Skip to content

Archives for firefighters-in-dresses

See all posts in the network tagged with firefighters-in-dresses

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

3 comments

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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Now for the rest of the story: CNN & others take us behind the scenes of the dress wearing firefighters from Minnesota. Meet the firefighters & learn who they were wearing.

3 comments

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

Previous coverage of this story

Okay, I have been had. And I must admit when I am wrong. On Sunday, after STATter911.com was the first to bring you the story of the Minnesota firefighters in dresses fighting a vehicle fire, someone posted a comment that the firefighters were actually a pair of fellow fire service bloggers from Roanoke apparently out on a road trip (we will keep their real names out of it, now that we know it isn’t true). I didn’t believe it for a second. We know for a fact that one of those guys is a petite and from what I saw in the video neither one was a petite.

But I thought I was proven wrong when the picture below was sent anonymously to me. It looked legit and it clearly showed Fireboy from Roanoke, AKA the Fire Critic (again, no real names), backing up the guy with the pipe. In a rash move, I posted the picture on Facebook. For that, I sincerely apologize, because it turns out this was a doctored photo. Who knew? It looked real to me.

It took the wonderful Jeanne Moos from CNN to set me straight. She uncovered the real story and discovered that there were more than just two firefighters in drag. Please watch her story above and an in-person interview with the two firefighters below.

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

Posted by on March 22, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Cameras & firefighters, EMS & police, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, News, Social Media, Reputation Management, News Media, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

You will have seen it all once you have seen this video. Minnesota firefighters fight fire in drag.

41 comments

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

UPDATE: I held off as long as I could expecting that one of our readers would say this, but alas, they haven’t. My initial thought on seeing the video was that a great injustice has been done in this country. I came out squarely against it when it happened in my back yard because I thought it meant nothing to the citizens and was bad branding, but in this case from Minnesota I would have to reconsider my position. So all I can say at this point is how sad it is that the acronym FEMS is already being used by a department.

I might as well close up shop after this one. I am not sure we will ever top this video. It comes from Central Minnesota and happened on Saturday morning as firefighters were gathered for the Padua Parade. The firefighters sprang into action when the engine of a truck caught fire. No PPE for this crew, just the dresses the two men were wearing. Yes, I said dresses. You got a problem with that?

More from WCCO-TV:

John Egan, the Sauk Centre Fire Chief, said the firefighters in drag were members of the Sedan Fire Department. They were participating in the parade when a truck engine caught fire nearby.

Egan said the fire spread to another truck and that the firefighters ran to put it out.

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

Posted by on March 18, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, must see video, Social Media, Reputation Management, News Media • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,