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Battle between STATter911.com & Fire Critic enters international arena. Despite winning his damn contest Statter is attacked by Fleitz in major Australian publication.

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See for yourself who’s the go-to guy and international expert providing the tips on this hot topic.

Fire Critic announces results of Fire Blog of the Year

Click here to follow STATter911.com on Facebook (hit “like”)

On the same day Rhett Fleitz reluctantly announced STATter911.com is the reader’s choice among fire service blogs, Fireboy from Roanoke finds himself featured in a major mainstream Australian publication once again trying to undermine the fire service’s most popular blog. This is not a put-on or satire. Read for yourself in an excerpt from an article by Peter Farquhar at news.com.au:

Mr Fleitz says similar sites are quite popular in the US. He has a local  nemesis, Dave Statter, who runs statter911.com.

They’re good friends who “love to hate each other”, Mr Fleitz says.

“Some say he was a firefighter for a couple of days back in 1974 … I doubt  it.”

The main focus of the article is Fireboy pontificating on the greater meaning of those Minnesota firefighters handling a vehicle fire while dressed in drag. I’m assuming Mr. Farquhar went right to the expert on that specific firefighting speciality. Fleitz told him that he could have gotten out of that dress, in full PPE and on air in under two minutes (again, I am not making this up). I assume this is based on experience.

The funny thing is that FireCritic.com never even ran that story from Minnesota. It was first presented to the fire service last Sunday by … wait for it … STATter911.com. It was brought to our attention by a loyal STATter911.com reader (the type Mr. Fleitz refers to as “trolls”) very shortly after it was posted on a TV website .

It’s those loyal readers who so kindly voted for STATter911.com and made us the reader’s choice in the Fire Blog of the Year contest run by Mr. Fleitz and the kind folks at FireRescue1.com. The same contest Mr. Fleitz originally said we couldn’t be a part of because I am not a firefighter.

I assume Fireboy took his grudge match to the other side of the world because few people are buying his claims about me in the U.S.

We do sincerely congratulate Mr. Fleitz for getting this international recognition and hosting the contest.

We will have a lot to talk about when we make a trip to Newark, Ohio together in May for the Ohio Fire & Emergency Services Foundation’s 2012 Leadership Conference (click here to sign up). IronFiremen.com‘s Willie Wines Jr. will be along to referee.

In Ohio we will be talking about various aspects of social media and the fire service. But I assume Fleitz is already busy working on the PowerPoint for future presentations featuring this other expertise of his. The course, “PPE in under two, evening gown and all”, will make its debut in 2013. First stop for Fleitz, Sedan, Minnesota, of course.

Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.

Fireboy lashes out on the same day he’s forced to announce what he already knew in his heart, that STATter911.com is the most popular fire service blog. By the way, BackstepFirefighter.com is the judge’s choice.

Posted by on March 24, 2012 • Filed under: Cameras & firefighters, EMS & police, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A special STATter911.com Thanksgiving message: Dave comes clean about a secret from his past.

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It will all make sense after you watch this. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Posted by on November 24, 2011 • Filed under: must see video, Special Operations, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A STATter911.com Exclusive: The shocking conclusion to our investigation of The Fire Critic. You won’t believe what we have discovered.

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Watch Part 1 of our exclusive investigative report

(Note: While I have apologized and given up my involvement in writing The Fire Critic, Willie Wines apparently is having a tougher time letting go. There is a brand new post attacking me and the people who read STATter911.com. Click here. Personal note to Capt. Wines – Willie, it's over. You can't put the genie back in the bottle. Give it a rest.)

If you saw Part 1 of our investigation into the website FireCritic.com you know that we have determined rather conclusively that there is no Lt. Rhett Fleitz in the Roanoke Fire Department. But it left open the question of who then is The Fire Critic (AKA Fireboy from Roanoke). Who has been writing the website FireCritic.com all of this time?

The shocking answer is in the video above. Our lawyers at STATter911.com World Headquarters advised us strongly not to run this story. But we thought it extremely important that the truth finally come out.

"Amber", a self-described Fire Critic groupie, with her man/boy. But just who is this guy who claims to be a Roanoke fire lieutenant? Capt. Willie Wines, who took this picture, comes clean in the video above and it isn't a pretty picture.

Before you watch Part 2 we should share with you comments from two of our readers quite concerned (and rightfully so) about what we reported in Part 1. Here are the actual comments:

Comment 1:

… this kid (supposedly) from Roanoke has been on line how long? Nobody from there noticed he didn't exist? Child sociopaths turn into adult sociopaths and this kid needs help. Some motivation via Trademark infringement suits might get him the help he needs.

