If you were not given a run map you first week on the job, photocopy one or buy one.

If wall maps are available, ask if you can pay to have a copy made and hang it in your bedroom at home.

Maps are a great tool, but you must also get out there and drive the streets, too.

Prior to and especially during probation, it is a good idea to get as familiar as possible with your fire district by driving the streets.

Before your shift and/or after your shift, you should spend as much time as possible driving and familiarizing yourself with every nook and cranny of your district.

When I started working in a very challenging zone, I saw that the department's run books were very outdated, hand-drawn maps.

I offered to redo the department's run books as my probationary project.

It was a huge undertaking to create new maps, but by using a computer program and overlaying street maps with city zoning maps, I was able to create new run books that were easier to read and included color coding for streets.

They also had hydrant, water supply and fire department connection information, as well as other vital information.

The maps could also be easily changed and updated by computer.

This was a great way for me to learn the streets and contribute to my department.

I suggest you find your own way to get familiar with your response.

These "street smarts" will pay off throughout your career.

It wasn't always easy to line it up just right or keep the paper perfectly straight, but with practice one could type out a very nice application and maximize the small space provided.

Although many applications can now be filled out online, some departments are still using paper applications.

With the death of the typewriter, many candidates are having to hand-write these applications.

I have seen some very nice written applications, however most are not very neat or legible.

If you do not have an older word processor or typewriter and you must hand-write your application, I recommend having someone with very good penmanship and good spelling and grammar fill it out.

Whenever possible, take two or more applications.

Use one to determine the best use of words and content given the space provided.

Use the others for your final draft to assure you have the best looking and best worded application.

Your application is often the first impression the interviewers have of you, so make sure your application is making a good first impression for you.

1. Throw the biggest ladder on your apparatus every day. The better you are with the larger ladders, the more practiced you will be with all of them.
2. When on fire alarms, stretch a dry line in to the structure to the seat of the "fire." Recon to ensure you know where the "fire" started. Make sure to minimize your damage of course, but this drill is great for deploying practice, teamwork and estimating your hose stretch distances.
3. Use the numerous video resources on the Internet to find clips of fires and then perform a size-up report and initial strategy and tactics. A wide range of clips can be found regularly on Firerescue1 and FlashoverTV, which has hundreds of from-the-scene clips.
4. When involved with multiple agencies at large events such as county fairs, practice unified command during fireworks displays, etc. Tie together the law enforcement, county agencies and on-site management to work on a drill based on the possible scenarios that exist.
5. Hold surprise blind cabinet inventories. Everyone should know everything in the cabinet before opening the door. Try to stump the crews with the less used pieces of equipment.
6. Each crew member is assigned a department SOP each month. Generate five questions from that SOP and if you stump your crew, you get rewarded! (Free lunch, ice cream, etc.)

This is just the tip of the ice berg. For more ways to bring new ideas to your training routine, check out FR1 Columnist Michael Lee's 12 great new ways to train.

This can be awkward for new hires. It is importance to not allow yourself to get sucked in to this kind of negativity.

Remaining positive and neutral at all times is the best way to assure a happy and successful career and to maintain the best possible relationship with peers, supervisors and subordinates.

Allowing the negative attitudes of others to not affect your attitude is not always easy, but is important not only for yourself but for the betterment of your entire organization because negativity is a cancer that can eat away at an organization and destroy it from the inside out.

Stay positive and always remember 2 things: no person or organization is perfect, and as a firefighter you have the greatest job in the world and there are thousands of men and women who would do anything to be wearing your badge.

1. Stretch. Focus specifically on the hip flexors, pirformis, hamstrings, chest and latissimus muscles. Hold all the stretches for 60 seconds. Doing the stretches sporadically throughout the shift will make them more effective.

2. Do some fun exercises on duty. Bouncing a reaction ball or agility ball in the bay between calls is a fantastic way to incorporate agility, balance, direction change, and anaerobic conditioning into your daily routine. A Frisbee also makes a great toy and does the same thing as an agility ball. Jumping rope or walking between calls will drastically increase your fitness, help you lose weight, and make you feel better.

