| 2005 COURAGE AND VALOR AWARD: CAPTAIN JOHN TAYLOR |
 “On August 20, 2004, John Taylor made the supreme sacrifice by virtue of his ultimate reserves of courage and heart,” said Robert F. Biolchini, president and chief executive officer of PennWell Corporation, co-presenter of the 2005 Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award. “To all who knew him, John’s sacrifice was a reflection of a character he demonstrated throughout his long career with the Philadelphia Fire Department. John Taylor sacrificed his life in the same selfless manner that Chief Ray Downey sacrificed his on September 11, 2001, staying in a deadly dangerous situation when he could have chosen to do otherwise, staying there because someone needed help, in the truly heroic tradition of the fire service.” Captain Taylor was this year’s recipient of the Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award.MORE >>>>> |
| BELIEF IS THE WINGS FOR YOUR DREAMS. |
 “If you believe, really believe, you can effect change against all odds. Belief is the wings for your dreams. Belief makes everything possible.” William Manning, associate publisher/editor in chief of Fire Engineering and FDIC conference director, challenged attendees at this year’s Opening Ceremonies and General Session to believe and then to channel that belief into actions that will bring about changes sorely needed in today’s fire service.“We CAN reduce the number of firefighters killed and injured responding to/returning from incidents. We CAN reduce cardiac/stress- related deaths and injuries. We CAN reduce deaths and injuries on the fireground without sacrificing our mission. We can increase firefighter longevity beyond the national norm,” he asserted. But first, “You gotta believe.” A href=”http://fe.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=226141&p=25″>MORE >>>>> |
| THE POWER OF ATTITUDE: IT INFLUENCES FOR BETTER OR WORSE |
 Attitude is a tremendously powerful tool and the key by which fire service members can “take the fire service back to the way it is SUPPOSED to be,” explained Division Chief Eddie Buchanan of Hanover County (VA) Fire & EMS. In his “It’s All About Attitude” presentation, Buchanan challenged his audience “to go back to your department and lead with attitude!” It’s all about making a personal choice to change, to use your ‘crazy power’ to change the culture of the fire service, he said.. “You can take our fire service back so that generations to come can love it like we do!” Buchanan views that “renewed” fire service as one in which “we take care of each other in spite of our internal differences and stand shoulder to shoulder – personally, tactically, and even politically.”To work, the attitude must be positive – an attitude that focuses on ways to make a difference, not on things that cannot be changed. And, warned Buchanan, it is easy to slip into a negative attitude without even realizing it. MORE >>>>> |
| MENTORING, LEADING HELP ENSURE SUCCESSION: WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE? |
 “On the morning of September 11, 2001, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) thought it had its succession plan all laid out, but the catastrophic events of that day wiped out all of these well-laid plans,” FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief John Norman explained as he answered the question he had just posed during his keynote presentation on Wednesday: “Why do you need succession planning?” Norman listed all the proposed candidates for the positions in the department’s Special Operations Command unit that would become vacant in the near term because of retirements. Among them were the position of the late Deputy Chief Ray Downey, director of rescue operations, and those of 94 other unit members. All were killed in the World Trade Center disaster. They were the unit members designated as successors to the retirees, those who were to run SOC for generations to come.“The department could not have envisioned the losses that were suffered, even in the most in-depth risk analysis,” Norman said. “The department had to replace individuals that had an average of 16. 6 years of experience, which entailed recruiting and training new personnel. Yet,” he continued, “the job still had to get done. That’s where the breadth and depth [of a department] come in.” MORE >>>>> |
