BY MIKE WISKO
Fire service leadership is one of the leading topics at any fire service conference you attend today. Without a doubt, leadership is important and has become a lost art in many departments. Unfortunately, as most veteran fire officers retire, they take their experiences with them. They may have instilled their lessons, ideas, opinions, and beliefs into those closest to them, but in most departments, this history is lost. Quite often, when a veteran retires, you can hear the younger firefighters saying things like, “Another dinosaur down,” or “Don’t let the door smash your tail, old man!” In some cases, this may be accurate, but I feel that many of the younger firefighters lose sight of the value and experience these officers brought to their departments.
For the past several years, the department I work for has struggled with this issue. Fewer fires, more medical runs, senior officers retiring, younger officers being promoted, and a new generation of firefighters has become the norm. Educational requirements for promotions, incentive pay for education, and various specialized certifications have proven effective in creating a more educated group of firefighters. It seems that most of the folks I work with believe that the day you can’t learn anything new is the day you need to leave.
Recently, we have begun building an officer development program within our department. The first step was to bring all officers and acting officers together to brainstorm on ideas for what should be taught to newly promoted officers and those aspiring to promote. Areas discussed were leadership, communications, public image, department policies and procedures, firefighter safety, and operations.
These subjects were divided into two three-hour workshops. At the beginning of each workshop, the attendees completed a brief survey. The goal was to get input from all participants on an anonymous form that could be used as a guide later in the program development process. The questions included the following.
First Workshop
1 List five things you learned from an officer you worked with during your career.
2 List five things you wish you had known before you began filling in an officer position.
Second Workshop
1 List three areas you feel need to be addressed in department policies and procedures.
2 List three areas you feel need to be addressed in incident scene management for new officers.
Next, we reviewed our department’s mission statement. We discussed the purpose and intent of the mission statement and how each member of the department contributed to the success of our mission. From there, we began discussions in each of the subject areas.
SUBJECT AREAS
Leadership
One definition of leadership is “the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.” The first discussion about leadership was based on this definition. Starting here led to an interesting discussion within the group. The members brought up examples of officers they worked for and learned from. Some were good leaders from whom they learned something positive. Others spoke of poor leaders who displayed less desirable leadership methods and who taught them what not to do. The first hour of the workshop was a successful discussion on leadership styles. The participants bought into the idea that as a group they were going to create an officer development program. This was a success!
Public Image
Next, we entered into a discussion on public image and the importance of a positive public image in the community. Early in this discussion it was agreed that the public’s opinion of our department was important. When folks call 911, they don’t really care what we are wearing as long as we respond quickly, solve their crisis, and treat them nicely and respectfully. On the contrary, when folks encounter a group of firefighters at a community event, in a restaurant, or at the grocery store, they expect us to be dressed appropriately. They expect that we are making good use of our time and that we are able to respond just as quickly as if we were at the fire station.
Many times, we are asked why we felt it necessary to bring the big red truck and all four firefighters to buy groceries. Once it is explained that this approach ensures a quick response if an emergency arises, they are usually content and then ask what we are having for dinner.
Our discussion also ventured into areas of station and apparatus appearances, actions and discussions in public, and ways to promote our department’s image on a daily basis. It was pointed out that the actions of a lone firefighter would affect the public’s opinion of all firefighters more times than not. It is also a proven fact that chiefs receive more phone calls about firefighters acting inappropriately than when they act professionally. So public image is important, and it is something that we each control. But, most importantly, the officer must set the example, and when firefighters are acting inappropriately, the officer must correct their behavior immediately to preserve a good public image.
Communication
The last part of the initial workshop addressed communication. Almost any time you ask what a department’s biggest problem is, the answer is communication—or the lack thereof. We all know that the basics of communication involve a sender, a receiver, and a message. If it were only that simple! Actually, communication is complicated by human beings’ beliefs, actions, body language, facial gestures, hand gestures, and tone of voice.
