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State of the Fire Service
I just read the thread "Is it just me" and a thought occurred to me, I felt compelled to put into words. One of the firefighters on the thread made a comment about being able to spell, and it's relevance to holding a hose or pike pole. Now, that got me going and this is the direction it went.
I feel it is time for those of us in senior Firefighter positions, be it as Chief Officer, or a Line Firefighter to lead the way. Where is this coming from you ask?
A brief history of my time in the fire service:
1983-2008
In 1983 we were Firemen, not Firefighters, Firefighter/EMTs, Emergency Services Technicians; simply you were a Fireman, period.
Was our job really that much different...no. Were the tasks expected of us fewer, maybe? Were we expected to be Chemists, Field Doctors, Mountaineers, ARFF Specialists, and still be Firemen. Not exactly.
"OK...OK so what’s your point?"
My point is when HazMat got slipped into our job descriptions in the middle of the night we grumbled, but we did the job. Fast forward a few years and it was EMS, still more grumbling, but again we did our jobs. Did our pay increase for taking on all these job skills...not exactly? Did our public image go up for being multi-talented? If you read the argument in Central Florida, that would be a definite NO.
We are now mostly Fire/Rescue, or Fire & Emergency Services Departments. No longer are we Fireman. Our cert list is as long as most people’s introductions on here. So again where am I going with this?
Today, more than ever we as senior firefighters need to lead. WE need to step up and take a wayward newbie under our collective wing and show them how to not only do the job, but go out and be proactive in finding better/safer ways of doing our jobs.
Unfortunately I hear way too much b*tching from the older guys about "that's not my job", or not wanting to take classes because it isn't required in my job description. Physical Fitness is just as bad, "you mean this is going to affect my appraisal?" People we need to alwayss strive to get better. Remember you are either getting better or worse, we don't get trained and then retain everything by sitting in the station playing Xbox 360 all day.
People’s lives depend on how fit we are, how well trained we are, and how well trained our leaders are.
Some of you know I am not a hero proponent, I do a job I love because it needs to be done, and I feel compelled to do it. But, my first responsibility and yours is to go home to your family when your watch is over. It's that simple.
What did all that mean? Ill spell it out for you.
It's 4:45 in the afternoon and you get banged out on a MVA with extrication needs and major injuries. When you arrive on scene the car with the worst damage is your wife's. And in the back seat are you 3 and 5 year old daughters. It's been a couple months since you had to get the tools out and use it, and you managed to skate out of the extrication class early in the week because, "I’ve had that class 6 times, I don’t need it again."
Your EMT skills are pretty rusty because you trade to get out of riding the box most of the time. Now your ability to get that car open safely and work on your family until another box can get there are compromised. And this time it's not some unknown face you are looking into for signs of shock, or head injuries, it’s your little girl's.
Was it really that much to ask of your department for you to attend regular training? Was it really that bad to ride the box every few shifts to stay fresh?
What are your words and actions teaching the next generation of firefighters?
When I was coming up we still rode tailboard, still went into structure fires with hip boots and incredibly thin bunker coats that went to our knees and SCBAs were few and far between. BUT...the senior firefighters and company officers were a positive influence on my career and my life. I was told early on to go out and make tough decisions, but be ready to back up your actions with a damned good reason. And also to be prepared to accept the consequences of my actions, be they good or bad.
My generation was charged with bringing the fire service out of the "150 years of tradition unimpeded by progress" days. And I feel like we have accomplished that, but we still have much work to do, and leading the next generation of firefighters is going to be our legacy far longer than being the guy who came up with a better way to store gear in your station.
I feel it is time for those of us in senior Firefighter positions, be it as Chief Officer, or a Line Firefighter to lead the way. Where is this coming from you ask?
A brief history of my time in the fire service:
1983-2008
In 1983 we were Firemen, not Firefighters, Firefighter/EMTs, Emergency Services Technicians; simply you were a Fireman, period.
Was our job really that much different...no. Were the tasks expected of us fewer, maybe? Were we expected to be Chemists, Field Doctors, Mountaineers, ARFF Specialists, and still be Firemen. Not exactly.
"OK...OK so what’s your point?"
