FDIC….Day 5

I am grateful for the opportunity to come to FDIC.  I hope to come back next year as an instructor.  I have met a lot of great people and feel recharged.  After homework, I have to start writing my post-conference report and product evaluations.  Time to get a little nap in and get ready for the trip back home.  Look forward to some great articles in the coming weeks!

FDIC… Day 4

I am starting to wish that FDIC was just one or two more days longer than it is so I didn’t have to pick and chose which class I want to take, during a certain time block.  That and some type of teleportation device would be nice since the conference center and adjoining stadium are huge.  Beyond that I had the opportunity to meet “the Fire Critic” and “Iron Fire Men” creators/authors.  There are so many opportunities to network and gain valuable information outside of the actual classes.  Anyway, I am beat and have homework to do so till next time….

FDIC… Day 3

Yesterday I finally met Paul Combs who does the fantastic firefighter cartoons.  I have to say he is a lot younger than I imagined.  Beyond that, I have enjoyed the first two days or the pre-conference and look forward to the next three days of learning.  I don’t know if you are here or not but I had a hard time choosing between the classes.  There are so many I want to take that have the same time slot.  Whether you are here or not, I will be writing about my experience and will put excerpts from that paper on this site later.  If anyone is interested in having the entire paper sent to them, along with any of my previous conference reports, just let me know and I would be more than happy to zip them down and e-mail them.  Well, time to go to opening ceremonies….. till next time!

FDIC… Here I come!

One of the many things we must do is learn and share our knowledge.  I am excited to go to a centrally located place to absorb information from some of the most influential people of our career field.  Look for some articles inspired by what I am about to learn!  Hope to see some of you there!

Facing adversity

Today is definitely in the top ten of worst days in my life, a day that no firefighter wants to face.  For a breed of person that often finds themselves fighting the odds and yet are unwilling or unable to give up; leaving the line seems unbearable.

I recently found out that I have a condition that makes it extremely painful to walk which makes wearing fire boots seem like some ancient torture device.  Throughout the entire ordeal I have wrestled with the idea of having to leave something I love. Beyond just having an outlet for how I am feeling, I wanted to share this experience to make a point and maybe reassure myself that things will be ok.

Many of my coworkers didn’t know how to react to the news any better than I do now. This problem like all problems faced by fire officers is not beyond being overcome through tenacity and maintaining hope. This particular problem seems like the end of the world today but I know in a few years may be the beginning of something better.

The point that I am trying to make is that whether it’s a medical problem, financial issues, or some other life altering event; the need to take a structured approach is appropriate. Like any other curve-ball thrown at us on an emergency scene, life’s emergencies need to be evaluated, mitigated, and restored back to the best condition possible. The biggest benefit to being in the fire service is that at the end of the day you never have to face your problems alone.

I often tell people when I teach the lesson concerning the wellness of first responders to know when to seek help. Often just sharing your problem with someone is enough to give you room to breathe and look at your options. Don’t put on the blinders and face any problem with tunnel vision. Anchor yourself to someone or something that can weather the coming storm and prepare to face adversity with open options. For many there is nothing stronger than the desire to succeed. Life wouldn’t be worth living if everything was handed to you on a silver platter. Embrace your adversity and above all, never give up!

I close this posting with a quote that has helped me when things looked the worst….

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
– Thomas Edison

Making tasks manageable

“The older I get, the more wisdom I find in the ancient rule of taking first things first, a process which often reduces the most complex human problems to manageable proportions.”- Dwight D. Eisenhower

There are several management books that preach about prioritization and time management.  The familiar component to every program is being able to break down tasks into manageable pieces.  The ability to know where to stop is key in this issue. Most employers have 8-10 hours to drive their employees into the ground however fire officers could literally accomplish that within a 24 hour shift. For most officers the knowledge of priority is split into two categories: emergencies and everything else.

To be effective in the fire department, activities must be put into more than the two categories. The company officer book separates things into three categories: emergency response, preparation for emergency response, and organizational duties. There is no argument about emergency responses taking top priority. Preparation for emergency response encompasses more than just checking out the truck and training. Pre-planning, area familiarization, and hydrant testing/operation are also important. The problem that is prevalent is that at any given moment, the top priority can destroy the best plans. Where an officer can excel is knowing when to let go of the organizational duties in order to make the other two priorities possible.

There are many days where we have run our calls, barely got our training or other assigned tasks completed and the daily duties have suffered. While making a habit of this is not preferential, it is sometimes necessary to ensure your crew has the proper time to recover and prepare for emergencies. Officers that are unable to adapt to the situations presented on a daily basis run the risk of putting themselves, crew, and the citizens in danger.

No matter what, making your crew’s health and safety your highest priority will put you in the best position to do the most with what you have.

Another life lesson

Today I was reminded that the most emotionally  complex sound is that of a bagpipe at a firefighter’s funeral.  Even the most hardened veteran will feel the swelling of tears.  In the midst of such an occasion it is preferable to focus on the positives.  The fun memories of that person, the good calls you went on, or the fact that so many different departments are there to pay tribute to the choices someone made for their life.  At the funeral today the preacher spoke of sacrifice.  This may not have been a directly related line of duty death but still the concept of sacrifice fit.  Getting up every duty day and putting on the uniform, spending time away from family in order to be there for strangers, giving up weekends and holidays so that others can be safe.  The list is endless when you consider the sacrifices anyone in our career field makes on any given day however, I never considered that service and sacrifice were identical.

By choosing service over self, that is the embodiment of sacrifice.  For any sacrifice to be beneficial, there should be something gained or something learned from it and this case was not lacking in either aspect.  Witnessing this man’s dedication, determination, and work ethic made it easy for anyone to appreciate the qualities that were demonstrated.  Seeing future generations of firefighters that have gained insight to their careers through his knowledge and are now able to project that knowledge to others made this sacrifice and service beneficial.

The portion of the service that rang home for me was how this man’s service had impacted so many around him.  His sons, those that he trained, and even those that he spent time with were all able to identify and pick up something positive from his life.  This made me wonder what people would say at my funeral.  Would I be a passing glimmer that was forgotten as soon as I left, or a bright shining star that made a positive impact on those around me that lasts forever?  With that thought in mind, I challenge everyone to step up and be that shining example.  It is easy to forget through our day-to-day struggles how short life can be and focus on the little things that make life miserable.  If people went to work with the brotherhood/sisterhood mentality that was present today, there would be more hugs and support rather than negativity and bickering that is normally present.  We don’t need the sound of bagpipes to make us better people willing to sacrifice ourselves in order to make the world a better place.

In memory of Chief Hill:  Thank You for your service and sacrifice!

Positive outlooks and attitude will carry you far

“In every person who comes near you, look for what is good and strong; honor that; try to imitate it, and your faults will drop off like dead leaves when their time comes.”. – John Ruskins

Through adversity and turmoil we are forged into the people who look back at us in the mirror.  Learning life lessons and imitating the good things of those around us can only improve who we are.  Drawing inspiration and motivation from others allows for a limitless supply of options.

It is true that even the best people, who are a driving force behind movements, have a bad day.  Surrounding yourself with good people isn’t always possible which leaves two options:  follow everyone else’s ups and downs or change your perception to focus on the good.

Like all advice blogs, this is sometimes easier to point out for others to do rather than do it yourself.  In the end, you have to strive to be a better person and even if you fall short, don’t give up or surrender.

I have often talked to people about controlling the things they can and for most situations the only thing that you have 100 percent control over is how you perceive the world.  This key concept will allow you to become a more balanced leader.