Tag Archives: thought leadership

It’s time we in the fire service quit being so polite to people about the deadly threat that fire poses to them, their families, and their communities. It’s time to stop “suggesting” that it’s a good idea to have a working smoke detector on every level of their home. Time to stop “making excuses” for the dead following a preventable fire where no working smoke detectors were present. And it’s time to stop making excuses for parents who manage to get out of a burning home, but their children do not because the parents never had or practiced a Home Fire Escape Plan with their children.

Until we stop romanticizing the job of a firefighter with “how it used to be”, we will never get the current and future generations of firefighters to understand—really understand and take it to heart—that when you look at the facts, the vast majority of risks in the business of firefighting should have gone the way of the dodo bird.

Approachability is a key leadership characteristic, but one that few leaders actively work to develop. Learn more about how to become more approachable as a Fire and EMS officer, or for that matter, anyone who leads, guides and directs people in accomplishing a mission.

Each of us who serve in the fire service, especially those of us privileged to have a leadership position, wants to leave a legacy. We want to feel that our time, energy, and contribution will have a lasting positive influence of the organization long after we hang up our helmet for the last time. I think this is especially true for those of us who—in addition to holding an officer rank—also embraced our roles as a teacher, coach and mentor

So how can we in the Fire & EMS profession more proactively “capture” such knowledge before it “walks out the door” with the next retiree? Let’s take a closer look at some of our “old and reliable” information management tools: policy, procedure, and processes. Frequently, we use these terms interchangeably, but they are not synonymous at all. However, if we understand how the “fit” together, we will find that they can serve as powerful tools to help transfer organizational knowledge from one generation of members to another.

Every time you participate in off color conversations, it reflects the dark side of yourself. Every time you laugh, nod, agree, insert your two cents, sit quietly uncomfortably reading your iPhone HOPING IT ENDS SOON, looking at the speaker or simply clearing your throat you are participating in the conduct that is unbecoming of a firefighter. Did you know that?

As Dr. Phil says, “It’s time to get real!” Fire departments must stop trying to provide a model of fire protection—one that’s predicated on saving lives and property through the reactive deployment of firefighters who implement an interior fire attack the majority of time—when the department does not possess the resources to do so safely, effectively, and efficiently according to accepted standards and practices, e.g., NFPA 1710 or NFPA 17.

In the absence of factual information, most people will believe whatever they hear or will Social media mind mapmake up their own version of reality based upon their past experiences. In today’s “informational overload” world there are more than a few ways for people in a community to know what the men and women of their fire and EMS department are “up to”, both good and bad. Successful departments are those who've embraced social media in a proactive way to engage their communities in two-way communication.

Changing our culture? I saw this piece from Chief Robert Avsec on LinkedIn and I couldn't help myself so I posted my comments on the LinkedIn Group. Chief Avsec (the author) contacted me and asked me to use my comments as a Guest Blogger, so here I am.

Robert - this article is right on track. I've personally been involved in using NFIRS data to justify the need for new Stations, Rigs and Personnel. It was response time analysis that allowed us to show areas of the city where we were falling short. That data helped convince the politicians and taxpayers, both.