Here is a great "memory jogger" for Command Functions and Size Up from one of our instructors, Scott Hulsey.
Click the link for each and feel free to use how you wish. If you have additions and suggestions, please share.
Thanks for reading and keep training.
A Firefighter’s Own Worst Enemy: A Synopsis
When I created this class it was in response to my own attitudes and behaviors that I had developed over a period of time. During those 18 months of “darkness” I allowed outside influences to dictate my perception of the fire service, what my job is and should be and the direction of my future. Luckily, I had other influences around me that recognized I was drifting and helped to set me back on course.
After I was re-calibrated I realized that most of my problems were of my own doing. I was allowing other’s attitudes and perceptions to affect my own. It was easy for me to buy in to the negative influences because that was popular. It is always easy to swim with the current in that regard. Instead of standing up for what I truly believed in I allowed my values and principles to be altered by the peer pressure to act and react in an appropriate manner.
When asked what my class is about, I struggle sometimes to fully explain it to others. It isn’t just about peer pressure or about keeping a positive attitude. It’s about more than getting up out of the chair and working out and training. It is about more than being a positive example to others and to not fall into the easy way out.
This topic is not a typical firefighter related class. We cannot deny that our egos and perception of what a firefighter is does not include introspection on our thoughts and attitudes and how they can affect our team. In that regard just teaching this class is sometimes a challenge knowing that many will not “get it.”
My first career firefighter job was in a small suburban department in St. Louis County. There was a battalion chief there who was an old Navy guy and had an old timer attitude but understood very well that the fire service had to progress and was a supporter of training, physical fitness and higher education. He was also an old farmer who always had a saying or euphemism for just about every occasion. As a young firefighter I didn’t truly understand those sayings nor did I try to attach them to any real meaning.
One of his favorite sayings was that “a firefighter is his own worst enemy.” He would say this frequently and I never really put too much thought into it until many years later after I had moved on to a different department. He never elaborated and never really preached, he just threw out these little nuggets of advice and would go about his business. Well, it finally struck me what he was trying to say.
In just about every aspect of our job we create our attitude. That attitude will dictate our course in the fire service. Those that have an attitude that the only PR we need is running calls will have to live with the results of that attitude. For those that refuse to train and do not place any emphasis on continued improvement in our skills and tactics will be forced to live with the results of those attitudes. The problem is that these individual attitudes not only have a direct impact on them, but also on those they work with and the organization.
We have to understand that our actions, behaviors and attitudes do affect more than just ourselves on a personal level. This is probably the most difficult thing to get firefighters to understand. If a guy doesn’t want to train and is not made to train, he will be inefficient and will then be the weakest link of the team. If one or more members of the team are grossly out of shape and can’t perform, then they become a liability to the team if things go bad or they go down in a fire. Your health is not only your business, it can directly affect those you work with.
Being part of the fire service is not the same as the majority of other jobs. The plumber that fixes the pipes will probably not contribute to the loss of his own life or others if he screws something up. Could there be some water damage and cost him some money? Sure! But nobody is going to die because of his lack of training or commitment to his profession. (Nothing against plumbers.)
The fire service does not have that luxury. It is cliche and to some the extreme, but if we screw up, our citizens we swore to protect, our Brother and Sister firefighters and/or ourselves may not live to see the next day. This is a fact and is one we must wrap our heads around. We need to understand that not only does every action have a reaction, but every inaction has a reaction as well and typically it’s not positive.
A lack of fitness can and will result in health problems and poor performance leading to the rest of the team having to pick up the slack; which we are good at. A lack of training will result in inadequate skills and the completion of sound tactics which, again, will put others at risk. These are real game changers and during the class we discuss some hypothetical situations where we show how this can happen.
Finally, we pass on to others what we display. If the prevailing attitude is one of working hard to get out of work then that will be what the rookie firefighter becomes. He doesn’t know any better and the circle remains unbroken. We have to break that circle and create a new environment. There is no easy way to change the culture of a company much less an entire department.
We owe it to ourselves, the citizens we protect, our fellow firefighters and our families to be the best we can be. I had a senior firefighter who has coached his kid’s athletics for years tell me we don’t need to train because we “know what to do.” I asked him how many times a week he had practice for his teams? He stated two to three times a week. I then asked if he did the same drills and concentrated on the same basic skills at every practice? The answer was “yes.” Did he make his team run or were they allowed to walk during the practices and scrimmages? Of course they had to run to build endurance and get in “game” shape. Then I asked how we were any different from those teams? Well, you can probably guess what he said……”That is different.”
