If you don’t know by now, studying for the Fire Captain’s test is the most studying that you will ever do in your life. The fire personnel out there know what I’m talking about, but you civilians have no clue. So I’ll explain it this way: There’s a reason why we firefighters do the things that we do. I mean, we get a lot of flack from the citizens that we protect for breaking windows and generally destroying shit. I know a lot of civilians might complain that we destroyed their property because we had nothing better to do. That’s far from the case.

When it comes to a fire behavior, it only wants to go one place: Up. If we don’t do the things that we do the fire will spread ALL OVER your home and nothing will be left standing. So essentially what we do is let the fire do what it wants to do, and that’s go up. We also give the fire what it needs to survive, and that’s plenty of oxygen. Thus we have to break your windows. Now in doing this we achieve a number of things: we control the fire and where it goes and we open up and make the atmosphere inside more tenable for whoever is in there. Be it firefighters or the residents that could be trapped.

Our first priority is the safety of our personnel on the fireground. So in doing the things that we do we make it safer for EVERYBODY. By breaking windows and opening up the place we avoid the fire spreading to other parts of the building. Because if the fire doesn’t go up, it will spread vertically until it finds or burns its way up. Now you know why we do the things that we do.

That was a brief description of just one of the tactics that firefighters everyday use in the fire service. There are many more, and as a Captain you have to be able to think on the fly. You are in charge of your own crew and you are responsible for them. You have to know which hose line to pull in response to whatever body of fire you have waiting for you when you first pull up to a house fire. Or warehouse fire. Or strip mall fire. Or whatever fire you happen to run into. That’s why you have to know your firematics INSIDE AND OUT. That’s why I have decided that I will have to put Internet marketing on hold…for now.

I love doing the whole I.M. thing. I love the whole idea of making money in your sleep. But if I really want to become Captain, I have to study like nobody’s business. Nothing else matters. Not Internet marketing. Not video games. Not football season,(uhhh!). Not even my personal goal of 10,000 a month before I retire. If I really want to become a Captain of the fire department I have to study everyday. EVERYDAY. There are two parts to the test: the written and the oral. The written is your average multiple choice test. But the oral is where many people fall. I’ve taken this test 3 times before and I’m pretty sure my oral is where I slipped. Because in the oral you have to explain STEP BY STEP what you have and what you are doing. And you can’t do that if you can’t bring it from the top of your head.

I have to know this stuff inside and out. I do know it, but it’s different when it comes to test taking. Some of the things that we take for granted when we respond to everyday emergencies I have to know like the back of my hand. For example, when we respond to an alarm call we put on out gear and jump on the truck and go. But that same scenario is explained a lot different during the oral test. Let me explain to you why.

In the fire service you have two realities: The real world and the test world. In the real world , just like in the example above, you put on your gear, you jump on the truck and go. In the test world as a captain you have to explain EVERY STEP that you take in that same scenario.

You have to say that you are responding with 4 personnel, you and 3 other firefighters. You have to say that all personnel will don their SCBA gear before they get on the truck. You have to say that all personnel will put on their seat belts before the truck leaves the station. You have to say that you and the driver will plot out the safest and most effective route before you leave the station. You have to say that while responding to the alarm you will make sure that your driver obeys all traffic laws while responding. You have to say that when you arrive at the address you will communicate that you have arrived at the address to dispatch and also that you are assuming command and where the command station will be.  You have to say all of this because in the test world if you didn’t say it, you didn’t do it! And they takes points away from you for that.

Now because of this as I stated earlier I will have to put I.M on the back burner. I won’t be doing it at all. I know the test is coming up soon because of all the chatter that I’m hearing. As I stated before, I took this test before 3 times and I passed. But I didn’t  get high enough score to get promoted. I think I am #32 on the list now. But that’s not good enough these days. To make Captain in my fire department you have to get in the top 10!Hell, it might be the top 5! So that means I have to be flawless. And I can’t do that if I’m worried about my emails, my conversions, my bounce rate and all that other stuff associated with I.M.

Nothing else matters. I have to focus on this and nothing else. Point blank. It’s kind of like preparing for a debate. You can’t talk off the top of your head about stuff you don’t know because it will show. So I have to know this stuff better than I know anything else in my life. That is the only way that I’ll be able to get the score that I want so that I can get the ranking that I want, so I can get the promotion I want. And then once that happens, I’ll come back to I.M.

Am I saying that this will be my last post? Yes and No. If nothing else pops in my mind in the process of studying it will be my last post. But if something comes to me that I want to share with the rest of the world, then no, this isn’t my last post. I know a lot of internet marketers who read this blog are probably wondering why I don’t make my posts more seo friendly, so that the posts can show up in the Search engine results. I could care less about that stuff when it comes to this blog. I write on whatever title comes to my mind. I save those seo-friendly titles for my other sites. The stuff here on this blog is from the heart.

I’ll be talking to you later my friends.

