By Tim Hyden
Well, the time has come: Retirement. Although I have up to 60 months to continue working under the Florida Retirement System Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP), I am—at least on paper—retired, and the thought is sinking in. This transition causes me to recall all that I have worked to accomplish during what has ended up being a relatively quick 22 years, years that, as many of us can attest to, slip by faster and faster as we age.
So, as I begin these final years of contributing what I can to the betterment of our fire service, I would like to share a few thoughts—in no particular order—on topics that I feel need the most attention over the next decade or so, here’s my “Top 10 List.” These subjects have been important to me for much of my career, and it is my hope that they will remain so to others after I am gone.
1. RECOGNIZING AND ACCEPTING CHANGE
I have spoken and written on the subject of doing a better job at marketing ourselves several times; the public needs to know who we are and what we do, for their sake as well as ours. It could be a matter of survival to agencies suffering from or being threatened by budget constraints. Before the marketing process begins, however, we need to determine what it is we are going to market. In other words, what do we see ourselves as today, and what are we going to become in the future?
Reality tells us that we are not responding to the number of fires that we once were. My bet is that most of the miles put on apparatus today are for medical calls (usually in support of an ambulance service), travelling within the district for everyday matters (training, administrative needs, and so on), or performing required district maintenance (hydrants, preplanning, inspections, and so on). Granted, these are all necessary functions within our normal everyday routines, but we have learned that, financially speaking, it can be a challenge to justify the related operating costs to our taxpayers.
Don’t get me wrong; we still have to be trained and ready for any of the various emergencies to which we might be called, including structure fires. Ten years of overseeing a training division has taught me that very well. Call loads, however, vary tremendously across jurisdictions and across the country to the point where personnel on some departments have not had a working structure fire in months, maybe years. We cannot deny that there is room for diversity in the services we provide.
If you have not at least considered the potential benefit of bringing a Community Risk Reduction (CRR) program into your agency, you probably should. Progressive thinking requires a determination of where the ‘market’ is trending—private businesses do it all the time, and with great success. Visit www.strategicfire.org for more information.
Our personnel represent a great profession, looked on to provide answers and guidance with regard to safety, protection, and prevention. Let’s always look for newer and better ways to answer the call.
2. COMMAND STAFF TRAINING
If I were to spend my remaining years involved in strictly command and officer development training, it would be a full-time job. We have to continue pursuing a better trained and, therefore, better qualified command staff. Chief Alan Brunacini realized this many years ago and has developed a great program to answer the need. There are few opportunities to truly practice what we preach, certainly leaving some command officers (whether they want to admit it or not) internally questioning their true ability on a complex scene. This is not necessarily their fault; there is nothing wrong with recognizing your limitations or uncertainties about your ability. There is, however, everything wrong with denying or hiding that you need more training to be prepared for the tasks you may be asked to do.
Consider what it takes to develop a well-rounded incident command officer; training and mentoring, intended to create some level of experience, should help develop a sense of confidence in one’s ability. Confidence enables a more driven level of decisiveness. Efficient decision-making on an emergency scene helps to display a certain command presence, usually indicative of a competent incident commander (IC).
I have repeatedly seen injury or line-of-duty-death reports list deficiencies in either the incident command structure or the IC himself as a cause. Identification and acceptance of need, followed by appropriate training, are steps in the right direction to alleviate these deficiencies.
3. OFFICER PROFICIENCY TRAINING
There are many personnel being promoted into officer positions earlier in their careers today, and often at a much younger age. Although this does not automatically indicate a problem, it does give reason to make double sure these folks are ready for the task. When the station officer is little more than just “one of the guys,” participating in much of the same activity and at the same authoritative level that he did before being promoted, there is little reason for those who he is now supervising to view him any differently.
There must be a distinct change in the level of expected performance of these individuals as well as a change in the relationship they have with those who are now their subordinates. Although some individuals will take to their new role more readily than others, there is much to be said about adequate preparation for the role as well as the creation of an appropriate atmosphere within stations that assists in making the transition from “buddy” to “boss.”
From a training perspective, a solid officer proficiency program is a good start; one that is objective-based with an assessment process to cap it off. A well-managed program will give graduates a good sense of what will be required of them when they get promoted as well as a true feeling of accomplishment, confidence, and respect when interacting with others. Although perhaps not a complete solution, it is a needed and well-suited foundation for further officer training.
In addition, when it comes to advanced officer development, let’s not forget the value of higher education. Earning a college degree does not automatically qualify an officer or officer candidate for the job, but the knowledge gained and self-discipline required to earn a degree cannot help but benefit the individual and their role as an officer.
4. NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (NIMS) TRAINING
Having been a member of the fire service before and after 9/11 and, therefore, before and after the development of the NIMS, I can attest to some of the deficiencies that the doctrine was designed to address. Most of us remember the IS-700, IS-800, and other classes we were required to complete as a part of the requirements during the years following the release of the NIMS in early 2004. Although grasping the overall concept may have been a bit of a challenge at the time, it seemed that we developed confidence that we were on the right track by simply refocusing on the use of the incident command system (ICS). This is what I have seen many agencies using to define what the NIMS means to them—simply using the ICS.
Focusing on the use of the ICS is certainly commendable, but you must also review the content and meaning of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Publication P-501. This booklet defines the concept in detail and clarifies what each of the five NIMS components are meant to accomplish. I fear that many of us are missing the true intent of NIMS when it comes to cooperative multijurisdictional and multiagency preparedness, communications, resource management, command, and ongoing management and maintenance. This disregard or misunderstanding could leave us less than prepared during a major disaster when we will need that cooperation and understanding the most. Be sure you are fully aware of the entire scope and meaning of the NIMS concept and continue to push for true compliance among all public safety and governmental agencies.
5. STRATEGIC and SUCCESSION PLANNING
It is disappointing to see the number of organizations that fail to put together a solid succession plan for their future. Chief Mark Wallace wrote an excellent book entitled Fire Department Strategic Planning: Creating Future Excellence (PennWell, 2006) that could be a jump-start to not only a good mission and vision statement but also give guidance to a future organizational direction as well, all of which is required before you can implement a good succession plan. After all, how can qualified personnel be selected for future positions if the future of the organization has not yet been clearly defined?
And although there is certainly much to be said about promoting from within, with ample evidence to show that there is value in the practice, are we relying too much on what some refer to as the “good-ole-boy system”? Are we doing right by our organizations by perhaps missing opportunities for differing viewpoints through fair and honest competition from the outside? If promotable personnel consider themselves “shoe-ins” for a position when so-and-so retires, are they going to put their best efforts forward in preparing for what is right for the organization?
A thorough strategic plan that brings input from both internal and external stakeholders greatly increases your chance of buy-in from everyone involved. If people do not feel as though their voices have been heard, they are more likely to justify disagreeing with nearly any long-term plan that is conceived. Make them part of the process.
For Part 2 of this article, click HERE
Photo found on Wikimedia Commons courtesy of Sypecom.
TIM HYDEN is the training/safety officer for East Manatee (FL) Fire Rescue.