That’s right, it is different. That team may lose a game if they don’t practice. We may lose a firefighter, a citizen, a building or a block of buildings if we don’t practice. It’s time to be different. It’s time to not cave into negative peer pressure and to create our own positive peer pressure that makes it “wrong” to be on the side of “inaction.” It’s time we hold what we do and love to a high standard and expect the best of ourselves and of those around us. Do the job and do it better than well. Encourage others with our actions and show the next generation what being a firefighter is about. Don’t let them be their own worst enemy.
Join me at FDIC 2012 on Friday @ 8:30 for “A Firefighter’s Own Worst Enemy.”
Room 103-104
Here is a quick video that uses a unique perspective to shine a light on leadership and followership. I really enjoyed the video and I think the message is perfect. A great picture of leadership in action; in a little different setting. I hope you enjoy and learn something from it. Thanks for humoring me.
This is a post for you to voice your concerns and ideas on what the “perfect” company officer is or should be. Always a hot topic, I believe that the company officer drives the department. Sure, the upper brass can make things difficult or better, but the company officer is with his crew every shift, out on the streets really making a difference, or not.
In today’s fire service we are a jack of all trades. Firefighter, rescue technician, fire prevention advocate, plumber, electrician, odor sniffer and so on. But, some of the most important aspects of that position are forgotten or just not cared about.
Our company officers have the ability to greatly influence the direction of the firefighters and the organization. If you have an officer that is positive, trains frequently and is engaged in the job, his people will likely follow suit.
However, if your officer dislikes training, PR, and getting out of the recliner, his people will likely follow suit. They have a great deal of influence. I have personally seen the trainsition a firefighter made going from a positive officer and crew to a captain that just doesn’t give shit.
What are the attributes of your ideal company officer?
Tell us about some great experiences and not so great experiences?
What words of wisdom have been passed on to you that have really “stuck” in regards to the company officer position?
In my mind it boils down to this; if an officer is not willing to or does not continaually improve himself as an individual and leader and firefighter, he will never be able to improve his crew. He just wont have the respect and credibility to facilitate that improvement. If it isn’t important to him, it wont be important to the crew.
Train hard and lead effectively.
When I presented at FDIC I had a few evaluations that were disappointed in the lack of “solutions” to some of the issues that I present. The following is some of what did not get covered at FDIC due to limited time. For those that might have been in the above category at FDIC 2010, I had 1 hour 45 minutes to fit a 4 hour class.
So, I hope this addresses some of those concerns. It does not address all of them, but hits the point of Crisis Leadership. However, I believe that you can apply much of what is in this submission to most situations, just slightly modified.
Thanks for reading and please pass on any ideas or methods that you have used that have been successful.
As always, stay safe and keep hydrated in this heat.
When I teach my class “A Firefighter’s Own Worst Enemy” I discuss behaviors and actions that are detrimental to the person, his fellow firefighters, the officers and the organization. One of the biggest factors in this equation is leadership.
We toss that word around in the fire service all of the time, yet, I am not so sure many know what it really means to be a leader. We have all seen the promotion happen and the new officer expects to be a leader but has never had any real leadership training and hasn’t practiced leadership prior to the promotion. Leadership is more than just bossing people around and making decisions about what the daily schedule is going to be. It is even more than telling your folks what to do on the fire ground.
There are many aspects of leadership, but today we are going to talk about leadership during rough times. I’m going to focus on crisis leadership and how it relates to how we cultivate our people in the fire house and on the fire ground. We have to prepare them to make decisions. Let’s face it, you are not always going to be there to guide them, so we have to set them up to succeed.
As was mentioned in the above paragraph, we have to practice leadership. It doesn’t just show up and is not obtainable for everyone. Sure, there are characteristics and methods that you can copy and learn from other leaders, but the fact is that you have to create some of your own style based on the people you are leading and the goals of the organization. One of the most important parts of our profession is preparing our people for battle.