My point is when HazMat got slipped into our job descriptions in the middle of the night we grumbled, but we did the job. Fast forward a few years and it was EMS, still more grumbling, but again we did our jobs. Did our pay increase for taking on all these job skills...not exactly? Did our public image go up for being multi-talented? If you read the argument in Central Florida, that would be a definite NO.
We are now mostly Fire/Rescue, or Fire & Emergency Services Departments. No longer are we Fireman. Our cert list is as long as most people’s introductions on here. So again where am I going with this?
Today, more than ever we as senior firefighters need to lead. WE need to step up and take a wayward newbie under our collective wing and show them how to not only do the job, but go out and be proactive in finding better/safer ways of doing our jobs.
Unfortunately I hear way too much b*tching from the older guys about "that's not my job", or not wanting to take classes because it isn't required in my job description. Physical Fitness is just as bad, "you mean this is going to affect my appraisal?" People we need to alwayss strive to get better. Remember you are either getting better or worse, we don't get trained and then retain everything by sitting in the station playing Xbox 360 all day.
People’s lives depend on how fit we are, how well trained we are, and how well trained our leaders are.
Some of you know I am not a hero proponent, I do a job I love because it needs to be done, and I feel compelled to do it. But, my first responsibility and yours is to go home to your family when your watch is over. It's that simple.
What did all that mean? Ill spell it out for you.
It's 4:45 in the afternoon and you get banged out on a MVA with extrication needs and major injuries. When you arrive on scene the car with the worst damage is your wife's. And in the back seat are you 3 and 5 year old daughters. It's been a couple months since you had to get the tools out and use it, and you managed to skate out of the extrication class early in the week because, "I’ve had that class 6 times, I don’t need it again."
Your EMT skills are pretty rusty because you trade to get out of riding the box most of the time. Now your ability to get that car open safely and work on your family until another box can get there are compromised. And this time it's not some unknown face you are looking into for signs of shock, or head injuries, it’s your little girl's.
Was it really that much to ask of your department for you to attend regular training? Was it really that bad to ride the box every few shifts to stay fresh?
What are your words and actions teaching the next generation of firefighters?
When I was coming up we still rode tailboard, still went into structure fires with hip boots and incredibly thin bunker coats that went to our knees and SCBAs were few and far between. BUT...the senior firefighters and company officers were a positive influence on my career and my life. I was told early on to go out and make tough decisions, but be ready to back up your actions with a damned good reason. And also to be prepared to accept the consequences of my actions, be they good or bad.
My generation was charged with bringing the fire service out of the "150 years of tradition unimpeded by progress" days. And I feel like we have accomplished that, but we still have much work to do, and leading the next generation of firefighters is going to be our legacy far longer than being the guy who came up with a better way to store gear in your station.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tiger Schmittendorf on
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Perhaps these two blogs from our friend Mick (no, not Jagger) will shed some light on the subject:
http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blog/show?id=889755:BlogP...
http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blog/show?id=889755%3ABlo...
He's already called us out.
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Permalink Reply by Pararescue on
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As I sit here and read this I find another "Hot Topic" not mentioned that was flown into us.... Now we also have to watch for secondary devices in what seem to be a "routine" alarm. Welcome to Terrorism training! Everyone one get more than enough Fire/Rescue/EMS/Haz Mat training, how often does your department train for Terror attacks? Are you ready? "Um, hum..... sure you are." I know I'm not. I've trained on WMD 3 or 4 times since 9/11. We are only doomed to repeat the tragedies of the past, and it's our own fault!
I have only been in the fire department since 1992. I got to ride the tail board and wear the thin coats and hip boots, I'm proud to say! But I also know when and where to take a stand and convince my "Lieu's" and Capt's about what our priorities and attack strategies should be. Since it's a "popularity vote" not a "hay, ya know..... he really knows his stuff. He gets my vote. OR Well he is the Chief's son....." I use my prior knowledge and experience to help..... since the Lt's and Capt's are in for 4 or 5 years.... and maybe keep the team alive. And after reading Tigers piece... It took me back to my time starting out in the house and being MADE to make a decision on the training ground, so I could make a good choose on the fire ground. Well what did it get me? Glad ya asked! I got 2 good grabs in a fire and 9 babies delivered.
