The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
STREET CRED
Your credibility should come from performance, not a battle-scarred image
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of traveling overseas to visit the Fire Service College at Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire, England, as a participant of a United States/United Kingdom exchange program. In its 40-year history, the Fire Service College has established itself as one of the leading fire service academies in the world.
The size and complexity of the facility is absolutely breathtaking. The campus includes several full-size aircraft simulators, a wide array of structural burn facilities ranging from a full-scale industrial complex to a standard residential occupancy, full-scale train derailments, a shipboard simulator and a multi-million-dollar collapse simulator that replicates the lessons learned from the Murrah Federal Building bombing and collapse.
The facility is certainly impressive, but it isn’t just about looks; I soon discovered that its substance more than matches its appearance.
As I walked the grounds during one of our breaks, I noticed an engine crew participating in a series of ladder and hose evolutions at the base of one of the drill towers. It was like watching a fine-tuned marching band. The firefighters moved with uniformity, each performing their required tasks with nothing more than a verbal tactical assignment from the company officer.
The entire crew gathered at the rear of the appliance (“engine” to you and me), and within seconds deployed a multi-section banger ladder with tormentor poles to the third floor of the drill tower. After successfully deploying a handline up and over the tip of the ladder, they flowed water in record time. The group then lowered the ladder and placed it back on the apparatus to conclude the evolution.
Immediately following this demonstration, the company officer barked an order and the group assembled in formation and began a company-level critique of the evolution that included safety issues, individual complications and any identified equipment defects. Somewhat awestruck, I looked on with great admiration as this well-oiled machine demonstrated impeccable discipline, crew integrity, a strict adherence to safety procedures and the highest degree of mental and physical competency.
My respect only increased when I looked at the company officer conducting the drill. Youthful in appearance, he wore a full protective ensemble equal to that of the crew. Although not new, his gear was pristine—no soot stains, no heat signatures due to overexposure, chin strap cinched down and in place—in short, he wore his gear as he expected of his crew.
Yet despite his “pristine” appearance, it was abundantly clear the this man had the absolute respect of his crew; he had what some might term “street cred.” And that credibility wasn’t earned by symbolic scars of combat—a melted shield or soot-stained turnouts—but was based on his physical actions and demonstrated abilities. He had street cred not based on group-conforming decisions, but decisions based on operational proficiency and personal safety.
Admittedly, my first impression of the Fire Service College was based on its physical attributes, but the indelible impression I was left with came from this officer and his crew.
So the question is this: How do you, your organization and your personnel establish their street cred? Do you rely on weathered turnouts, traditional PPE features or wrongfully perceived fashion trends of rolled ear flaps, unbuckled waist belts or the more frequent chin strap wrapped around the helmet brim to communicate your credibility as a firefighter?
Admittedly, we’ve all fallen victim to the “macho” factor at some point in our careers, but if we’re basing our credibility on the condition or color of our turnouts, the style of our helmets or the paint scheme of our apparatus, we’re destined to come up short.
Our personal and organizational credibility is based on our performance: what we do, the things we say and our demonstrated knowledge, skills and abilities. Although the traditional symbols of our profession might bring great fanfare in some circles, the true depths of one’s ability should not rest in a cosmetic facade.
The fire service is not unlike any other profession; we all want to be well liked, respected and characterized in the best of terms. The most effective way to achieve this is simply by performing your assigned tasks to the best of your ability using the tools and equipment provided within their designed parameters. By letting your actions be the words of a humble servant. By demonstrating the discipline and professionalism representative of your department’s mission and values.
We only get one first impression organizationally and personally. Let’s not invest our efforts in making that impression with a misguided statement of fashion, but rather one of action and safety.
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).
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of traveling overseas to visit the Fire Service College at Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire, England, as a participant of a United States/United Kingdom exchange program. In its 40-year history, the Fire Service College has established itself as one of the leading fire service academies in the world.
The size and complexity of the facility is absolutely breathtaking. The campus includes several full-size aircraft simulators, a wide array of structural burn facilities ranging from a full-scale industrial complex to a standard residential occupancy, full-scale train derailments, a shipboard simulator and a multi-million-dollar collapse simulator that replicates the lessons learned from the Murrah Federal Building bombing and collapse.
The facility is certainly impressive, but it isn’t just about looks; I soon discovered that its substance more than matches its appearance.
As I walked the grounds during one of our breaks, I noticed an engine crew participating in a series of ladder and hose evolutions at the base of one of the drill towers. It was like watching a fine-tuned marching band. The firefighters moved with uniformity, each performing their required tasks with nothing more than a verbal tactical assignment from the company officer.
The entire crew gathered at the rear of the appliance (“engine” to you and me), and within seconds deployed a multi-section banger ladder with tormentor poles to the third floor of the drill tower. After successfully deploying a handline up and over the tip of the ladder, they flowed water in record time. The group then lowered the ladder and placed it back on the apparatus to conclude the evolution.
Immediately following this demonstration, the company officer barked an order and the group assembled in formation and began a company-level critique of the evolution that included safety issues, individual complications and any identified equipment defects. Somewhat awestruck, I looked on with great admiration as this well-oiled machine demonstrated impeccable discipline, crew integrity, a strict adherence to safety procedures and the highest degree of mental and physical competency.
My respect only increased when I looked at the company officer conducting the drill. Youthful in appearance, he wore a full protective ensemble equal to that of the crew. Although not new, his gear was pristine—no soot stains, no heat signatures due to overexposure, chin strap cinched down and in place—in short, he wore his gear as he expected of his crew.