In the fire service, there are a variety of communication processes. Face to face is probably the best form of communication; however, it can be the most challenging at times. Shift change can be the most stressful part of our day if there is some type of dispute between members of two shifts. Radio communication is important, but when we add in sirens, air horns, face pieces, power tools, apparatus noises, and all the other noises we are exposed to, radio communication can become challenging. Let’s not forget that we have to understand how to work the radio before we can use it or that some radios just don’t perform the way we would like. Computers, log books, cell phones, and check sheets are all forms of communication that can simplify things or challenge us in the daily execution of our job.
This discussion was interesting. It brought to light many of the issues we are facing as a department as it relates to communication. There are many things that a new officer will need to understand about what is effective in communication.
This three-hour discussion was repeated five more times to facilitate all target personnel in our department. One of the many challenges we face is being able to train while still protecting our community. This limits the number of folks who can attend a class. To ensure that everyone on duty had an opportunity to participate, we used our standard training model. Half of our crews attend in the morning, and the other half attend in the afternoon. With three shifts, a class is delivered six times. The second session included discussions related to department policies and procedures, safety, and operations.
Department Policies and Procedures
As in any department, we have several documents we must know and work by. Rules and regulations, standard operating procedures (SOPs), policies, and collective bargaining agreements are all important. Many of our personnel view policies and procedures as tools for discipline. We have tried to reach out and solicit their opinions on various subjects before writing or revising a policy or SOP. Each of these is considered an important document in which officers especially need to be well versed.
Firefighter Safety
We are no different from any other department in the United States and abroad. Firefighter safety has become a primary focus. Some will tell you that we have taken the fun out of firefighting. The important lesson for officers to remember is that many of us have done a thing or two that could be considered unsafe. The fact that we survived it is reason enough to teach others the best way to safely accomplish our tasks. The discussion covered everything from safety in the firehouse to emergency driving, scene safety, and safe training exercises. If we train so realistically that someone dies, then no one is really learning anything of usable value.
Operations
When it comes to operations, we looked at every type of response to which we may be assigned. Fires, medicals, hazardous materials, rescues, and public assistance are the most common. Danger is present anywhere there are people, so we must never let our guard down. Firefighters typically respond immediately. This sometimes prevents us from slowing down to evaluate the entire situation before charging in. That has all too often resulted in injuries and, unfortunately, death for our brothers and sisters.
We found it beneficial to discuss recent responses and the circumstances that evolved with each one. Many lessons were learned during this phase, and everyone left the classroom a little wiser. We also discussed risk management and how it’s not really as bad as the phrase may lead you to believe.
Several fire service leaders have provided valid, proven perspectives and criteria for teaching leadership. Their ideas and information are excellent starting points for initiating discussions on leadership. At a recent conference, the question was asked, “What is leadership?” A voice from the audience replied, “Leadership is something people give to you.”
For a fairly new chief officer trying to figure out the best way to facilitate a cultural shift in his department’s leadership skills, this was a powerful statement in two ways. One, it reminded me that if I want to be accepted as a leader, I need to earn that position by gaining the trust and confidence of the members of the department. Two, if I were going to attempt to teach others how to become leaders, they needed to understand that leadership is more than a position—it is an opportunity that their coworkers give them based on trust and confidence.
The end result of this exercise was the development of a six-hour officer development class. The goal is that after each promotional exam has been administered, we will bring in the successful candidates and present the class material to them. We are also hoping to incorporate some other classes such as safety officer and a reading smoke class. These components should enable these new officers to get off on the right foot when they begin functioning in their new positions.
As stated at the beginning of this article, there are many ideas and discussions related to officer development and leadership. This is simply one more example of how any department, regardless of size, can train its personnel.
You have experienced, well-educated personnel in your department. If asked, many of them would be more than happy to help create a program that will benefit the new officers and in many ways pay tribute to their service and those who came before them.
The fire service often brags about its rich history. We all know that history repeats itself, so what better way is there to record past experiences and prevent future firefighters from making mistakes that we made in the past?
● MIKE WISKO is assistant chief—safety/training for the Galveston (TX) Fire Department. He is also planning team manager for Texas Task Force 1.
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