I almost missed a huge milestone yesterday. RoanokeFirefighters.blogspot.com went live on March 16, 2005. Yesterday marked the 4 year anniversary of the occasion. Although the site has been moved to RoanokeFire.com it is still the same thing. The “Roanoke Fire Blog” has seen numerous changes in the past year, but for the first 3 years it was basically the same look.

Some of you like the new look, others would rather the original look. The format we are using today offers a lot of customization as opposed to the original though.

With the exception of the Roanoke Fire EMS Department Homepage, Local1132.org,  and Mike Overacker’s RoanokeFirefighters.com, RoanokeFire.com was the first opprotunity to offer who we are and what we do on a regular basis. RoanokeFire.com has been updated more than the other three since day one. Given that Mikes site is more of the “cream of the crop” for fireground and other images, and this site is for more of the scratch photographers like myself.

Comments will more than likely see a change in the future to the old way in an effort to see if commenting has been reformed. I have followed some of the new blogs and noticed that some require login (although you could still maintain anonymity) and some do not offer comments at all. The argument has been brought up of a few bad apples spoiling the bunch, and that is very true.

Why allow comments? Well that is a very good question. The truth is that this site was created for everyone (i.e. firefighters, outside readers, citizens). I believe that anyone should be able to leave feedback. The feedback has been very entertaining, enlightening, and usually can offer more commentary than I can give justice in my posts. The problem is the nasty comments that aren’t necessary. Some of these comments are what cause the big stir in the end. The interesting thing is that some comments which people found offensive were made by people who complained about it in the end. It is a very tangled web, and one that I will not give full disclosure to.

What can we look for with the future of the website? Honestly, I am not real sure. The new site has been online for a short while and I am enjoying the ease of updating and uploading. We will have to see how the site takes on the new look. I am thinking of looking back at some of the fires covered over the years.

With the advent of some of the other blogs, some would think that it is competition. Not really though, I have never really written quite like the other blogs read. They offer a dimension that I rarely hit on and I think that they are enjoyable and entertaining. I think that they certainly build camaraderie among the various stations and even some competition. It is neat to be able to look into the various firehouses and see what goes on day to day. I enjoy checking out each site each day to see if there is a new post and read what it is about. The sites can be viewed by clicking on the links to the right.

I hope you have enjoyed the past 4 years and the many more to come.

I missed a huge milestone on the last post. It was the 1000th post.

I hope you guys have enjoyed the blog thus far. It is hard to believe that there have been 1000 posts to date. What the hell have been all the posts about? The simple answer: everything related to Roanoke Firefighters.

This may not be the busiest fire related blog on the net, this may not be the most popular fire blog on the net, but it is one of the oldest.

A lot of fire related blogs come and go. There are fire blogs for all types of readers, however I think you will find that this is one of the best localized fire blogs on the net. Not because of me, but because of the topic.

It has been fun giving the Roanoke Fire EMS Department, the Roanoke Fire Fighters Association, and the respective firefighters international attention. I couldn’t have done it without you all and the readers.

By the way, check out the Virginia Fire and Rescue Magazine for a write-up and pictures on the 13th Street fire.

I will continue to showcase the Roanoke Firefighters, add a little humor, include some politics, post news and incidents, piss some of you off, and vocalize issues on the forefront of our minds. All you all have to do is keep it real.

See you at the big one!

You know what I missed. I missed the 3 year Anniversary of the Blog. Roanoke Firefighters Blog, Roanoke Fire Blog, Roanoke Fire.com, whatever you want to call it has been online for 3 years now.

If you had asked me 3 years ago where we would be today I would not have thought that we would be 840+ posts deep. The blog has covered all kinds of topics and a lot has been thanks to the readers from Roanoke’s Bravest to readers across the Nation. We have seen the blog used as a tool for communication, to catch up with old friends, to get new candidates hired, to train, to network, and many other uses.

I must say that the very few occasions where I think about hanging it up and ending the blog I usually think of the good times I have had and the fun I have had in bringing the news to you.

I must say that if I could change one thing I would rather not have had to regulate commenting. Which has worked out. Most of the negative commenter’s have decided not to take the time out to register to post comments.

Today, I attended a blog meet up put on by Roanoke Biz2Biz and Stuart Mease who works for the City and runs Connecting People Blog. The event was enjoyable, and would have been perfect for any individuals or businesses who are looking into beginning a blog.

I don’t know what will come in the future. It is kinda weird, but I don’t have any goals for this blog. It kinda runs itself, but if you have an idea let me know. I have been focusing mostly on promoting VAFireNews.com which showcases the Fire/EMS Service across the State.

This is a web log for the Firefighters of Roanoke City and other interested persons. I would like to keep this site very professional and true to the Firefighters of Roanoke. I hope to inform visitors of what us Firefighters are all about and have been about since the beginning of the Roanoke Fire Department. Please feel free to post comments or email me directly with questions. I will try to be precise in the facts and true to the traditions upheld by our department and its members. I would also like to say that this is unofficial of the actual Roanoke Fire-EMS Department, the IAFF, and Roanoke Firefighters Association #1132.