Just in time for Veteran’s Day… the past few weeks have given me a lot of reasons to think back to where I began my fire service career… in the United States Air Force. Thanks to those who helped me especially in the beginning…. without excellent leaders to help shape me, there is no way I could have achieved so much!
Now onto the reason I’m writing tonight!
Something that often is said as someone promotes is to never forget where they came from. These words circle my head as I make decisions as the chief. I use it as a reminder to hopefully avoid the other times it is used by those under me. These bad uses come in various forms and in some cases are founded….”He forgot where he came from” words that can cut someone who has pride in their career. It is used when leaders forget that their orders come with legitimate consequences for those who have to follow. It is mentioned when leaders fail to consider how they would have liked the same order when they were in a lower position. Finally it is used to describe someone who gives orders or direction based on self – service.
At a recent department event, someone told me that all of the changes to increase training, enhance safety, and make the department better were just an attempt to build a resume. They said I should remember where I came from and consider if I would like all of the changes. It caused me to step back and question my conviction…. was I being too demanding? Did I give anyone the perception that I was in this job to move on to the next bigger and better thing? I have been deep in self reflection since this occurred.
By remembering where I came from it dawned on me that the way I was raised in the fire service, the issues I am dealing with would not have been tolerated by any level of officer in the department.
I came from a true military environment that wouldn’t accept disrespect, anything less than excellence, or fire house gossip. We had dinner together, families visited the station for holidays, and we looked out for each other like true family. I took pride in my apparatus, station, and the profession. No one had to tell me to train, clean and maintain the equipment, or build a solid team… I knew lives depended on me, my training, the equipment, and our ability to work together as a well disciplined team.
The question remains…. what has changed over the span of my career where I am constantly dealing with issues related to people who don’t take this job seriously, fail to appreciate what they have, and are more interested in stirring the proverbial pot than being the best firefighter they can be? I haven’t changed my attitude or ambition to leave my mark on the profession. I am still motivated to make the world better than I found it. I treat others the way I want to be treated and look at opposing views before making decisions. It dawned on me as I was racking my brain on this that the only thing that has changed is my tolerance for this bad behavior. Education and experience has taught me to establish reachable goals when dealing with others. In some cases this has forced me to accept less than what I believe is true excellence.
There are a ton of careers that accept mediocre…. most of which do not have life and death consequences associated with them.
My favorite quote to quickly explain public perception of firefighters comes from John Eversole, “Our department takes 1,120 calls every day. Do you know how many of the calls the public expects perfection on? 1,120. Nobody calls the fire department and says, ‘Send me two dumb-ass firemen in a pickup truck.’ In three minutes they want five brain-surgeon decathlon champions to come and solve all their problems.”
I don’t know how to fix every problem but I have to thank the person that tried to use the “remember where you came from” as an argument to devalue my efforts. Self reflection often provides answers and in this case, has strengthened my resolve to make the department better, stop accepting mediocrity, and promote the values that I was raised with in the fire service! Integrity First…. Service Before Self…. and Excellence in All We Do!