tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74175156166763175412024-03-21T06:17:57.622-07:00FULLY INVOLVEDLEARN, COACH, LEADPennwell Blogs Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15757232455847950283noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-73787120839367788052016-02-14T17:11:00.000-08:002016-02-16T07:01:58.787-08:00Reflections
By Mark vonAppen
This is a correspondence I had with a friend of the page from some time ago.
He asked, "Are you really all-in-all-the-time?"
This is what I wrote back.
----
No.
Unfortunately, this is something I wrestle with mightily. I try to wrap my head around the who-the-hell-are-you-and-just-what-is-it-you-think-you're-doing-thing every day. I grapple Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-42119243291211731132015-08-10T07:00:00.000-07:002015-08-10T07:26:58.291-07:00A Long History of Short Memories
By: Mark vonAppen
I don't care much for fictional accounts of fires, so whenever I sit through an after action review it is interesting to me to hear what happened according to the stories that are told. Most don't sound anything like any fire I have ever gone to, yet all of them sound exactly the same. I get angry at the thought about having my time wasted as the players Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-11253238526759542672015-08-06T06:45:00.000-07:002015-08-06T06:47:07.836-07:00Positions
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If you'd like to show you're FULLY INVOLVED, we just received some 2" x 2" all black rubber patches that are perfect for sewing onto a gear bag, tactical gear, or whatever you choose!
Quantities are extremely limited!
Patches are just $10.00 each ($11.00 if ordering outside the USA)!
1.5" x 1.5" vinyl (all weather - currently one size only) stickers are $3.50 a piece (Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-53656037017792041962015-06-18T06:01:00.000-07:002015-06-18T06:19:09.259-07:00The Long Road
By Mark vonAppen
Most all of us enter into our career in the fire service blind with ideology; thinking that we can master the learning curve and become difference makers. We seek to augment growth, foster development, and provide support to our brothers and sisters.
We set about changing the world in our own way, one knot, one hose evolution, or one emergency reponse at a time. Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-4657629128829147832015-05-14T14:06:00.001-07:002015-05-14T14:06:53.780-07:00We Don't Need To Whisper
By Mark vonAppen
Let's be real. After all, that's what this whole Fully Involved idea is predicated on - honesty and trust. Without it, we have nothing.
Put it out there where we can't take it back. Stop whispering in the shadows about our way of doing things and get things out in the open. Shine the light on the shit that works and slam the door - once and for Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-83972120888552363182015-05-05T08:20:00.000-07:002015-05-05T08:19:14.540-07:00Coaching Them Right
By Mark vonAppen
Running threads throughout many of the posts I have had in this blog involve trust. Faith in the leader, the team, the person next to you, and ultimately in yourself are what I feel are keystones of successful operations. The words we choose and the style of teaching we employ can make or break learning sessions.
Getting people to trust themselves involves buildingMark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-61536760212959893322015-03-19T08:00:00.000-07:002015-03-19T08:48:50.223-07:00"The Ghost"
"Get out! Get out of my office!" Raucous shouts bounce off the concrete walls of the Sierra College field house. A hulking football player shuffles through the door with his head down and starts for the showers. The disembodied voice booms again, "Who's next?"
The next challenger steps into the ring. The grayish-blue haze of cigaretteMark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-77613781401185538582015-02-10T05:15:00.000-08:002015-03-10T05:28:49.805-07:00Disappear
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{mso-style-name:"Table Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-37651602737245455912014-12-28T12:34:00.000-08:002015-04-13T16:24:54.264-07:00Prepare To Win
By Mark vonAppen
There is a way of doing things that spoils the ending for us every time. It's about having a standard of performance that is communicated and understood from the bottom of the organization to the top.
It's called preparing to win.
We can't just show up and say, "Hey, I think we're going to win today."
That's not how it works.
When we are Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-39729516255251705762014-11-08T06:05:00.000-08:002014-11-08T12:30:53.059-08:00Books, Smarts
Craig Rose photo
By Mark vonAppen
Increased value is being placed on education in the fire service these days. Without question, education is important, but it is the ability to blend academics with the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of our craft that enables us to be effective. Time and again we see it, books don't translate directly to smarts.
I know plenty of people with a Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-79853860777621784582014-11-06T06:48:00.000-08:002014-11-07T09:43:49.634-08:00Get Smart
Craig Rose photo
By Mark vonAppen
There is an ongoing devaluing of the fire problem from within our industry which leads to a lack of education among firefighters. We seek the easy fix, the next distraction, or the short answer because we don't have the attention span to sit and read (I'll keep this short, I promise), watch a video, or get out and train. We are losing the ability Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-17455722351075967732014-10-10T06:57:00.000-07:002015-04-13T16:29:30.794-07:00Percentages
By Mark vonAppen
True story...