But like already said....."you WONT find any medals pinned on my chest! I'm here for the love of the job, not a medal and a pat on the back." The only pride I take with me on every call is that my "mentor" is now riding Squad 1 FDNY.
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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Hmmmm; Wally hits another home run.
The hand is out. Will the new guy take it?
There are those willing to teach. Are there those willing to learn?
The veterans have the knowledge to pass on. Do the others have the wisdom to take it?
The fire service is getting hit with retirements. Are the new ones ready to step up?
The fire service will survive without us. Will the new ones survive?
I can't think of not being a part of the greatest job in the world. Can you?
According to Salka, leaders have to be at every level of the fire department. Who will be the next leaders?
Do something.
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Permalink Reply by Mick Mayers on
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I have to say that I am flattered that someone I hold in such esteem as Tiger saw fit to link my blog in an effort to help point out the issue of professionalism, because so much of what we are discussing here is vitally linked to the subject.
Suffice it to say, we (the collective fire service) never saw such exponential change in the first 200 years. It was put the wet stuff on the red stuff, and move on. Then in the 60's came a societal challenge of looking outside of our boundaries and with it the influential fire service leaders of that time saw that we could be so much more. But simply declaring your desire to be better doesn't make you better; those leaders took the baton and ran, but alas, life is short and those leaders passed the baton on. There's a lot to change and in our finite careers, not much time to do it in.
In the late 60's and early 70's we realized that we needed to be forward thinkers and imagine the future. These were amazing times; the Bronx was burning and Dennis Smith penned a book that all of us have read (I'm cringing- is there an emoticon for that? Something tells me that some of our readers have not read "Report from Engine 82") and we realized what a cool job fighting fire could be. We all watched "Emergency" and realized that the fire service could challenge itself with something more than just fighting fire. This isn't going to be a history lesson- then came HAZMAT and technical rescue, and computers changed our lives, etc., etc.
More change has occurred in EMERGENCY SERVICES (you like that?) in the last 20 years than in the whole history of the fire service prior to that. Change brings emotion and change brings resistance. If change was easy, everybody would do it. Change requires thought. Change requires WORK. Change requires leadership and courage (people take shots at leaders who bring on change- ask Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi and John Kennedy). Those potshots aren't always as dramatic as my examples, but how many of you have agitated for a change of some sort and ended up a victim of character assassination or even worse, out of a job?
If we are going to sit back and allow ourselves to be dumb and happy (and I'm familiar with dumb and happy) then don't expect the niceties that come along with progression and innovation. I mean, if the good old days were so great, why aren't we still driving horse teams? We have to educate our next generations and expect more out of them and they should expect more out of themselves. The only problem is, however, that our society these days embraces diversity to the point of dumbing down everything. Don't want to submit a report using proper grammar and spelling? Well, be free to just express yourself. Don't want to work hard to keep a job? Get a new one. Don't want to fix the system? Just complain about it.
Professionalism requires us to buckle down and say the things that hurt sometimes. That your department is operating in the dark ages. That your tactics are something out of the past. That your lifestyle is going to someday cause you a heart atack. That not wearing a seatbelt is stupid. But if you (this is an open letter to everyone, not an indictment on the original post) think that we should all just have a group hug and a round of Kumbaya, well folks, it ain't happening. Change is occurring faster than any of us would like. Embrace the concept that there are other ways to do things, learn and analyze and find out why things are or are not better, discuss them on the Nation, and get on board. But if you don't, prepare to be left in the dust.
I've got to run; I have work to do. But trust me, this isn't anywhere near being over. Thanks for providing a soapbox.
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Permalink Reply by Allen Wahlstrom on
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Mick, well said. This is why we get on here; to learn from others with different experiences, and pass on the knowledge we have to others who havent been in the situations we have. OK so this is why I get on here.
Part Two
Mick made a great point about the "good old days". The good old days really weren't so good. How many of us would really rather run into a burning building with our beard stuck in our mouth to breathe? How about a wet sponge in our mouth to filter the smoke out, hoping there was enough oxygen in the air to keep us going long enough to find that child hiding under his or her bed?