Firefighters must make split-second decisions that result in life or death consequences. In some circumstances what we do and the decisions we make could determine whether or not someone lives or dies. It could be the people that we protect or us. We have to instill in our firefighters and officers the ability to make those decisions and the education and training to make the correct decisions.
When we speak of crisis leadership, we are talking about decisions during an emergency. Sure, a crisis could happen in the firehouse, but for this article, I am speaking of fire ground decision making. That is where we are getting injured and killed and where some of our decisions are most important. But, the molding of good leaders will carry over into the firehouse, making the company and organization better.
When you are a company officer, you have to lead by example and your expectations must be made clear. It is not a matter of coming in and telling everyone that you are in charge and that they must listen to you. It is a matter of you coming in and showing that you are in charge and the leader by your actions. You present yourself the way you want your firefighters to present themselves. You convey a positive attitude and you don’t complain about everything that is wrong with the place or the job. Additionally, you train and work hard and you put great effort into improvement and you’re cool under pressure.
If you want your people to be calm and collected during times of crisis, take a look at the leader and that will tell you if the crew is or isn’t. During crisis moments, the leader must set a direction that is clear and concise. The initial decisions are crucial and will dictate how the rest of the incident goes. The leader will evaluate the situation at hand and determine what tactics to take, what resources will be needed and will already be thinking of a backup plan.
If things start to go bad, the good leader doesn’t get flustered and will not stick to failed plan just because he is worried about how he will be judged. He understands that plans don’t always work, even when based on good information. Changing a course of action, even in the fire house, when something is not working is a true sign of a leader. It isn’t so much admitting that you are wrong, but that you can adapt and change the course of action to get to the desired outcome. This teaches them to make decisions and not to be afraid of being wrong.
With these leadership skills we are obligated to pass along to our people the decision making skills that are necessary to be effective during a crisis. By doing this, we ensure their progress as a firefighter and future officer, but we also ensure that when you are not there, they are confident enough to make tough decisions without retribution. This is crucial and will be discussed more in a future article.
If a leader is truly a leader, he will be able to get buy-in or commitment of his decisions. This is not based on his authority for rank necessarily, but rather on the trust he has built over time. As he has made decisions with his team, they have learned that his decisions are based on the overall good of the company and not self-motivated. This type of commitment is important for the leader to have during times of crisis. Typically it results in clear communication and a common goal between the leader and the crew.
The ultimate result is a crisis situation that goes smoothly and is successfully mitigated. That is what it’s all about anyway, right? In addition, you are showing your team members how to be leaders and not telling them how. Remember, leadership is not something that you get or have and then that’s it. Leadership is a dynamic process by which you are able to continually motivate people to do the things that they want to do very well along with getting them to do the things they don’t want to do even better. If they trust your purpose of your motivations, they will continue to operate as a well oiled machine while at the same time making you look very good.
Ahhh, the good ole days!
Are you making a difference? It is a simple question that requires a “yes” or “no” answer. So, which is it?
The fire service is full of opportunities for people to take advantage of to better themselves. Are you taking advantage of those opportunities?
It is easy to go to work and sit down at the kitchen table and complain about what needs to be done that day. It is easy to come into work and complain about training or not doing it unless we are directed. It is easy to go home and completely forget about the job and never take another class outside of work again. Are we doing our best?
I recently had some folks complain about the amount of training we do at my career department. (He thinks we do too much!) The bad thing is that it was coming from a captain! My comment was simple, what is enough? He has a daughter who plays sports and I asked about how and when she practiced. He explained that she did practice at least 3 times a week.
Then I asked if she practiced after her games began and he answered “yes.” Why, I asked, the games have started and they should be experts by this time, so why are they still practicing since the games have started? He started to see where this was going and started to get agitated with me.
I simply wanted to know if his daughter’s coach would quit practicing just because the games had started and he finally caved and said that no, they kept practicing. Of course they keep practicing. Skills fade and you need to prepare for the next team.
You hear pro teams talk about it all of the time; we have to watch game film, we have to prepare for their defensive schemes or we just weren’t as prepared as they were. It is no different for us. Our enemy never takes a day off. Our opponent never quits and is always ready to take us out. We have to keep preparing.
We know of the guy that gets out of the academy and never does anything extra for the rest of his career. The guy that gets promoted and then calls it quits on training and classes. This is not the way to beat the other team for 30 years of a career.
