With Lt. Nicholas J. Koloski

Thirty years of service.
A straight answer
on your gear.

From Vermont and New Hampshire fire departments to NASCAR pit road, I bring experience with real responsibilities to reviewing the products firefighters rely on.

Real fire work. Fair gear reviews.

Meet the firefighter behind the reviews Send gear for consideration

30 YEARSIn the fire service

NH + VTDepartment experience

PRO BOARD IIFirefighter II certified

NASCARFirefighter experience

Why First Due

Reviews from the station,
not the brochure.

First Due Reviews is a reviews-only site for fire, EMS, and first-responder consumer gear and lifestyle — operated by Lt. Nicholas J. Koloski in Claremont, NH.

Sister brand: For Good Deals. Not an official fire-department channel. No venue bookings on this site.

How we review Disclosures

Claims checked. Keep or pass.

The review standard

Intended use. Claim check.
Fair KEEP or PASS.

Your gear gets considered for the work it was designed to do. Your claims get a fair check. Readers see what happened, what could be verified, and what couldn’t.

Relevant experience

Three decades of fire-service work inform the questions asked and the practical details that matter on the job.

Fair treatment

Strengths and shortcomings in context. A pass for one use does not make a product wrong for everyone.

Clear relationships

Gifted samples, loans, paid work, and affiliate links are disclosed. A shipment does not buy a positive verdict.

Read the full standard

Reviews

Reviews are coming.

Six products are in the queue. No KEEP or PASS yet — Nick still needs to shoot his own photos and write wear notes. Manufacturer product photos are not used here.