3. Spine stiffening. The amazingly simple act of stiffening your spine or bracing prior to lifting, moving, or transferring will drastically reduce your risk of injury. To learn this technique, place a broom stick or dowel rod on your back. Hold the top and bottom with each hand. Make sure that the back of your head, mid-back, and sacrum all contact the stick. With the three contact points maintained ,your feet shoulder-width apart, and toes straight, 'hinge' your hips backward and slightly bend your knees. Be sure your bottom moves back first and the knees bend second and only slightly. If you have done this correctly, your abdominal wall will have fired and contracted hard. Try to walk around while holding this position. It will amaze you how hard your abdominal wall and hips must contract. When you lift, move, or perform any job task, try to pre-fire your muscles just prior to the task. Endurance is the key to maintaining and mastering this technique. Reps do not matter, but time under tension does, so practice. The stick on your back is also a neutral posture, so to learning to work and exercise in neutral means your body is better prepared for the strange positions and tasks we are forced to work in.

For more health and fitness tips for responders, check out FR1 Columnist Bryan Fass' "First in Fitness" column.

I suggest you expand your social network in the real world.

At least once a week visit a different fire station and talk to local Firefighters.

Have an idea of the questions you'd like to ask regarding their department, their operations and service area.

This kind of face to face social networking is not only a great way to learn about a fire department and their operations, it will help expand your network of knowledgeable and connected firefighters and help to improve your real world social skills.

It just may open up some new doors for you as well.

When fighting fire in flashy fuels like grass, shrubs and brush, always "attack from the black."

Begin suppression from a strong anchor point at the rear or flank of the fire and keep one foot or wheel in the clean burn: the risk of burnover is high in these fast-moving fires.

Firefighters face imminent danger when wind shifts suddenly change fire direction and they are entrapped.

Don't let Situation Awareness (SA) be obscured by adrenalin! Never engage without first carefully assessing the fire and its risks. And there is no shame in pulling back to a safe area and reassessing.

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Lt. Edward A. Wright, of the Poulsbo, Wash., Fire Department, is senior officer and lead ICS and NIMS instructor for Kitsap Wildland Team and Bates College in Tacoma, Wash. A responder for more than 30 years, he has served with both municipal fire departments and U.S. federal land management agencies. Lt. Wright holds bachelors degrees in public relations and journalism and currently responds as Task Force Leader, Firing Boss and Incident Commander IV. He is also a specialist in wildland and interface response apparatus and compressed air foam systems. Lt. Wright is also the managing director of Africa Public Safety Trust.

No need to break the bank, you can make cookies or bring in ice cream, but showing up with something for everyone is just good manners and always a good gesture. It shows your generosity and spirit of giving, which is what the fire service is all about.

Here are some basics to follow:

• Ventilation should begin as close to the room of origin as possible.
• Open or remove those windows in the room of origin that are closest to the fire.
• Prioritize the removal/opening of windows to those where flames or pressurized smoke is already coming out of or where fire can be seen or heard through.
• If more ventilation is required, consider other windows for complete ventilation. Base the amount of damage to windows and roofs to the amount of ventilation required to perform ventilation adequately.
• Try to reduce the amount of damage if possible. Taking out all first-floor windows when fighting a single room and contents fire may be overkill.
• In single family residences, fires in the attic or cock-loft should be checked for fire spread, especially of they are directly over the seat of the fire.

For more ventilation basics for other types of structures, check out FR1 Columnist Michael Lee's expert column.

It is obviously counterproductive to incur any injury during your fitness training. The whole point is to increase your career longevity, performance and overall health and well-being, but too often we have a tendency to overdo it and as a result can end up doing more harm than good.

You can still get results with less risk. Utilizing proper form and technique is of utmost importance. Educating yourself in proper techniques and knowing your own body's limits is imperative. Keep this fact this in the front of your mind while training by reminding yourself how awful it would be to incur a life-long injury due to your fitness program.

There are typically one of three laws of physics at work that lead to a training injury; compression, leverage and torque. Being mindful of these laws and how they are impacting your anatomy while training will help in injury prevention and help you to "do no harm."