We must continually train and gain knowledge. Not only on new issues but, we must re-learn things that we have forgotten or not done in a while. We owe it to ourselves to be safe and experts in our profession so we get home safe to our family. We also owe our partners to be as good as we can be so that they have the confidence in us to know that we will be there if something goes bad.
Look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Am I doing enough?”. Be honest, are you doing enough to make a difference?
Is one day a month, like this particular captain wants to train, enough for you? I hope not. You have to stay motivated and keep up the fight. Train and keep training. Read and keep reading. Take classes and pass on the information.
Be fair to yourself, your family and your fellow firefighters; make a difference and do the right things.
Take care and stay safe!
You may remember a few weeks ago I posted about the origins of this blog and the title. Well, here is one topic of the class that I will be presenting at FDIC and that I did at Missouri Winter Fire School.
Understand, this is only part of a dynamic that we need to understand as fire service leaders and as future leaders. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts, experiences and view.
Thanks for reading and stay safe.
Respect is a word that is used too frequently in the fire service and in many cases is not used correctly or in the correct context. We use the chain of command for our emergency scenes and for our communication and disciplinary actions. The guy at the top is the Chief and is the ultimate superior in that chain and organizational chart. Although being at the top demands respect, it should not be assumed that it is there waiting for you when you move up the ranks. Respect is earned, not given.
I have witnessed officers that have gotten promoted and believed that they are automatically due the respect of their crew and of the organization. This creates a real problem for both the officer and his crew from the onset. The officer feels rejected because he is not receiving the respect he feels he deserves and the crew feels forced into following a leader who is perceived to be power hungry. Both sides are wrong and only good communication and mutual respect for each other will cure this ailment.
As an officer, you have added responsibility and become a management tool in one form or another. Although you have just been promoted and will now be viewed as an officer, your people will recall your prior actions to determine your initial level of respectability. Right, wrong or indifferent, what you did and how you acted and how you treated others before you were promoted will play a large role in how you are viewed and their respect for you or lack of respect will be based on those previous observations.
It is very difficult for power mongers to earn respect from his/her people. The officer that puts himself above his people is doomed to fail and discord will surround him and it will filter down through the organization. The harder an officer tries to demand and gain respect when he has done nothing to earn it, the faster he loses credibility and the more transparent he becomes in regards to his motives and values. It will not take long for this officer to feel frustrated and unwelcome in many circles in the fire house.
The officer who demands respect and does not earn it is typically one who feels that he “deserves” what he has and that the title dictates that he be respected. Although the position must be respected, the person who fills that title can do little to gain the respect of his peers and subordinates unless he takes steps to earn the respect by his actions and attitudes. It is not enough to wear a gold badge and some trumpets to get respect; you must put the organization and the people that you are supposed to lead before yourself. Over time, by putting others first, an officer will slowly earn the respect of his people and peers. But, it won’t happen overnight.
Being promoted is more than wearing a white shirt and gold badge; it is a responsibility to make the organization a better place when you leave it. One of the primary jobs of an officer is to make sure the person that takes your place is better than you are. If that is not accomplished, the organization becomes stagnant and reactive. I like to look at it as a pond vs. a stream. The pond sits and grows algae and gets a film on it from the water just sitting. It is not inviting to drink from or swim in to cool off. Sometimes it even stinks. The stream is clear, cool and refreshing. You would not hesitate to cool off in this stream and to fill your canteen from it. The area is clean and the rocks are smoothed over from the many years of the stream flowing over them. Which is your organization? The fresh, cool, free running stream or the dank, scummy pond? Your leaders must decide where they would rather swim.
I was talking to some old friends that I had worked with when I had originally got hired as a career firefighter. We were discussing the “good old days” and having a good laugh. We all have moved on to different departments and districts since then, but we all agreed that those were some the best times of our careers. The pay and benefits weren’t great, we had our share of issues with the city, but we were a tight group and we had a blast on duty.
Most of us have moved on to bigger jurisdictions with great pay and benefits with more resources. But, we all agree, that although we don’t have any regrets, it just isn’t the same as it was back then. It’s easy to know why this is the case, we all came up with the same conclusion; we genuinely cared about each other and we loved the job, no matter what.
