By Kevin Brown
How often do we hear our fellow firefighters extolling the need to be good brothers/sisters to each other? When we normally hear this lament, it’s usually because someone is ill and facing some hardship, or there’s a department or union issue, or sometimes it is simply because we are trying to coerce one another to participate in a social event after hours. What does it really mean to be part of this brotherhood? What is required of each of us to fulfill our role as a brother or a sister? Are we ready to embrace the real responsibilities of which we speak so cavalierly? I recently started a temporary job as assistant training officer in my department. As part of this position, I have had the unique opportunity to observe the current skill levels and condition (both physical and mental) of my fellow firefighters as well as my own. Although I was tasked with delivering training to others, I was able to identify some of my deficiencies through this process. I am amazed at how easy it is to become complacent over a small period of time. I speak of brotherhood because of these observations.
Unfortunately, we very rarely hear a cry for brotherhood on what matters most: the need to be prepared both mentally and physically for the job we have undertaken. How much more important is it that we are a good brother/sister firefighter by making sure we are familiar and efficient with our equipment? Do we take our job seriously as a firefighter? Are we in the proper physical shape and condition to assist ourselves and those around us if the need arises? Being a good brother/sister isn’t just about the social implications–it is about the necessity of knowing our job and possessing the abilities to accomplish it. We need to take the extra step that we claim we would take in times of danger and apply it now to be prepared.
Take a moment and consider the last time that you truly put 100 percent into a training exercise or drill. Participation in training should not be about what you have been forced to do. It should be a shared learning environment for both students and instructors. There are questions we need to ask about our training. Are you confident with your self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)? Have you practiced with the emergency functions of your SCBA? Are you ready to react if you had an SCBA failure? It is easy to become complacent with our SCBA because the equipment rarely fails; however this is a situation we need to be prepared for without hesitation. Many firefighters start to panic in a failure situation because they have never trained for it. How proficient are you in firefighter self-rescue techniques? Practice is required to remain proficient with all equipment and techniques. Could you save a brother/sister firefighter if you had to? Have you actually tried in training? Many times we find it easy to say, “Yeah, firefighters are heavy, but I could move him if I had to.” Training on rescue-moving techniques with a live firefighter is one way to give us an understanding of how heavy a fully equipped firefighter really is and what it will take to move him.
What physical condition are you in? Can you do anything to improve it? Physical fitness is easy to overlook as we get older. Being out of shape is easy to justify by rationalizing, “I can still do that,” or “I have good techniques now.” I have found that as firefighters we must question our fitness in two ways: How much strength we possess and our stamina level. Even someone in good physical shape may not have enough stamina when it comes to heavy physical exertion like a firefighter rescue. We must have the stamina to complete our assignments without rest. Adequate strength can be determined by a few questions. Can we lift ourselves with our gear on? In a self-rescue scenario, the ability to lift ourselves up with our gear on is a crucial ability. Determining this can be as simple as trying to do chin-ups in full personal protective equipment (PPE). How many can you do? Can you do any? Can you move the firefighters you normally work with when they are in full PPE? What will it take so that you can? You need to judge your preparedness for this job by evaluating yourself in the performance of each function. You must identify your own weaknesses and strengths on a continual basis.
What is your mental take on being a firefighter? It is easy to relax with the idea that being a firefighter is like any other job and that we are just here for the check. This is a very dangerous attitude. We must resist the urge to accept mediocrity in a job that in a moment’s notice can turn on the complacent or apathetic and leave them injured or dead. Be mentally prepared as well as physically. Many times it is difficult to change your attitude in an organization that doesn’t support it. All change starts with the first step. If you can change your attitude, you will find it easier to persuade others to change theirs also.
These are only a few areas in which to set standards for yourself. Consider how all these areas might impact you, your fellow firefighters, and the families of all. We must set our standards based on what we would expect from those we work with as well as being able to back our words when we say, “I am your Brother Firefighter.”
True Brotherhood is not mere words, but actions.
Kevin Brown is assistant training officer for the East Hartford (CT) Fire Department.