“Whatever the mind can conceive, the man can achieve.” – LL Cool J

Because of all of the fires that are caused in this time of the year. The sad thing is that more than half of them can be avoided if more people used and practiced some common sense. I’m talking about not leaving your Christmas tree lights running if you’re not at home. Especially the REAL Christmas trees! I know that you want people to see that you have the Christmas spirit, but if you have to do this make sure that the tree has plenty of water. I know a lot of people like the smell of a brand new tree. They enjoy the smell because it conjures up memories that they had as a child. Perhaps their parents always used real Christmas trees. Me personally, I hate them. I actually hate this time of the year.

Now before you go on and call me a Scrooge, let me explain myself. My grandmother always used a fake Christmas tree. I grew up under that practice. I used a real tree one year. It was cool. A lot of cleaning up, but it was cool. The thing that I don’t like about this time of the year is all of the fires that occur. The fire business is very busy during the Christmas season, and I hate it. Not because we’re busy. But because of all the destruction that we have to cause to people’s property to get that fire out. We might make it look easy, but putting out a fire is not as simple as it looks. It involves a lot of smashing windows and pulled ceilings and everything else that goes with that. And when we’re done, the house is most likely unlivable. Sorry, that’s just how it is.

In my opinion there’s nothing worse than running into a house to put out a fire caused by a real Christmas tree…with the presents still under it. To me, that sucks, and I hate doing it. I’m not saying that real Christmas trees are responsible for all of the fires started during the Christmas season. But they are a big part of it. And like I said before, it can all be avoided it people would just take some simple precautions during this time of the year.

1. Make sure that if you use a real Christmas tree, it is watered EVERYDAY! Don’t wait 2 or 3 days and wonder how it caught on fire. It doesn’t take long for the treee’s limbs to get dried out.  I don’t care what kind of lights you use, regular LED or whatever new fangled one they will come out with this year, THEY ALL RADIATE HEAT! No matter what the manufacturers say!

2. When you leave the house, turn off the lights! Especially if you have a real Christmas tree! (see above.)

3. When you go to sleep, turn off the lights! Especially if you have a real Christmas tree! (see above.)

4. Don’t put the tree, real or otherwise, in the path of the front door! People instinctively run to the front door when there’s a fire. And most will be overcome by the smoke of the fire. As a matter of fact, the front door is where most people will be found when there’s a fire, Christmas or otherwise! It’s the smoke that kills you, and then you get burned!

5. Have an escape plan! If the front door is blocked, go out the back! Practice this drill with your family. It doesn’t have to be a military exercise. Just sit them down and go over the plan in the event of an emergency!

I remember one time when there was a fire in a 2 story home in East Camden. I had to carry the 1 3/4 hose up past the Christmas tree to get to the second floor. And the way that they had the tree positioned was right in the way. I’m sure they didn’t think about it that way. They had it positioned so that on Christmas morning their 3 kids could come downstairs and see all of their presents before they hit the bottom of the stairs. It was placed right in the corner so you could see the tree from the top of the stairs. Beautiful.

We had to knock it over to get to the top of the stairs where the fire was raging in the middle bedroom. As you know, Christmas wrapping paper and presents don’t mix. The water from the hose went down the stairs and soaked the presents. We tried to preserve what we could, but it was a lost cause. And on top of that these beautiful people had to get housing from the Red Cross that night. Oh, what night was it? Christmas Eve…

That night I vowed that I would never again work on Christmas Eve. I haven’t since then. I stay home with my family to make sure that they are safe. By making sure that my family is safe I help my community, in my own way. One less fire to worry about. One less Christmas tree to knock over. One less group of Christmas presents to step on and try to avoid while doing your job.

Now you know why I hate the Christmas season. I love the whole concept of the holiday. I am a Christian. I just don’t like the thought of what could happen. You see firefighters are weird that way. What civilians see as a cute display. We see as a potential fire hazard. We’re trained to expect the worst, and we do. I just pray that it doesn’t happen to my family, and it won’t, as long as I am there.

So now you know why I call this post: “ The Calm Before The Storm…” Because it’s been quiet in Camden these past couple of weeks. But given the track record that the city has, that’s about to change. In addition to Christmas tree fires we also have to worry about vagrants living in vacant homes inadvertently starting fires trying to stay warm. In their quest to fulfill this basic human need, they can start a fire that can destroy more than the vacant home that they are illegally occupying. They can destroy several rowhomes that are connected to it. Thus dashing some poor kids Christmas that lived next door to the vacant that had nothing to do with them wanting warmth.

Until next time…

I’m talking about the hype displayed on the sales page of every new “make money on the internet“, product that comes out. I told you in an earlier post that the phrase “make money online” is one of the most searched phrases on Google, Yahoo, Bing or whatever search engine you use. It’s a big industry, and just like in the real world you have people that will take advantage of things. In the online world you got those same scumbags that will take advantage!

They know that they economy is bad for everyone. They know that people are interested in making money online. They know that the most searched phrase online is “make money online”. And they know that people are willing to pay a small price to learn how to do it. What I want you to know is they will use the same tactics over and over again. They will show you screen shots of their clickbank earnings. They will show you that they have made some astronomical figure in a short amount of time! DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!!! I’ll tell you why!