As we rehashed past events and stories, we all came to the same conclusion, it was a real family atmosphere and the group had two common goals while at work; learn as much about the fire service as we could and have a great time while we were doing it. It was a group of guys with like-minded ideas and beliefs.
Testing hydrants every summer was not high on our priority list and we did not look forward to doing it every year. But, as we learned, we could always manage to make it fun. Typically we would bet on which truck that day would be first to bust a main and shut down the whole operation. The water department didn’t like it, but it made things interesting. (We didn’t bust ‘em on purpose!)
We knew that we were all in this place together, with the bad, the good and the insane things that came along with that particular organization. We have all agreed that since moving on, although we have the same motivations and intentions and desires, that same culture did not follow us to our new jobs. It made me stop and wonder why that was the case. I thought long and hard and came up with some possible reasons.
It is possible that our own possible passion has slipped. And, in some cases, it may have been dashed by outside influences, but only we can control what we are passionate about and shouldn’t let outside forces change that. Don’t stop loving the job. If your organization doesn’t have the same professional goals as you, keep plugging away and you will be a much happier person.
It is also possible that the organizations that we went to, for whatever reason, just have and have had a different culture from the beginning and don’t know how to handle someone who is different. This is where you need to rub off on others. Take time to be enthusiastic and excited about the job and pass it on the those below and above you. Be persistent but not pushy and things will slowly change. You will be joined by those like-minded people in your organization.
The bottom line is this, don’t change just because the new organization your in hasn’t caught up with you yet. Be the guy who helps to initiate that change and molds a new culture in your department. It wont be easy, but you will be better professionally and personally for it in the end. You will also likely create new family-like friendships that endure anything and that you will be able to cherish now and in later years.
We all have that spark in us, it just needs some prodding sometimes. Some people need the sparks of others to light their own. When a group of those sparks gets together and is driven by a common purpose, look out, they are powerful and good times will be had by all. That kind of positive attitude and gumption is contagious, pass it on.
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Musings
7 commentsI, like other fire service professionals, like to read about goings on in other parts of the country. It is always exciting and interesting to read about large, unique and dangerous events where our brothers and sisters were put into action and succeeded. This is especially true of daring rescues that are recorded and written about. After all, that is what most of us got into this business for anyway, right?
What I find interesting is that each and every time one of our own is interviewed and asked about the incident and are praised by the reporters, the same comment escapes with a humble expression on their face; “I was just doing my job.” Or at least something to that affect. Although this is probably true and it is accurate, the more I thought about this quote, the more questions I had about just doing our “job.”
Having the opportunity to work in a fully career department and with a combination department, I get to see variations of attitudes and motivations from both sides. One common theme that is complained of, and I will have to admit that I see it more often in the career department, is that everything we do while on duty is a part of our “job.” Does this mean that we like every component of what we are expected to do? No. What it means is that we are expected to do certain things as a part of our service to the citizens of our jurisdiction and surrounding community.
I have seen and heard many firefighters and officers belly ache because we had to attend a block party at 7:00 at night. I have heard comments about P.R. events made that basically said that every time the ambulance goes out we get P.R. and that’s all that we need. (I know, wow!) We get called to pick someone off the floor and we cuss and complain because we are getting knocked out for a non-fire related call.
Now let me just say that I have been guilty of this belly aching at times in the past and I can’t say that under my breath I haven’t worded some comments in frustration. But, I try to remember why I am here. Sure, my idea of being a firefighter was one of beating down flames all day and cutting people out of cars. Let’s face it, our job has changed tremendously over the last 20 years or so. The tasks that we perform on a daily basis may have changed but the goal is still the same, service to our citizens.
It just seems that I hear and see a lack of love for the “job” and it is frustrating and a drag to hear all the negativity about what we do. I don’t believe that what we do is much different than what ‘Jakes’ have been doing for years, we just notice more because we aren’t working a job every other day or so like in years past. But, the “job” is still the same. Go, when someone calls.
That really is the bottom line, right? Go, when the bell sounds? We have the best job in the world and only we can reduce that to nil by what kind of attitude we bring with us when we walk in the door. Most days our job consists of public relations, invalid assists, lock outs, fire and smoke alarms, training and education, working on run cards and every other so-called menial task you can think of; that is our job and I love it. And then, you come in and get that occasional working fire and I love it even more.
Take care and stay safe,
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