A captain, chauffeur, and 3 firefighters are
sitting in the office at the firehouse in front of the station computer when
the chief walks in and says, "Hey boys, what's doing?"
Though it has all the beginnings of a good one,
this isn't a joke, although a sharp-tongued comment is forthcoming, rest
assured.
Peering over the men’s shoulders the chief sees
Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-56700305947377328092014-09-22T05:11:00.000-07:002015-04-20T10:10:42.157-07:00Tools
By Mark vonAppen
Everyone loves to reach into a cabinet and find a sharp axe or a well tuned halligan bar, but what about our most important tools, our people? Who bears the responsibility to keep them sharp; to knock the rust off of them from time to time?
We all do.
Make no mistake, there will be times when everyone on the fire ground will need to go to work. I Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-14802016236469709582014-08-29T14:58:00.002-07:002014-08-29T15:10:05.692-07:00FULLY INVOLVED Podcast
If you have the chance, check out FULLY INVOLVED on Firefighter Toolbox. I had the opportunity to talk leadership on the show a few months ago. Give it a listen...
If you've been leading, don’t change who you are because you changed riding positions on the rig. Respect is found in who you've always been, you earn it with your every interaction. If you have given due respect Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-59449650327106748302014-08-28T06:35:00.000-07:002014-08-28T06:35:45.015-07:00We're All In It TogetherMark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-62588369583148367862014-08-27T06:25:00.000-07:002014-08-27T06:55:36.610-07:00Closing The Deal
By Mark vonAppen
When a leadership vacuum exists, bad things happen. Good people can disappear into silos of self-pity and self-defense and sometimes, the wrong type of leader can gain influence. People start to think more about themselves, less about the group, and in the process, they destroy the team.
When people feel unappreciated, they will begin to turn on each Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-45381587555310673112014-07-18T13:12:00.000-07:002015-02-07T15:24:58.970-08:00Measure
By Mark vonAppen
There is a difference you can find in those who stand apart from the crowd, those people of character who just get it. The intangible quality that sets them apart is something completely tangible. It's called a work ethic, and it is the oft forgotten element on the journey to building, or rebuilding a culture. You can feel it when you touch a book, whenMark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-11036928924634578742014-07-03T06:16:00.001-07:002014-07-03T06:16:31.268-07:00Time In Does Not Equal Time ServedMark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-15269174816801413562014-06-30T15:05:00.001-07:002014-06-30T15:19:29.313-07:00Determination
By Mark vonAppen
I love what I do through the blogging and writing because I have a vehicle to help people express, or perhaps, rediscover their passion for the craft of firefighting. It's truly a privilege. Not only do I have a rewarding career as a firefighter, where I get to help people, but I also get to travel the country and meet people who share the same passion for Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-22142696582335903002014-06-23T18:34:00.000-07:002014-08-27T15:04:45.482-07:00Defiant
By Mark vonAppen
An open letter to those who believe that the job is about anything other than hard work to maintain your edge. Hope and luck don't keep you safe, your training does.
A little back story on this one; it started out as 100 sentences that I wrote to my boss. The self imposed punishment essay read, "I will never try to ensure the quality of fire department Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-3347026553246977242014-05-29T14:41:00.004-07:002015-12-16T09:57:04.460-08:00Patches (SOLD OUT), Stickers and More
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Craig Rose photo
By Mark vonAppen
Be careful with the word potential. It can have a misleading connotation. We often refer to potential as a positive thing, an imaginary upside that exists solely in our minds if only we could tap the unharnessed energy that lies inside each of us. There is a big difference between performance and potential. The fact is, potential can be a dirtyMark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-31674144488332638952014-05-12T11:47:00.000-07:002014-05-12T11:47:15.004-07:00Successful Training Depends on Practice and Trust
BY MARK vonAPPEN
Firefighter survival and Mayday training have saturated the training circuit over the past few years. These important foundational skills have no doubt increased our awareness of the perils of the fireground. In the days following these or other drills, the average firefighter's skill level in these areas is elevated, his awareness is heightened, and the path to skill Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417515616676317541.post-35778352479276546932014-04-14T11:55:00.002-07:002014-04-15T04:12:58.289-07:00The Difference
Craig Allyn Rose Photo
By Mark vonAppen
"Our standard of performance on defense is to get 11 men to the football on every play," my father would say as he stood before his players to begin the season. "We have a standard to uphold, and each one of you has stake in it. If you believe in it, hold each other accountable, and work hard at it, we will all succeed. If you don't, then Mark vonAppenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14166572381699557426noreply@blogger.com3