We have come a long way, and things are exponentially better today then even the 1980's when I first donned my gear. On the other hand we need to know where we came from brothers and sisters.
How many guys know who Mayor Kelly was?
How many know that a "Plug Ugly" didnt originate with the "Gangs of New York"?
How many know why the Irish tradition in the fire service is so incredibly strong?
For that matter, how many are in Emerald Societies without a clue why there are such groups?
Fire Marks?
Why do we call Engines Pumpers?
How many know Fire Engines were "Engines", long before that first motorized apparatus showed up?
Why do we call the Engine Room a barn?
Ladder Companies. Hose Wagons, and for those of you in pre 20th century stations, how about that storage space in the back of the "Barn", or the hooks in the ceiling?
I can't tell you how many of the guys I've worked with over the last 20 years don't have a clue, and worse couldn't care less.
If we wish for the traditions that make this job what it is to remain, someone needs to be the one teaching the younger guys what it is to be a firefighter. Not just the techniques, but the nuances that make our job, well, not just a job.
Now if you know all these...who helped mold you?
And more importantly are you passing these little gems along to the ones YOU are charged with molding?
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Mick - I'm flattered that you're flattered.
Your ideas are original. I merely said "What he said..." That didn't take a lot of effort or thought. In fact, I believe it's called regurgitating.
I learn from more from you guys than most firefighters I've met face-to-face, with a few key exceptions. I find the Nation to be a refuge from that which is less than heaven in the fire service.
And, I couldn't agree with you more about our need to take what has been instilled in us and pay it forward. Unfortunately, I'm not currently "in a place" in my mind or my fire department to be spouting wisdom to the less experienced.
Fortunately, in my role as Deputy Fire Coordinator, overseeing the training of 5,000+ firefighters, I have the tremendous honor and privilege to be exposed to some of the brightest minds - and the brightest smiles in the fire service - and my acknowledgement of the obligation that comes with such a blessing.
It's that part of my life that keeps me motivated and willing to share that which I've learned from others.
This is a great discussion. Thanks for the inspiration - and the swift kick in the pants not to just linger, but to lavish knowledge, experience, tradition and commitment in and on others.
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Tiger,
My Building Construction for the Fire Service instructor was an a*s, but what an incredible teacher. We didnt sit in a classroom and just go over scenerios, we actually went out on field trips at least monthly and saw what he was telling us about in the classroom.
A perfect example was a Type IV row of commercial structures in a small town, much like where I grew up. As we walked up to the building, he pointed out the huge fuse box burried in Ivy and we could hear it humming. Then asked who wanted to go get close enough to take a cloes look at how to shut off power. Well when we got close the humming wasnt the electricity, it was a bee hive in the ivy using the heat from the box to stay warm during winter. Now add that to the hundred other nuggets that have stuck with me almost 20 years and you have someone who shaped many careers.
We dont have to be instructors to make a difference...just point out little danger signs, to your charges. Make them aware that your surroundings are way more then jsut the red part of the fire and your experiences regardless of where you are today make a difference.
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Betz on
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Allen, well done. Gentlemen - also well done responses to a topic I feel strongly about as well. Looks like we need to somehow make more of an impression though. So far it's all of us "seasoned" firefighters who have replied. My hope is the younger folks are reading and thinking "good stuff" and moving on. I would certainly hate to see such good observations being missed out on by the "next" generation.
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Unless we build a very strong sense of tradition and point them to our glorious history, our fire service museums will become mausoleums to our once rich fire service history.
Much of what we read because it peaks our interest will HAVE to become required reading or it won't get read.
If my morning rounds at the plant are any indication, then what is going on here and at other website is that the younger ones are reading it, but are not responding to it. Just like when I go on the floor at the plant, I will give them a "good morning" and they will nod. I will say "what's up?" and they will shrug. You will ask someone to do something and without so much as looking up, they will go off to do what you have asked them. Don't make the mistake of asking them if they heard you. They will get mad because you're "hassling" them.
Hope that they get it.
The ones who become productive and successful in the fire service will show themselves very quickly. If you have management skills, you should be able to recognize who will lead and who will follow. The ones who will simply go through the motions won't last long. They will be run out of the service.