First of all, in my opinion there is nothing wrong with showing you some clickbank earnings as proof that the stuff that you’re selling works. Because it is a common tactic. When I first became interested in making money online I too was swayed by how much PotPiegirl showed me was in her clickbank account. But here’s the key: Once I read the ENTIRE sales page I realized that PotPieGirl was n’t selling me her clickbank earnings. She was showing me the hard work that it took for her to get to that point. If I wanted to get to where she was then I would have to put in the same amount (or more) of hard work that she put in.

See here’s the thing. Internet marketing works. But like my friend Mark Thompson of WordPress Goldmine says: “THERE IS NO MAGIC BULLET!” You have to be willing to put in the work! What these scammers are showing you is the work they put in. Or what they want you to believe the work they put in! Sometimes they are just showing you what THEY want you to believe. My man Mark Thompson brilliantly deciphered one of these scammers sales page in a recent post of his. I will link to it at the bottom of this post.

What I am trying to say is that you have to be very observant when you come across these sales pages. Use your gut instinct. Just like in real life: IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, THEN IT PROBABLY IS!!! Read the ENTIRE PAGE! Don’t just skim through the page and look at the clickbank earnings page. Because they will show you a lot of that throughout their sales page. They are guaranteeing that you WILL NOT read the entire sales page! They are hoping that you skim all the way down to the “buy here” or “add to cart” button. So that they can get the quick sale.

But if you read the entire sales page and it doesn’t sound right. If it sounds too good to be true, and that alarm in your head is going off. Then it probably is too good to be true. I know you’re wondering , “Well how do I know that it’s someone that I can trust? I’m new online and I want to make money online as well.” It’s quite simple my friend. Do your research. Here are the steps that I took before I bought anything:

1. I read the entire sales page.

2. I did a search of the author’s name online.

3. I then asked about them and their product in a “I.M. forum” like WordPress Goldmine.

4. I then made my decision.

Those are some of the steps I took. It’s not hard, just follow your heart. But in the meantime, one of the biggest giveaways that a sales page is just hype is the story on the sales page. That’s why I’m telling you to read the ENTIRE page. I’ll give you an example. The reason I chose PotPiegirl’s “One Week Marketing” method is because on her page she talked about her struggles. She talked about how long it took for her to finally start making money online. I was still skeptical, but another online marketer referred her to me, and she spoke highly of her. So I said I’ll give her a try.

Once I bought OWM, in it she spoke about the work that it’s going to take to get to where you want to be. That’s it’s up to you and how bad you want it! What you want to read is a REAL story about the person’s life and how they got to where they are! Not a story about how much money this new “secret method” is going to make for you! Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that! All of these scammers have a “secret method” of making money online that no one else knows about! Yeah Right! Something else to watch out for!

Mark Thompson of WordPress Goldmine is the same. He talks about making money online as well. But he tells you that it is not ” a MAGIC BULLET!” It’s going to take some time and hard work on your part. I learned about him from PotPieGirl. She taught me that the only way to make money online is through hard work and dedication. The same thing that Mark Thompson talks about in WPG. Now if you really want to learn how to make money online the right way, with no gimmicks, and no sales bull, then this is what I recommend:

1. Purchase PotPiegirl’s “One Week Marketing.” It will show you how to do this without spending a dime out of pocket! It will show you how to set up free to use sites where you can make money online.

2. Become a reader of her blog: PotPiegirl.com. In it she talks about all of the latest news and things that are happening as they relate to online marketing. She also answers questions related to the same and shows you some of her tricks and how she got to where she is. A wealth of knowledge for anyone interested in how to do REAL affiliate marketing. She will also tell you about Mark Thompson and the WordPress Goldmine forum.

3. After learning all you can about I.M with PotPieGirl. And once you start to make some money with it. Join WordPress Goldmine. It’s a forum full of other Internet marketers like myself where they will answer all of your questions and help to further your education in the world of Internet marketing.

4. Become a reader of Mark Thompson’s blog: MJThompson.net!

Why is joining a forum so important? Because like I said it helps you to see the whole picture. It helps you to learn even more and to interact with people that are doing the same thing you are. Trust me, I started doing this thing with a system called “Profit Lance.” I’m not bad mouthing the system because it did work for me. I learned what I learned but I felt like I was all alone. They had no forum to help you if you needed questions answered. I found another online forum and it just so happened that in that forum they had people who were in the same predicament that I was in. And those people in that forum led me to PotPieGirl!

Forums are important because it helps with the spread of information. Everyone in WPG helps everyone else because they want to see you succeed. I know it sounds to good to be true, but it’s true! The people in this forum are from all over the world and they help each other out. Plus there is a wealth of information on whatever you want to know about I.M.

So do yourself a favor and follow the above steps if you want to know how to really make money online without the hype, the bull and the over exaggerated clickbank earnings shot! Here is a link to that post that I talked about earlier at MJThompson.net. It’s entitled  “Clickbank Scammer Caught RedHanded!”

Remember: DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!

Think about it. Isn’t that why we do the things that we do? To get more. To have MORE. Because we WANT MORE! If you don’t want more then you are probably dead. These last couple of weeks I’ve been thinking about exactly that title: THE HUNGER FOR MORE. It’s pretty self-explanatory. Either you want more or you don’t. Plain and simple. I want more. That’s why I do the things that I do. It also led me to think about the current system that we live under.

