From the fireground to the budget review, it’s not always about who wins or loses

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” —John Wooden

Very early on in my fire service career, I was given the advice to become a student of leadership, to read everything I could about the character traits of effective leaders. I’ve tried my best to heed this advice and I’ve spent many hours reading about distinguished leaders from all walks of life.

One particular individual I’ve studied: John Robert Wooden, the legendary basketball coach of the UCLA Bruins. In 27 years as the Bruins’ head coach, Wooden’s teams registered 620 wins and only 147 losses, including an unprecedented 10 NCAA championships.

Despite his unmatched winning record, Coach Wooden never focused on winning. He believed winning was the by-product of hard work, dedication and self-discipline. Throughout his career, Wooden’s ideology was best defined by his often-quoted definition of success: “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

Over the years, the American fire service has achieved great success in its efforts to save lives and protect property. For their dauntless actions and incomprehensible acts of courage, firefighters have become known as “American heroes,” recognized as symbols of gallantry, honor and bravery. Absent the military, few if any other professions are held in such regard.

Yet one of the most problematic issues we’ve experienced in the fire service is when we become blinded by our success (“hero” status), when we begin to act in a manner focused on winning rather than on our duty to perform to the best of our abilities.

We’ve come to characterize fireground success as an aggressive wall-to-wall search supported by an interior attack and effectively coordinated ventilation. Although it may be tough to argue with this definition of success, a more critical observer might recognize a strategic or tactical flaw in our actions, given that the slightest change in the simplest of factors (fire behavior/development, compromise in the structural integrity, loss of water supply, etc.) could have dramatically changed the win/loss record of an acting crew.

As is human instinct, we become comfortable with these actions; with every success, we reinforce an ingrained pattern of thinking or normal method of doing business. In most cases, this is within reason and perfectly acceptable. The problem occurs when our patterns of behavior become so ingrained that we become creatures of habit, individuals who fail to recognize and adapt to a changing environment, who become resistant to change based on our past successes (wins).

Coach Wooden said it best: “You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.” As firefighters, we should stand proud of our past achievements, yet maintain a degree of measured humility that supports constructive criticism as a means of personal and organizational development. We must acknowledge the fact that because a specific tactic or method worked in years past, it doesn’t mean that it will work in the future.

Blindness on the basis of success is not limited to the fireground. In these hard times, many departments have suffered the consequences of budgetary cutbacks and constraints. Some departments and chief officers have reacted by using traditional justifications for their budgets and predicting dire consequences as a result of the cutbacks—without success, thus creating an atmosphere of boiling frustration amongst the members.

Alternatively, a budget submission based on quantifiable facts detailed with creative solutions that support a mindset of cooperation, collaboration, fiscal responsibility and personal safety might very well produce a more successful return.

The success or failure of today’s fire service leaders (from firefighters to fire chiefs) is based on our ability to adapt to the environmental changes of our respective areas of operation. The changes on the fireground are driven by reduced costs and modified building materials/techniques. The changes within the administrative ranks are equally challenging in that they involve fiscal constraints, ever-changing political priorities and directives that require a degree of compromise unknown to our predecessors.

Our focus cannot be blinded by our past successes or our relentless desire to win. Some battles present insurmountable challenges, challenges beyond our physical/fiscal control. The true strength of the modern fire service is not reflected in whether we win or lose such battles, but rather our ability to adapt to the changing circumstances in a manner the produces the most effective outcome.

Timothy E. Sendelbach is a 23 – year student and educator of the fire & emergency services currently serving as Editor-in-Chief for FireRescue Magazine and President of TES² Training & Education Services. Tim is also the immediate past president of the International Society of Fire Services Instructors. (ISFSI)