It’s Time to Triage Traditions: “Hold on to the ‘Healthy’ and Let Go of the Invalid”
If George Healy had his way, challenge would be the automatic response to the statement, “We have always done it this way.” Although tradition has been the cornerstone of the fire service, he said, the fire service should not allow it to interfere with progress.
Among those things that the fire service should retain is pride for the “noble calling” of being a firefighter, said Healy. “Our proudest moment is when we save lives. “Under the impulse of such a thought, the nobility of the occupation thrills us and stimulates us to deeds of daring, even supreme, sacrifice.”
The fire service must embrace the modern science, counseled Healy. However, he cautioned, that does not mean that we should not question change with boldness (as advocated by Thomas Jefferson). The only way to achieve improved results is to change the way a task is done, Healy suggested. “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, is insanity, he noted, quoting Albert Einstein.
Training is for known situations, Healy related; education is for unknowns. He advocated that the fire service investigate and accept the proven research findings of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Underwriters Laboratories concerning firefighting strategies.
There is evidence that the fire service is taking seriously its responsibilities to examine its traditions and long-held assumptions in the light of new and proven research and to make some exchanges where necessary, he said. “We are doing the impossible,” he noted. “We are moving forward with change that the naysayers thought was impossible. Think of what we have accomplished in the few short years that firefighter safety and survival have been part of our addenda.
“As always,” Healy reminded the audience, “our moral obligation is to protect our members. There are no acceptable loses. We must remain true to our mission of protecting the public while ensuring our members’ safety.”
George K. Healy is a 23-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York, where he serves as deputy chief assigned to Division 11, Brooklyn, NY. He was the Operations section chief of the Governor’s Island burn testing for alternate strategies for combating wind-driven fires 2008 and of the Governor’s Island ventilation and suppression exercise 2012. He participated in the technical review panel for Underwriters Laboratory on horizontal ventilation and vertical ventilation. He has contributed to the development and implementation of new procedures in the FDNY for wind-impacted fires and ventilation tactics and strategies.