Working at my second job around a lot of the senior citizens I learned a lot. I learned that they are some of the hardest working people I have met in my life. I learned that some of them planned for their futures. And I also learned that some of them didn’t. I also learned that some of them relied on Social Security when they shouldn’t have. This has led me to a new way of thinking: I have to do everything in my power RIGHT NOW to make sure that me and my family will have plenty of money in my fast approaching future. Because Social Security is not going to cut it!!!

I learned through the mouths of some of the elderly people that I work for that you’re lucky if you get $1000 dollars a month. $1000 A MONTH! I can spend that in a day! That’s pocket change! If you are going to rely on that then you better be ready to check yourself into a senior citizen home when you get to that age! I don’t want to live like that! And I’ve come to the realization that if you’re not ready to bust your ass NOW to make your future better later, then you get what you deserve! Sorry, that’s how I feel.

A lot of talk has been going on about this whole Social Security thing and the election and stuff. My stance is this: It doesn’t matter if you’re Democrat or Republican, why would you vote for someone who is talking about cutting your Social Security check in the future? I mean a large majority of Americans will need Social Security in the future, right? So why vote for someone who wants to get rid of it? The whole “fiscal responsibility” thing sounds good right now but, what about the people who are on it now? What are they supposed to live on if you cut Social Security?

Some of these people are our grandparents. Hell! Some of them are our PARENTS! Is that the way your parents treated you when they were raising you? Are they supposed to live on nothing while we plan for our future? Makes no sense to me to treat senior citizens like that. To treat our parents like that… But that’s just my opinion… Anyway, sorry to get all political on you but it goes with the theme of this post. The hunger for more…

I realized that if you don’t bust your ass NOW you want be able to live the way you want to live later. And isn’t that what we all want to do: To live in peace the way that we want to live. I mean no matter what color we are, we all want the same thing: A house, some kids,( maybe…) the white picket fence and the trusty dog that has your back. And in our golden years we all want to be able to do what we want to do before we meet our maker. We all want to go there…on our terms. Doing everything that our hearts have desired. Crossing out everything on that bucket list!

I’m telling you right now my friends, that if you don’t bust your rump NOW then you won’t be able to do that! The system that these people live under is not something that I would want to live under. Granted, some of them have debilitating mental problems. OK, then they deserve to have everything done for them. But those that have their mind, they get their Social Security check taken, all but maybe $100 of it. That left over $100 is given to them. And they have to live off it for a MONTH! A MONTH! I mean it’s a fair trade for you if you live in a facility that takes care of everything for you. But what about those facilities that don’t? What about the ones that abuse you?

I don’t want to live like that when I’m older. I hope God loves me enough to let me take all my wits with me to my grave and I’m able to cross out everything on my bucket list. Because I don’t want to live like that. I want more than $100 in my pocket in my golden years. I want to still be able to live in my own house. Not some apartment where I have to go downstairs to eat when they call for breakfast or dinner. I want to be able to do what I WANT TO DO when I get older. And in order to do that I have to prepare for my future.

I have to study for this Fire Captains test so that I can put more money in my pocket now and be able to have more money in my pension later. I have to keep making these sites so that I will have more residual income later. If you haven’t figured it out by now, this Internet marketing thing is just like life. You have to bust your ass NOW so that you can keep the ball rolling!

All of the people that I have learned from in this I.M. thing have the same mindset. Potpiegirl, Mark Thompson, Paul Nicholls. They all have the same mindset. You keep making more sites because you’re never satisfied. You want more! You want more money. You want more stuff. You want to learn more. And you want to learn more so that you can earn more. You want to take it as far as you can take it! It’s a vicious cycle! You want to go from making 10 bucks a day to 200 bucks a day! And then you still want more! You want to earn even more! You stay hungry! YOU HUNGER FOR MORE…!

I listen to Steve Harvey in the morning. The first 12 minutes of his show are dedicated to God and his principles of success. I like listening to him because he has so many nuggets of wisdom. I mean here’s a guy that went from nothing to about $80 million. And he’s still working! At 55 years old! He’s my inspiration. But he said something the other morning I want to share with you. He said that the only difference between ordinary and extraordinary was the word “extra” at the front of the word.

People that are extraordinary do “extra” things. If you want to live an ordinary life then keep doing the same things that you are doing. Go to work. Go home.Watch TV. Wake up and go back to work. Ordinary. But if you want to be extraordinary you have to be “extra”! You have to get off your day job and do something that will make extra money for you. Opening a business. Flipping houses. Making websites…

Along with that “extra” comes the extra money. You know what ordinary will get you? A Social Security check. A nice room in an “assisted living facility” where they cook your food for you. Give you baths and take care of all your needs. They also take that Social Security check from you and leave you with $100 dollars for the month. Be “extra” my friends. Do “extra.” I am. Who doesn’t like “extra” money?