You can worry and fret about the future of the fire service in this country and it doesn't change the fact that people our age will not be around much longer, but if we have done our jobs, then the future state of the fire service will be in good hands.
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I can say I am truly dissapointed in the lack of input from younger firefighters. Are they solely on here to get a hook up with some badge hoe or are they on here to learn and grow?
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Permalink Reply by ILDisasterEMT on
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Here's how it looks to this rookie:
Im starting into my second year with IMERT (Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team). Through that training, Ive learned more about what true emergency response is than I ever thought possible, and I continue to learn. Being a fireman was fine before 9/11. I'll admit that that date gets overused (kind of like the word "hero") in our vocabulary. But we need to look at that date very carefully. It was on that date that one of two things happened: either old systems and ways of doing things got dusted of to be used (right now, being from Illinois, I am thinking of MABAS--mutual aide box alarm system) or we started to do things in different ways and develop new tactics and even add new jobs to the old way of doing things.
Its no longer good enough to be a fireman. Like it or not, to one extent or another, we are all fire/rescue. To some that might mean fire and vehicle extrication, to some it might be fire/EMS and to others its everything under the sun with CBRNE thrown in. We have to be ready not only for the house fire, but the school shooting. We can't just be prepared to hose off pavement at a MVC scene. We MUST start educating and training ourselves for major disasters, both man-made and natural. I have a patch on one of my gear bags that has the symbols for fire, rescue, EMS and HazMat on it. Underneath those symbols its says "If not us, then who?" Its not good enough any more to hope the department the next county over can handle something on mutual aide.
This is a whole new ball game. We all felt pretty comfortable until 9/11, but now we see that yes, there are people out there who want to hurt us and yes, they can get to us if they are not already here. What if the next WTC is a petroleum refinery in Albuquerque, or a "T" station in Boston? What if the people that start getting sick in Los Angeles are sick because of a suit case left in airport with radioactive materials in it.
The new term is All-Hazard and this is what fire departments need to be. Heck, I can even see a point down the road where our name changes again. When your department has not only Engine 16 and Ladder 12 but also Disaster 5, will you be ready? How hard do you train? Do you work out your brain and your skills as well as your muscles? Because the real deal is that in a stituation like the WTC, it wasnt brawn that kept things from being even worse than they were, it was brains. It was training. How many of you belong to a department that has EVER done a table top disaster drill? How many of you know what one is? If there were three man-made explosions involving hundreds of casualties in your area, would you be ready? For most of us, the answer is no. So we owe it to those we serve to go to every workshop, every training, every class we can find. There was just a huge Advanced Hazmat Life Support course in Illinois put on by the Illinois Poison Control Center and it had a huge attendance and it was free to any emergency responder from Illinois. Assign a member of your department to comb the internet looking for these kinds of things. Task somebody as your liaison officer to get with the other departments in your area and say ok, on such and such a date, we need to have an All Hazards drill, as big as we can afford, with every agency we can get involved. Does your town have a CERT team? If not, why not? What about a Medical Reserve Corps unit? These are the things that will save lives. And lets never forget our duty as emergency responders:
1. Save lives.
2. Mitigate the incident
3. Preserve the environment and property.
Those are in that order for a reason. You can always rebuild a town, though it may take time. But you cant replace lives. DMAT teams and the team I am on here in Illinois can be ready to go wheels up to a disaster in 4-6 hours. The figure the National Guard gives in 72 hours, probably more during the Iraq/AFG war. FEMAs given response time is 96 hours. Thats 4 days folks. Can your community wait that long. And lets even start thinking about what would happen to our own departmental infrastructure in an All Hazard event. Look at our brothers and sisters in Tennessee and elsewhere. Their emergency resources were destroyed in a matter of minutes. Medical resources overwhelmed within 2 hours. Would your station house still be standing in that situation?
Just something to chew on.
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Permalink Reply by Dan Hoey on
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The young people are out of control and lack the understanding we had as youth and they do honor those of the past that having given so much to who we are.
THOSE WORDS ARE SAID TO CONGRESS IN 1874.
I agree that there are some problems buts lets not paint all with one very large brush.
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