Mississippi Mayhem

06/02/2026

🚨NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN🚨
The nominations for the 2026 FOOLS International Convention Awards will be open from April 1st to July 1st. Please be sure to recognize those deserving F.O.O.L.S. Members and Chapters who are out there furthering the MISSION!

Nomination form: https://forms.gle/Gt1TJJfxekdP5S4f8

06/02/2026

🚨 LIFT 2027 INSTRUCTOR CALL OUT IS NOW OPEN! 🚨

Do you have knowledge, experience, lessons learned, or innovative ideas that can help firefighters and first responders become better tomorrow than they are today?

We're looking for instructors to join us at LIFT 2027, March 1–4, 2027, at L'Auberge Casino & Hotel in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Whether you're a seasoned presenter, a subject matter expert, or someone teaching for the first time, we want to hear from you.

We're seeking both:
🔥 Classroom presentations
🔥 Hands-On Training (HOT) Drills

Topics may include:
✅ Fire Behavior
✅ Leadership & Supervision
✅ Tactical Operations
✅ Health & Safety
✅ Rescue & Special Operations
✅ Instructor Development
✅ And more!

LIFT exists to bring firefighters and first responders together through education, networking, and fellowship. Any proceeds generated from the conference directly support the mission of the Louisiana Firefighters Foundation, helping us continue serving firefighters and their families throughout the year.
📅 Submission Deadline: July 13, 2026
📍 Baton Rouge, Louisiana
🔗 Apply Here: https://form.jotform.com/260884608423058

Help us build another unforgettable year of learning, leadership, and service.

06/01/2026

Dedicated to the job…..Focus on strong leadership and Humble enough to know there’s always more to learn. The firemen who care about the mission train, sharpen skills, and raise the standard together. Stay focused, stay disciplined, stay humble—and above all, STAY TRAINING. Because when the tones drop, excuses don’t matter!!! Preparation does.

06/01/2026

🚨ONE MONTH LEFT FOR NOMINATIONS🚨
The nominations for the 2026 FOOLS International Convention Awards close July 1st. Please be sure to recognize those deserving F.O.O.L.S. Members and Chapters who are out there furthering the MISSION!

Nomination form: https://forms.gle/Gt1TJJfxekdP5S4f8

05/31/2026

🚒 Ladder training reminder for Saturday!

Bring your gear, bring your grit, and maybe bring some functioning hamstrings too. We’ll be putting in the work and sharpening skills.

Train hard now so the real calls feel familiar later. See y’all Saturday. 💪🪜 Get registered!!!

05/26/2026

Dedicated to the job…..Focus on strong leadership and Humble enough to know there’s always more to learn. The firemen who care about the mission train, sharpen skills, and raise the standard together. Stay focused, stay disciplined, stay humble—and above all, STAY TRAINING. Because when the tones drop, excuses don’t matter!!! Preparation does.

05/24/2026

One Ticket, One Price. MULTIPLE Unbelievable Prizes.

Multiple Chances To Win With the Same Ticket.

On Friday May 15th, the fire and explosion at the Robbins Mill changed the face of the fire service in Waldo County forever.

The repercussions of the loss of Morrill Firefighter Andrew Cross, along with the injuries sustained by members of the Searsmont Fire Dept, Searsmont EMS, Belmont Fire, Montville Fire, Lincolnville Fire and Appleton Fire Departments will be felt for years to come.

We have put together a fundraiser to benefit these firefighters and their families who have been affected. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Brothers & Sisters from the Searsmont Mill Fire & Explosion, we will be making the donations to one of the established funds.

Our vendor friends have come through with amazing donations including: a leather fire helmet courtesy of Bergeron Protective Clothing; a composite helmet courtesy of Fire Tech & Safety; a Piglet tool from THE PIG - Forcible Entry Tool; a Lock X-Traction Tool, FSV Hook and Halligan Style Forcible Entry tool all from Council Tool; a Phenix TL2 leather helmet from Granite State Fire Helmets llc; a custom leather radio strap from Campfire Leather; custom leather goods from 190 Leatherworks, LLC; two different rechargeable hand lights courtesy of the Brand Company Inc; a prize pack from Taylor's Tins; a prize pack from the Notorious Fire Co; a set of custom co****le boards from 1st-in Grafix; a custom hand-painted helmet front from Custom Helmet Shields; a custom helmet front from the The Hose Shop Custom Handmade “Boston” style Helmet Shields; a prize pack from National Fire Radio; a RAM Monitor and stacked tips from Elkhart Brass; and swag packs from the New England FOOLS including a conference pass to the 2027 Northeastern Fire Summit in Wells Maine in March of 2027. More prizes to follow!

Tickets are $75/ea, with a total of 250 tickets being sold. Winners will be drawn when all tickets are sold, and each ticket is eligible to win more than once. Venmo is , PayPal is [email protected]. Please put your phone or email in the comments when you purchase.

So, to recap. One TREMENDOUS cause. $75 per chance. Multiple Chances To Win. Three Fire Helmets. Tools Galore. A Buncha Custom Leather Goods. Swag Packs for Days. Co****le. Helmet Fronts. Nozzles and Monitors. All the while Doing the Right Thing!

05/18/2026

Get • Department Standard vs. Crew Expectation

Every firehouse has them.

Masking up with gloves on.
Throwing ladders to windows without being told.
Committing to an aggressive search.
Knowing where ladders belong before the officer even speaks.
Stretching expectations beyond the bare minimum.

The question is — are these truly department standards?
Or are they simply crew expectations carried by a few motivated companies?

There’s a difference.

A crew expectation lives and dies with the crew. It depends on who’s working that day, who the officer is, or whether the motivated firefighters are on shift. It creates pockets of excellence — but inconsistency across the department.

A department standard is different.
It exists regardless of assignment, rank, or shift. It’s understood, repeated, coached, and enforced until it becomes part of the culture. The expectation doesn’t change because the staffing does.

One creates isolated high performers.
The other creates organizational trust.

The fireground exposes the difference quickly. Citizens don’t care what crew is working. They believe they’re calling the department. They expect the same professionalism, aggression, discipline, and competence every single time.

So how do we create the standard?

Not through slogans. Not through posters.

Standards are built through repetition, accountability, leadership, and firefighters willing to correct each other in the small moments before the big moments arrive.

They’re built when senior firefighters refuse to let the details slide.
When officers coach instead of ignore.
When training reflects real expectations — not minimum requirements.

Culture is created by what we tolerate repeatedly.

If excellence only exists on certain crews, then excellence is not yet the standard.

05/15/2026

05/14/2026

The standards of the fire department may set the minimum… but the standards of your company should set the tone.

Departments can write SOPs, policies, and expectations all day long — but real pride, discipline, and aggression are built inside the company you ride with every shift.

Your company standard is what happens when nobody is watching.
It’s how hard you train after the tones go quiet.
It’s how well you know your job before the fire comes.
It’s how you carry yourself, clean your rig, check your equipment, and look out for the people beside you.

A weak company waits to be told what to do.
A strong company pushes each other to be better every single day.

The fireground doesn’t care about excuses, rank, or patch size. It exposes preparation, effort, and culture.

Raise the standard in your company so high that average becomes unacceptable. Because when the moment comes, your crew won’t rise to the occasion they’ll fall back on the level they trained at.