Comment 2:

The sad part is this kid is setting himself to destroy any chance of a career in the fire service, which to his credit he seems to love. Imagine doing the background check on this kid…

I couldn't agree with these readers more. This is all an outrage. And yes, maybe the authorities need to investigate.

As for any part I may have inadvertently played in helping further this ruse on an unsuspecting fire service web community, I offer the following message straight from my heart (and from Chuck in our PR department):

It is time to take some of my own advice on how an organization should handle bad news (come see me in St. Charles, Missouri for the full lesson and remember to use STATTER in the promo code for a discount).

You will notice I am telling you first about this issue before you hear it elsewhere. It became clear there was nothing to gain by waiting for some smartass reporter (like FossilMedic) to uncover this problem. It was only a matter of time before it leaked out. In addition to getting the news to you first, I am getting it out, getting it right and getting it behind me.

So, let me share with you the steps I am taking. I have ordered a thorough investigation into how this Fire Critic crisis occurred. We will be using a team of outside investigators to insure impartiality. We tried to get J. Gordon Routley to lead that time, but Chief Routley had a prior commitment. (Dave, I have checked the budget. We can't afford Routley, Chuck in PR.)

Instead, I have asked Benny, our 12-year-old neighbor who is really a whiz on the Internet, to trace the digital trail and provide us some answers on how this could go so terribly wrong. Benny has promised me he will get to it as soon as he and my son Sam are finished with their latest battle in Call of Duty. We will share Benny's findings and recommendations with you when they are available.

I will be checking myself into a 12-step program in the morning. (Dave, I have checked all over the country, there is no program for egotistical bloggers who make fun of short people … Chuck.)

In addition, I have spent time today with my spiritual advisor, the Firegeezer Gnome, who I am certain will help me find my digital way once again. (Dave, have you checked with Schumm on this? I really don't think the Gnome counts as an important religious leader … Chuck.)

Please be certain that I take full responsibility for my actions and the actions of my staff at STATter911.com. Remember, the buck stops here. (Dave, fill in other clichés as needed … Chuck.)

To all of those I've hurt, I sincerely apologize. And I particularly regret dragging my family into this unfortunate situation. (Dave, both Hill and Sam have made it clear they will not be standing beside you if you decide to do a press conference, so I advise just go with the written statement … Chuck.)

Dave with his spiritual leader. Photo by Mike Legeros at Legeros Fire Blog.

Posted by on August 29, 2011 • Filed under: Uncategorized, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A STATter911.com exclusive investigation: The truth about The Fire Critic.

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I am sure most of you have seen the pictures and maybe even the website and wondered how this could be true. A boy, who can't be more than 14-years-old, claiming to be a firefighter in Roanoke, Virginia. Actually, not just a firefighter, but a lieutenant. And on top of it, this teenager claims to have enough experience in the fire service to write a blog and proclaim he is THE Fire Critic.

Some of you may know him from a series of animated films as Fireboy from Roanoke. He says his real name is Rhett Fleitz. Furthermore, in many comments on FireCritic.com and elsewhere, this Fleitz guy has been telling people for quite some time that Dave Statter has never been a firefighter. And to make matters worse, he has referred to the readers who comment on STATter911.com as "trolls".

Well, some of those "trolls" have been sending me emails and comments with tips on a story I should cover about Rhett Fleitz. But I had given up being a reporter 14-months-ago and vowed to leave the reporting to others. As more of these tips came in, many of them from firefighters in the Roanoke area, I found it too hard to ignore and just had to check them out.

Basically, the tips indicated that The Fire Critic was pointing the finger at me to take the focus off of himself. That, in fact, Rhett Fleitz was not a firefighter and there was no Lt. Rhett Fleitz in the Roanoke Fire Department.

Shocking, you say? That's exactly how I felt.

To determine the truth I took a little side trip during my travels last week to Fire Rescue International. I showed up unannounced in the wonderful city of Roanoke and paid a visit to Engine 3, the firehouse where The Fire Critic claims he works. The results of my secret, undercover investigation can be found in the exclusive video above (though, another fire service blogger nearly spilled the beans last week about our Roanoke visit).

It turns out there is even more to this story than we could tell you in the video. Right now we have the lawyers working overtime at STATter911.com World Headquarters trying to determine if we can even reveal the entire truth about all we have learned. Stay tuned for more.