Yet despite his “pristine” appearance, it was abundantly clear the this man had the absolute respect of his crew; he had what some might term “street cred.” And that credibility wasn’t earned by symbolic scars of combat—a melted shield or soot-stained turnouts—but was based on his physical actions and demonstrated abilities. He had street cred not based on group-conforming decisions, but decisions based on operational proficiency and personal safety.
Admittedly, my first impression of the Fire Service College was based on its physical attributes, but the indelible impression I was left with came from this officer and his crew.
So the question is this: How do you, your organization and your personnel establish their street cred? Do you rely on weathered turnouts, traditional PPE features or wrongfully perceived fashion trends of rolled ear flaps, unbuckled waist belts or the more frequent chin strap wrapped around the helmet brim to communicate your credibility as a firefighter?
Admittedly, we’ve all fallen victim to the “macho” factor at some point in our careers, but if we’re basing our credibility on the condition or color of our turnouts, the style of our helmets or the paint scheme of our apparatus, we’re destined to come up short.
Our personal and organizational credibility is based on our performance: what we do, the things we say and our demonstrated knowledge, skills and abilities. Although the traditional symbols of our profession might bring great fanfare in some circles, the true depths of one’s ability should not rest in a cosmetic facade.
The fire service is not unlike any other profession; we all want to be well liked, respected and characterized in the best of terms. The most effective way to achieve this is simply by performing your assigned tasks to the best of your ability using the tools and equipment provided within their designed parameters. By letting your actions be the words of a humble servant. By demonstrating the discipline and professionalism representative of your department’s mission and values.
We only get one first impression organizationally and personally. Let’s not invest our efforts in making that impression with a misguided statement of fashion, but rather one of action and safety.
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).
Add a Comment
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Comment by Timothy Sendelbach on June 22, 2009 at 9:31pm
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Jason:
Well said...we need to focus less on looks and more on action, knowledge and skills.
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Comment by Jason Hoevelmann on June 22, 2009 at 9:22pm
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Please excuse the typos in my last my last post. Sittig in an uncomfortable position for typing. Sorry. I hope you can all figure out my coded language : )
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Tim,
I see what you are saying here. I can remember a guy on my first career department; lot's of attitude and ego to go along with his aggressive nature. And sure enough, he was the guy that loved to have the smoke/burned helmet. He finally rubbed enought people the wrong way and one day, his smoked helmet was only half of a smoked helmet, the rest was shiney clean.
I think the point I get out of this is are we depending more on the soot, smoke and destroyed gear as a badge of honor and a show of knowledge more than our training, experience and mentoring of new firefighters in the ways of safe, effective firefighting skills and tactics. Darkened down equipment does not a firefighter make. But, encouraging constructive debate, expecting your people to continue their education, promoting safety in everything that we do, especially by these things by example will make a much larger impression in the long run. Just my take on your question.
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Art/FETC:
Great point, I like the reference to living on different streets - I agree with that entirely. On the other hand, we've taken this in a much different direction than I originally intended, but it's still a good discussion.
Public perception is one aspect of our job that I think most have successfully maintained over the years.
My point of reference is directed more towards those who use their turnouts and the various fashion statements of our profession as a basis of credibility (i.e. melted shields, soiled turnouts, and/or unbuckled waist belts, etc.)
It's my belief that those who rely on the color or condition of their turnouts to establish their credibility are destined to come up short. Ones true value should be measured through his/her actions (knowledge, skills and abilities) and not some cosmetic or symbolic facade.
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Comment by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on June 22, 2009 at 11:20am
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Tim:
Excellent insights.
What's interesting to note is that, when we talk about "street cred", many of us live on different "streets". In fact, some are avenues, roads, highways and freeways. My point is that our credibility as a productive fire department is determined by the services that we perform for the communities that we serve. That is to say that, cred seems to be more of an issue between departments than communities. Does that make any sense? I mean; these discussions seem to take place between firefighters on websites more than they do in our communities. See; my fire department has proven to our community that we are worthy of their support. We have demonstrated through words and deeds that we are committed to a high level of training in an effort to better serve.
I guess one would have to ask "well, how would the community know if you are any good at what you do"? Because, as you may have seen on the discussion boards, when we talk firefighter to firefighter, credibility gets into the discussion very quickly; most likely when someone who specializes in rural tactics tangles with someone with urban skills.
You have different perceptions of street cred at play. We seem to be hung up on number of fires, number of certificates, number of injuries and number of turnouts that are ruined as measurement.
Too bad, really.
I count Paul Grimwood as a friend and though we have corresponded, we have never met, but we have a mutual respect for each other for what I have to believe is an understanding of each other's street cred. And our backgrounds are completely different.
Thanks for the brain food.
TCSS.
Art
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Comment by FETC on June 22, 2009 at 10:33am
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You mention a "fine tuned marching band" when you watched them drill in England. That is what I referred to about the days of Inspection. Back then the men were on display to the public.
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FETC:
Are you speaking of the demonstration/drill or the reference to his turnout gear? I'm not sure I understand what your saying.
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TIm when I read your post, it brought me back to the days of old time "FD Inspection Days" when they would do the same with a steamers or later with motorized apparatus and the bangor ladder to rescue from upper floors right downtown. Inspection Day was to display the department's "street cred" as you call it. The old timers would call it time to demonstrate "their pride / committment to the organization" and all the hardwork instilled to protect the public.
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