People--especially those who enter the fire service--generally want to be successful and feel like they are making a contribution to the organization. Lack of clarity from their organizational leaders, and especially their first-line supervisor, in the form of clear expectations can be a significant "roadblock" to their success.

Before the fire service can move forward in recruiting and retaining more women the overall culture in many organizations must change. We have to eradicate the "idea" that the fire service is a male-dominated vocation or avocation. Yes, right now that's a true statement because of sheer numbers and the fact that men predominantly occupy leadership roles in fire departments.

What’s the most desirable fire protection system outcome for a community? Zero preventable fires, no? So how could we measure a fire department’s performance in reaching that goal?

Congratulations! You’ve completed your probationary period with your fire and EMS organization and with it all the training and development activities prescribed by your department. You’re now, no doubt, chomping on the bit to advance in your chosen career, but where do you start?

Progressive fire and EMS departments have long recognized that a good customer care program has many benefits for the citizens they serve and for their departments. Chesterfield County's Fire and EMS Department is one such department.

Fire departments, large and small, continue to devote the large majority of their resources to big equipment, e.g., today’s engines and aerial apparatus, without a closer examination of the fire risk in their communities. And they’re doing so with less available staffing than ever before.

I am absolutely not diminishing the work of the exceptional leaders that are out there today, from men and women, visible minorities and the LGBTQ communities, and anyone I may have missed only by my pure ignorance. It is the ground swell of work they are doing that will realign the direction of the “freighter” we call the fire service.

We can change the culture in the fire service, but not through solutions like policy or procedure or training or lawsuits. The change must come from the “majority stakeholders” in the fire service: Men. Men must take responsibility and ownership for the problems we face in the fire service. And right now, they must also take responsibility for seeking and implementing the solutions.

I believe that public safety agencies have an implicit obligation to keep our citizens informed and educated about impending harm, e.g., hurricanes, tornados, severe flooding and the like. But more than that, when necessary, we also have an obligation to give them unambiguous instructions on what actions they need to take to protect their lives.

Good radio communications are critical for safe, efficient and effective operations on the emergency scene. How many times has poor incident communications been cited as a significant factor in NIOSH investigations of firefighter fatalities on the fireground?