Posted by on August 28, 2011 • Filed under: Uncategorized • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dave’s list for Firehouse Expo: Better Angels; Stair Climb; Uno’s Meetup; Local 734 events; Social media panel; Come to Booth #743 to meet the inventor of the fire service blog.

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They meet again: Fire Critic Rhett Fleitz, sitting under the banner for his favorite blog of all time, hoping that when he grows up he can be just like the editor of STATter911.com. A scene from Booth #743 last year, courtesy of Mike Legeros of Raleigh/Wake Firefighting Blog. This year the booth will have a child security gate added (read below). And feel free to write your own caption for this picture in the comments section. Just keep it relatively clean and make me laugh.

From Wednesday through Saturday I will be in Baltimore for Firehouse Expo. My time will be split, as usual, between work for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the insanity of Booth #743 (plus being part of a social media panel discussion on Saturday morning). Click here and use promo code EX79 to get a free pass for the convention floor.

Booth #743 is probably one of the few places you will visit that has both adult and child day care under one roof. It should make for an interesting mix. Our host is Firegeezer Bill Schumm. Bill will be joined by FossilMedic Mike Ward and I am guessing some other members of the cast at Firegeezer.com.

At one end of the double-wide (booth, that is) will be the crew from Firefighter Nutcast. (Did I spell that right? I sometimes have trouble spelling the word "firefighter".)

John Mitchell (FireDaily.com) and Rhett Fleitz (AKA THE Fire Critic) will be doing live and taped webcasts from the booth. IronFireman.com's Willie Wines (Rhett's legal guardian) will be on hand for diaper changes and feedings (for young and old alike).

You will probably recall that Rhett, the guy who invented the fire service blog, played the lead role last year in that critically acclaimed series of short films titled the Adventures of Fireboy from Roanoke.

I expect to be stationed at the other end of the booth from the webcasters. Schumm tells me there will be a child safety gate in the middle of the booth to keep the toddler from wandering into the adult areas.

That's a good thing, because Will Wyatt from Texas, author of And a Paycheck, Too! (right now Rhett's saying to Willie, "and I didn't even buy And a Paycheck, One") will be signing and selling books on Friday and Saturday. I'm a little worried the book's content might be a little too adult oriented for Fireboy. But make sure you buy and read Will's hilarious book. Also, check out Will's take on the singing battalion chief from Philly.

And rumor has it FireTruckBlog.com's Glenn Usdin may make a guest appearance on Saturday.

That's booth #743. Now for some more serious adventures in Baltimore:

Thursday:

Firehouse Expo/NFFF 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb – Make sure you are one of the 343 people to sign up for this great way to honor the firefighters who were lost 10-years-ago on 9-11. It will be at the Hilton Baltimore adjacent to the Convention Center. Click here to sign up. In addition, I will be hosting a webcast from the opening ceremony for the climb. You can hear it live by clicking here on Thursday at 1:45 PM. While I don't think I will have time to name all of the individuals climbing, if you are part of a group participating in the event, make sure you let me know so I can mention the group or department during the webcast. You can send me an email at dave@statter911.com or tell me on Thursday.

Uno Chicago Grill Firefighter Nation, FireEMSBlogs.com and FireRescue Magazine Meetup - 8:00 to 11:30 PM at 201 East Pratt Street – Harborplace. Lots of fun and it's a benefit for NFFF. Be among the first 50 at Booth #743 and get a free drink ticket for the event.

IAFF Local 734 Union Hall event - Opens at 3:00 for light snacks and drinks. Click here for details.

Friday:

IAFF Local 734 Union Hall event & Orioles tailgate party – $20.00 donation at the door benefiting Baltimore Widows & Orphans Fund. Click here for details.

Saturday:

Social Media: An Opportunity, a Curse, or Both? – 8:30 AM in Room 339. Bill Delaney moderates a panel that includes Curt Varone, Pete Piringer and me. Come join us.

Leave yourself time at the Baltimore Convention Center to spend with Better Angels: The Firefighters of 9/11. Dawn Siebel's work sponsored by the Department of Justice Public Safety Officers' Benefits Programs and NFFF will be in the lobby and is a place you will likely want to linger for a bit.

Posted by on July 18, 2011 • Filed under: Social Media, Reputation Management, News Media • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

You’ve seen his videos. You’ve read his blogs. Now meet the man. Personal Appearance. Tonight in Baltimore at EMS Today. One night only. Fireboy from Roanoke, AKA, THE Fire Critic.