Until next time…

Does that mean that I don’t love my job? No. I do love the job. Does that mean that I’m scared? Yes and No. There’s nothing wrong with being scared, my friend. It’s the minds way of making you think in a high pressure situation. And as firefighters, we are ALWAYS in high pressure situations. Whatever firefighter out there that tells you that he or she isn’t scared while going into a house fire, is a LIAR! That’s right! I said that! They are lying!

This job requires that you think, and fear allows you to think. Because sometimes as firefighters we get into this whole ” just another routine fire” thing. That’s dangerous because situations can change at the drop of a dime. We are currently undergoing training for our “bailout” gear. Yeah, it’s just what it sounds like: Gear that we use in case we have to BAIL OUT OF A WINDOW! Yes my friend, this job is dangerous and crazy. But we all knew that when we signed up for the job. As firefighters, we are all a little crazy. Who else you know trains to fight fires and jump out of windows just in case…?

In my opinion, this job is harder than being a policeman. At least they can shoot at their criminals. You can’t shoot at a fire. And putting water on it isn’t going to put it out completely. There are all kinds of situations inside the structure of a home that can go wrong while you’re in there. You got flashovers and collapses and my favorite, the backdraft. If you don’t know what a backdraft is, then I will show you the best way I know how, through a video. (Check out the video and you’ll see a good example of a backdrafts! And it’s not that Hollywood crap either!) Without being to scientific about it, a backdraft is basically a smoke explosion. 

Now before you start to think that “smoke exploding can’t be that bad!” One of those “smoke explosions” blew my Battalion Chief across the street! He was injured pretty badly, and he’s back on the job…now. After months being out injured! But his case only reinforces what I have told you about this job: Situations can change at the drop of a dime! When things like that happen, you start to think about your future and will you be able to enjoy your retirement. If you’re able to retire at all!

Like I said earlier, I do love my job. I love the adrenaline rush that you get when a call comes in. I love the fact that your neighborhood has got itself into a situation, and they have called you to fix it! I love to try my best to help people out of that situation. Sometimes it’s a thankless job, but sometimes it’s not. I know that Camden, N.J. gets a bad rap about a lot of things. But there are some good people in my city. Those good people are the ones that tell us that they appreciate the work that we do. Those are the people that I don’t mind working for…

Call me crazy but one of the best things that I love about my job is the aftermath of a fire. When you come outside and the whole neighborhood is watching you, and they don’t know who you are because of all the gear that you have on. But when you pull that mask off and somebody recognizes you…That’s the best to me! Sometimes they don’t even have to recognize you. It’s the look of awe on their faces that get’s me…

I love that memory. I’ve had it many times. I love my job. But I love my family more. And I just hope, pray and wish that I live to see my retirement…like we all do…

To see the videos of the recent fires that we just had, click on the links…talk to you later!

Magnetic Metals Fire 6/18/2012

Chambers Street Fire 6/15/2012

We had a fatal on 5/26/2012. The worst kind of fatal… A child. This fire was our 2nd of the day. The first one that day was at a vacant. And if you know anything about Camden,N.J., there are a lot of vacants. Anyway the fatal fire came in at around 2 a.m.  I was in in the backup position so my responsibility was water supply. That particular apartment complex’s water supply is few and far between. But luckily I was able to find a good hydrant…AROUND THE CORNER!

Anyway while I was doing that my Captain and my other buddy FF. Rivera went into rescue mode, because the dispatcher reported “numerous calls.” When you hear numerous calls, you know you have a working fire in progress! Since we were one of the first on the scene, our first actions were life safety. I actually heard the mother of the child that died scream to my partner that her baby was, “…still inside.”

On that note: As humans we are quick to judge the actions of others and say what we would do in that situation. I had a couple of people say to me after this fire that ” Why would she leave her baby in there? What was she thinking?” Well let me tell you something: Fire will make you do things in the most irrational way possible. You are not thinking at 2 a.m. with fire in your apartment like you are at 2.p.m. and everything is cool! When you wake up at 2 a.m. choking, you just want to get out of there and get some air!

You don’t have the training that we as firefighters have. You don’t have the where-with-all at 2 a.m. that you do at 2 p.m. So, unless you’ve been in that situation then you can’t judge a person and say that you will do this or that. All I know is that we tried our best to save that little baby…and we failed. My buddy Gabe pulled the little kid from the crib and handed him to EMS, who immediately rushed it to the hospital. It hurts and it bothers us that we couldn’t save the baby.

Anyway we tried, and that’s all that we could do. We were out there from 2 a.m. until 6:40 a.m. until we returned to the firehouse. A long night! To say the least!

On another note, and I was debating whether or not to say this…but it’s something that almost every firefighter in this nation, even the world goes through. Dealing with the city that you work for. I might get into trouble for saying this but…it seems like to me that they don’t appreciate us…at all! Recently we were awarded a judgment from the money they owed us for contract disputes. Now on the week that we were to get paid, COINCIDENTALLY…their computer system had a glitch!

Everyone’s paycheck didn’t get the deductions that they were supposed to get! Yeah! We all got extra money in our check! Why is that a bad thing? Because the following week all of those deductions were double! I barely had enough money to pay my mortgage! ( My mortgage comes out bi-weekly!) So as of this writing I am in the negative until I can pull some money from my other account to cover it! But that’s just it! I shouldn’t have to do that!

