are great entrainment, tempered with some moments of realism.
Fire chief: When to say no to mutual aid
Recently, I made a leadership presentation to a group of firefighters in the Yakima Valley, Wash. My first task was to get oriented with the teaching venue and my soon-to-be audience. As part of my standard preparation routine, I closely observed the on-stage speaker. I will admit that my purpose was to watch for the crowd's reaction to the instructor's delivery style. Next, I paid attention to the room lighting, the air temperature, the effectiveness of the sound system and like ancillary items.
How arrogance can ruin a fire chief's career
A fire chief who succumbs to arrogance and a sense of self-importance will take actions not aligned with the department's goals "I can't hear what you are saying because your actions are speaking so loudly." This could often be heard in the classrooms of the parochial school I attended as a young man. There was a low threshold for nonsense, and the instructional staff made the students aware of this fact whenever necessary.
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