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FireCritic.com has the details of tonight’s Meet-up in Baltimore

Previous STATter911.com animations in this series

Rhett Fleitz has announced to the world he will be at the JEMS & FireEMSBlogs.com Meetup (sponsored by Physio Control) tonight at Uno Chicago Grill – Harborplace Pratt Street Pavilion, 201 East Pratt Street, 2nd floor in Baltimore from 8:00 until 11:00. Captain Willie Wines, his chaperone, body guard and driver, is on the way to Baltimore with this true fire and EMS celebrity as I write this.

Please line up early for the self-proclaimed King of Fire & EMS blogs to sign your FireCritic.com paraphenalia. Be orderly. We don’t want Willie the Moustache to have to break bad on you. And please, please, don’t speak to the King until he speaks to you first. And whatever you do, don’t touch him (that’s protocol with royalty and he’s also very fragile). I have been assured that Willie has the fake ID so King Rhett can get in the place and won’t have to sit outside like last time.

I believe there will be some other bloggers there (including me). But we know that’s not important when the King is around.

Despite this rare and important event for his loyal subjects, STATter911.com has learned all may not be well in the Kingdom. This little video above will give you a preview of what to expect in Baltimore.

Posted by on March 3, 2011 • Filed under: Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A social media policy from the anti-social Dave Statter. Plus CSI – Roanoke & more.

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CSI – Roanoke; Special Blogs Unit

Previous STATter911.com animations

Rhett finds some very interesting photos of Dave

The Iron Fireman just fuels the fire

Backstep Firefighter as the carnival barker

Our friends at FireEMSblogs.com including Backstep Firefighter Bill Carey and Fire Critic Rhett Fleitz have been running something called a blog carnival for a while. Looking at some of the silliness that has been going on in the fire blogosphere of late, a three-ring circus might be a better description. The idea is for a bunch of us write about the same topic and it is all posted together. This is my first carnival but not my first rodeo.

ChiefReasonArt.com lowers its standards. Click the image to lower yours.

This time the goal is for us to come up with a social media policy for our departments. Obviously I don’t have a department to write a policy for. When I did have a department, more than 30-years-ago, we didn’t have social media, just social diseases. Now we have both. I guess it’s progress that you can blog about your social disease and how you caught it.

I gave the project of coming up with this policy to my crack staff here at STATter911.com’s World Headquarters. The video above is what they came up with.

If you can sit through latest in the back and forth that has taken place between Iron Firemen’s Willie Wines and Rhett (more on that in a second) there are actually some nuggets of useful information (seriously). My top ten suggestions for firefighters using social media are buried somewhere in the video.

You will also find that in many ways the video itself is a good example of why you need to have good social media practices.

Now, for the few who have been following the three-way blog/video conversation that Willie, Rhett and I have been entertaining ourselves with, there is bad news. It has grown. It is now a foursome.

Seriously, what does this guy Fleitz have against me that he would publish these old photos? Have I done something to him?

Art Goodrich has added his mighty pen to this battle of nitwits (you would think he would be smarter than to get involved with us). Art may be the only one who has any real talent. He can actually write.

Please view ChiefReasonArt.com’s I-Team investigation (did you know there is no “you” in I-Team?) on my running battle with The Fire Cricket (AKA Fireboy from Roanoke, King of the Fire Blogs, Cotton Candy & Willie’s Little Buddy). Art somehow penetrated the security at the STATter911.com World Headquarters Building. You can read what he found at CSI – Roanoke; Special Blogs Unit. 

I have prepared an official response to this absolutely scurrilous report. Here is my statement:

It has come to our attention that a blogger who goes by the name Chief Reason Art has made some allegations about our operation. We are distressed that a former fire chief and respected member of the fire service community would print what amount to lies and innuendo. At the advice of legal counsel we will not be able to provide specifics about any of these allegations and will have no further comment on this matter.

These assaults on me are coming from many different directions (including my own people). The video below (from IronFiremen.com’s Willie Wines) was apparently shot in an emergency department in Roanoke. It includes someone they claim is me standing over a gurney carrying an apparently unconscious fire blogger.  You will have to view it to get the full context.

And finally The Fire Cricket checks in from Roanoke. He has uncovered two pictures from my past that I am sure my enemies (and there are many) will enjoy seeing. I really don’t understand why this guy Fleitz is after me. Seriously, what have I done to tick him off?

Posted by on November 28, 2010 • Filed under: Social Media, Reputation Management, News Media, Uncategorized, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,