You’re trying to tell me that your computer glitch affected every firefighter in the City of Camden on the week that you are supposed to pay us the money you owe us?! Really?! I was so disgusted! But I saw it coming so I put a little to the side to cover it and guess what happened? My alternator in my truck decides to go that weekend! That’s why I called this post: IF IT AIN’T ONE THING… So the people out there that can relate can relate to me you can finish the sentence!

But during that whole debacle I told myself that I would never be held hostage to the city’s “accounting errors” again. I have been procrastinating with this whole Internet marketing thing. I get about $100 a month from Clickbank.com Sometimes more. But now I realize that I have to increase that and get to work hard to get my family out of this “paycheck to paycheck” rut. It’s up to me and I feel personally responsible that we are in this. So I am more committed to get us out of it. No more procrastinating! So I am going to try harder to increase my Clickbank earnings. My Adsense earnings. My Paypal earnings. My Amazon earnings. All of those sources will increase within the next year so I can NEVER AGAIN be a slave to a paycheck!

A retired Chief told me just recently that he enjoyed his time on the fire department. But he wished that he would have gotten into something else. And he told me to get into something else also. I’m going to take his advice and get into I.M. I have another 14 years before I can retire from the fire department. And I don’t plan on getting another job while I’m retired. So I have to put myself in position where I want have to. And I think, no I KNOW that I.M. is going to be able to do that for me. I’ll talk to you later my friends! I got work to do!

Keep me in your prayers! Until next time!

As you all know unlike most of these marketers out here, I am still in a career. My firefighting job is what brings home the bacon. I love it. But I also like this Internet marketing thing as well. But here’s the problem. I have two jobs, three if you include I.M.

My schedule with the fire dept. is 1 day on and 3 days off. I work one FULL 24 HOUR day, and then I’m off for 3 days. I know. It sounds sweet, right? But during those 3 days off I work my other job as a driver for a senior daycare center. And when I get off from there, if I have the energy, I jump on my computer and got to work in I.M. I know that it’s a lot but I actually enjoy it. So what’s the problem?

Well I see the potential in Internet marketing. I see that if you put in the work, then you will be paid over and over again for years to come. I get that. I like it and I’ve accepted the challenge. At the same time I want to advance in my chosen field as a firefighter, and that means taking the Captains test again.

I’ve taken it before and I was number 32 on the list. That’s as high as I have gotten so far. But to really get the chance to be a Fire Captain nowadays, you have to at least get into the top ten. And to do that requires total concentration in the studying department. So now you’re like: What’s the problem? Just go study and get it over with, right? Well, it’s not that easy my friend. The Fire Captains test is unlike any test that you have ever studied for. Let me explain why…

You have 2 parts: the written and the oral. The written you can study that like a regular test. You have a couple of books that you must know in and out. The book pictured in the top left hand corner is just ONE of the books that we have to study and know. The written is no problem. The oral on the other hand is where the work is involved. Let me explain…

Without divulging the secrets of the oral testing process just know that you are put on the spot. You are given a series of scenarios that will test your knowledge of what to do on the fireground. You see the fireground is just like a battleground to firefighters. It might seem to the general public that we are just breaking windows and destroying things, but there is a method to our madness.

When we break your windows we don’t do it just to cost you more money. We do it to prevent further damage to your home and to protect ourselves. We have to get the superheated gases that are a by-product of the fire out. Because if we don’t two things can occur: More damage to your home with more fire and more damage to us in the guise of either a backdraft or a flashover.

A backdraft or smoke explosion,  is when the fire has used up all of the oxygen in a room and it is looking for another oxygen source. And we unwittingly give it that source by kicking in the front door. Then BOOM! We are shot across the street! A flashover is when everything in the room reaches a temperature hot enough to burn the sun at the same time! Both of these conditions can be avoided with venting, or breaking windows, as you like to call it! So what you call the unneeded destruction of your home, the breaking of windows, we call protection. Sorry. It has to be done. Needless to say many fire personnel have died in both of these conditions.

That was just a small sample of the things that you have to learn and KNOW like the back of your hand as a Captain. You have to know how to spot a potential situation that can lead to a backdraft or a flashover. These things are evident in every fire , and as a Fir Captain you HAVE to know them. You have to be able to identify them for your own protection and for the protection of your crew! NO if, ands or but’s! We all go home at the end of the shift!

So you see my dilemma? I love this thing called Internet marketing and I want to devote more of my time to it, but I can’t with the Fire Captain’s test coming up next year. Yes! I said next year! That’s how long you should be studying to know your fire-matics inside and out. You have eat, sleep. and breathe firefighting my friend. Nothing is more important that that!

In the past I studied for the test. But only when I received the letter in the mail did I get started. I figure now I’ll get going and get a head start. Because you can study all day long but you have to have someone else to bounce your ideas off to know that what you’re doing is effective. So do you see my dilemma? I.M. is the same way in my eyes.

