Firehouse.com Year In Review

[Truck4 48]

Is it me or is there something disturbing about Firehouse.com's reader's picks of the top news stories in 2004? Top story is "Ladder 49." Coming in at #3 is a compilation of the Line of Duty deaths throughout the year. It's fairly sickening when a movie, and certainly not the first of it's kind and definately not a blockbuster, is the "top story" over Line Of Duty deaths. This would include the guys in Pittsburg who died in the church. They were also ranked behind FireAct grants. What is this, year 3 or 4 for these grants? While very important and to some a drop in the bucket, are we (according to the reader's of Firehouse) supposed to sit back and reflect on some rural department getting federal money to fix thier leaky roof over Men lost? Or should I run right out and reserve my copy of that Travolta masterpeice because a Firehouse poll said it was the most important thing to come out of 2004 for the Emergency Services?

[Pudge3311 5]

IMO, Firehouse.com has taken a nose dive in this last week. First the training story, and now the top stories of the year. Sorry but LOD deaths is the top story every year, and a movie, unless it spurs some huge change in the way we conduct everyday business on the fireground shouldnt make the list in a thousand years.

[Remember585 815]

Sadly, more people show an interest in a film about firefighting then LODDs. Take a look no further then right here at the EMTBravo forums, we had more talk about Ladder 49, Rescue Me and Third Watch then fire service fatalities.

It's human nature to show an interest in "cool" things, and to ignore or pay less attention to death.

By the way, this wasn't a "knock" to the forums, just making a point.

[JBE 328]

The movie could have been better. Rescue Me started off ok and then went to poop. I haven't watched Turd Watch in years, except recently when Gene Simmons was on. Haven't read Firehouse in a while, but one of my friends took the picture that they used for the top 10 stories.