In Internet marketing you have to eat, sleep and poop it. If you want your business to be successful, then you have to live it. You have to put the video games away and focus on your business. Oh yes my friend, don’t get it twisted, I.M is a business. You are providing a service to people that come across your website or your webpage on the Internet. I have come so far since I started doing this about 3 years ago, and I want to do more. But I cannot do both at the same time. I cannot study for the Fire Captains test AND build websites!

So what have I decided to do? I’ve decided to scale back my I.M. until while I study for this test. Will I still post to this blog? Yeah, of course! I’ll let you know about the fires that I’ve been in. Some of the past 2 fires that I’ve been in I’m still waiting for the pictures. When I get them, you’ll see them. The big question you want to know is how much, right? Well my friend, let’s just say that when I make Captain I’ll be able to devote more time to I.M. because I will no longer need my 2nd job driving.

So the answer to the question of this post is: Can a man serve more than one master? I don’t think so. Not at the same time! Talk to you later…

It’s been quiet on my watch when I go to the firehouse. But that doesn’t mean that the City Of Camden has been quiet. There have been about 4 fires last week alone! They say that there isn’t anything left to burn. But apparently they are wrong. Anyway I wanted to give you a little insight into the whole “Internet Marketing” thing while I’m here.

First of all, I.M. is just like anything else out there. You NEVER stop learning. When you think that you’ve learned everything, that’s when it’s time to leave it alone. Why? Because NO ONE except GOD Almighty knows everything! Internet marketing, just like everything else out there is a learning experience. But the only difference is that with I.M. some people are afraid to implement what they’ve learned.

I myself am still learning almost 3 years later. Some people don’t take the time to continue learning, and that’s why they fail. Some people don’t implement what they’ve learned, and that’s why they fail. Contrary to popular belief, you WILL NOT make 10,000 over night! There is no quick fix to the situation that you’re in. If you have chosen I.M. to “get out of debt” or to “get rich quick” then I’m sorry to tell you this but, you’re sorely mistaken. The only way in this world to get rich quick is to win the lottery!

Many people believe those ads that they see that tell you that “…you’ll make 50,000 in 6 months if you follow these 3 simple steps!” What the creators of that crap fail to tell you is that that business model is the best selling crap on the Internet! Why? Because we  all want a “quick fix.” We all want to get that cash now! But just like your Mom and Dad told you a long time ago:  It takes hard work to make it! And many people don’t want to do the hard work. They want the money now!

The people that make that crap are making money off of your hopes and dreams and the “get it right now”, “4g” “ultra-fast” mentality of today’s generation. Yeah, they may be making a lot of money. But what they have failed to tell you is that it took them a little over 2 or 3 years to get there. It took them a long time to get their clickbank reports to look like that. And now they’re selling you the result, not the hard work. So with that in mind I have to ask you a question: Do you really think that they are going to give you the whole picture? Are they going to tell you that it took them sometime to get where they are? Just think about it for a while BEFORE you purchase their product…

These 3 years in I.M. I’ve learned that that business model of “get rich quick” is the single best selling model on the internet. Yes, I said 3 years. Why has it taken me so long and I haven’t made that kind of money? Because like I told you before, I have 2 jobs in the real world! And when I get off work that’s when I will get to this I.M. thing. You ever read the fine print on those pages at the bottom? They will all say: “results not typical.” Well my friend, my results are NOT TYPICAL!

I have learned and learned and implemented and learned some more, and I will continue to learn and implement! Do I want the kind of money that they are talking about in those ads? Of course I do! Who doesn’t?! But I know better now that I’m in this thing with real people like Mark Thompson and the good people over at WordPress Goldmine. They have taught me a lot in the short time I have been there. And they’ll teach you too.

So what have I learned since I’ve been doing this I.M. thing? That you can’t jump from boat to boat looking for the next best thing. Stick to 1 plan and when that plan has been exhausted, then you move on to the next thing. But make sure that the author of that plan is selling you the “journey” and not the “result.”

Talk to you later…

1. Introduce my self to you guys and girls.

2. Document my progress in this wonderful world of Internet Marketing.

3. Share that progress with you.

4. Share my Internet marketing journey with you.

5. Share my goals with you, short term and long term.

6. Entertain and Inspire you.

Now you might have noticed the url. FFandIm.info. Well that’s the general title and theme of this blog. Firefighting and Internet Marketing. I know, it’s a weird mix, but I actually do both of them. First let me tell you a little about myself:

My name is Kenneth L. White and I am a firefighter in the busiest Fire Dept. in South Jersey. With that being said I am also in the busiest firehouse in that Fire Dept. I am at the busiest firehouse in the busiest fire dept. in S.Jersey! That means I get to see a lot of things that most people don’t see. I have the distinct honor to bring this to you also.

Unlike most personal blogs of other Internet marketers out there, I am still working in my chosen profession. In addition to being a firefighter I am also a driver for a senior day center. That’s right I have 2 jobs, mon!(Lol!) And after I get off work from the driving job, I try my best to jump on the computer everyday to get this I.M thing that I started about 3 years ago. Why?

Because I see the potential in  it. I.M. or internet marketing is just like anything else in the world. You have to keep doing it to see the results. You can’t quit. I know a lot of us get discouraged out there but you have to keep moving forward with ANYTHING that you want to do in this world. Internet Marketing or otherwise. I just so happen to have the pleasure of showing you both sides of my life on this blog.

One thing that I won’t show you is my family. Why? Because I don’t want too, that’s why. I’ll talk about them from time to time, but the majority of the time this blog will be about me and my journey in I.M and firefighting. It’s worth noting that I am a father of 3 and a grandfather as well. These things also take up my time, but I keep on chugging along because I see the potential in this I.M. thing. How did I get involved in I.M?

About 3 years ago I started to see that firefighting wasn’t enough money for the way that I wanted to live. I’m not saying that I wanted to live like a rap star, but I wanted to make the ends meet better than they were. I’ve always been a hustler and I’ve always had 2 jobs every since I’ve been on the Fire Dept. But you know how the saying goes: “Work smarter, Not Harder!” So I started looking toward the Internet for another way to make money.

I don’t remember exactly what it was that made me look at the Internet, (maybe it was one of those unbelievable ads where some guy makes 100,000 in a week…), but I started looking that way for a way to make money. I researched and researched and it came down to the difference between 2 sites to learn I.M. One was called “Profit Lance” and the other was called “Wealthy Affiliate“. Profit Lance was a flat fee of 77 bucks whereas Wealthy Affiliate was a recurring monthly charge of 30 or 40 bucks. Since I had very little money to start with and I was a little hesitant I chose Profit Lance.

I studied and studied the lessons and watched the videos in that course and came away with a nice general knowledge of what I.M. was. I applied those techniques and I made 1 sale about a week later! Boy was I happy! I said to myself,”This stuff really works!” But to my dismay that was the ONLY sale I made that year! I was frustrated and about to give up but then I ran into a Internet marketing forum that was instrumental in pointing me in the right direction. And that direction was a beautiful lady by the name of Potpiegirl.

It sounds like a weird name but this lady knows her stuff. She helped me to get my first check online. It wasn’t a lot like you see in those ads but it let me know that this stuff worked! I ‘ve been getting checks every since then. I’ll go into detail later about how that happened, but right now I wanted to give you a brief introduction about me. With this blog I intend to show you all of the sides of my life. From the firefighting to I.M.

Along the way I plan to show you some of the fires that I’ve been involved in, just to liven up the site a bit. I mean I could write and talk to you all day but pictures are worth a thousand words. And since I’m in the unique position to show you the kind of job that I have, I figure why not? All of the pictures used on this site are used with the permission of my good buddy Phil Cohen over at dvrbs.com

The first pics I want to show are the pictures that got me to thinking that I should start a personal blog. These are from a fire that I was involved in just 2 weeks ago. As I stated above, I work in the city of Camden, N.J. we are located right across the Delaware river from Philadelphia, P.A.  If you don’t know about my city, it’s a dangerous city. Camden, N.J. is in the FBI’s top 5 for the “most dangerous cities in America” every year. There are many reasons for this and we won’t go into them here on this blog. But you have to know that it’s a city filled with high crime, open air drug markets, and plenty of abandoned buildings and factories.

With that being said you can see why my job is a dangerous one. And you can also see why my Fire Dept. is the busiest in S. Jersey. My company SQUAD 7 is located smack dab in the middle of the city so we’re pretty busy. 95% of the calls (runs) that come across the radio are for us. So you have to be an aggressive person to be in this company. But that also makes you a go-getter as well. And I decided sometime ago to give my hand a go at I.M. and I’m determined to make this work!

I plan on posting to this blog at least once or twice a month to let you know what’s going on in my life. I also plan on showing you the latest pictures from the latest fires that I have been involved in, and some I haven’t. My short term goals  are to build at least 10 websites every year and make enough money where I can quit my 2nd job so I can concentrate on this I.M. on my days off from the fire dept. I am not a volunteer my friends. I am a career firefighter with 11 years on the job. I have another 14 before I can retire.

My long term plans are to make enough money from I.M. so that me and my family will be able to live the way I want to live when I retire. I’m talking $10,000 a month online only, WITHOUT the money from my pension. Since we don’t contribute to Social security, my pension is the only money I will get when I retire and I don’t think it’s going to be enough so I’m banking on I.M being my other income stream.

Of course I will document everything to you to let you know where I stand. But unlike other webmasters I will not be sharing with you how much I am making with slideshows and pictures of my earnings. What you will get is an update as to when I am able to quit my 2nd job. When I announce that to you then you know that I have reached one of my short term goals. And oh yeah, in order to do that I figure that I need to be bringing in at least 2,000 a month online. So when I tell you that I was finally able to quit, you’ll know around how much I’m making. I think that this is a nice and discreet way to inspire you.

In the meantime here are the pictures from my last fire that occurred about 2 weeks ago. I should have been wearing a mask because we breathed in a lot of crappy, yellow smoke while we were outside. This job was is what we in the fire business call a ” Surround and Drown.” No one is going inside to put out the fire because of the condition of the building. So we just put water on it from all angles. I’ll talk to you later my friends…