The Chief's Role in Ownership, Tradition and Fire Department Pride

There are times that it is good to be the fire chief and there are times that it is not good. Then there are the times that you have to be the fire chief.

Over the years, I have witnessed chiefs who go through this and personally I go through it every day as part of the job. It is great to be able to share the good times with your folks, celebrate their victories, support them in their losses and then there are the times you must deal with the unpleasant. Then there are the days that you need to stand up and be the chief because no matter what the issue is, you need to stand up and lead and do what is best for the department as a whole and the people you serve. It may not be popular and it may draw criticism, no matter what the pain or pressure you are the chief and the buck stops with you. This will be one of the most difficult times you face as a chief. Being the chief also means being responsible for the actions, plans and decisions of your predecessors good, bad or indifferent. It also means not running from these or making excuses, but doing what you need to do to make things right. 

Pride plays a big part in being the chief. How you handle your role and how pride helps build it says a lot about how important pride really is to you. Pride is not only a good, clean appearance, but how you handle and do the job and how you present yourself to your co-workers and the public. No matter how bad things may seem, you always need to have pride in the job and the department. Ask yourself this: What message do you send as chief in the area of pride?

Tradition is what this great job has been built on. As chief you need to be able to balance it, respect it and make sure it has its place. Every department and station has tradition. What do you, the chief, do to embrace the history and tradition? We must stay current, but we also must move forward. How well have you worked to preserve the history and tradition and instill the importance of recognizing this tradition in your people, stations, equipment, apparatus and the public?

Recently, we found several boxes of old photographs in the basement of fire headquarters and I was also given a box of photos by a recently retired battalion chief. A lot of these were unlabeled and we have been posting them and old apparatus photos weekly on Facebook for “Throw Back Thursday” to help identify the photos. The response from the public and past and current members has been overwhelming and helpful. We intend to place several of the photographs in stations now that we have some information on them. It has served as a medium to bring some of the old guard back into the department and resurrect some pride.

Being the chief means having ownership and that is on many levels. The first is responsibility; as the chief you are responsible 24/7/365, whether you are there or not. Ownership is also making sure your people have a stake in it, sharing in the ownership. I like to say that most of the time this is a democracy, but then there are times that it is not. What do you do to instill ownership in your people? How do you show your ownership and commitment?

As a chief, that came from the outside. I have had my ownership questioned. I have tried to show it by being there for the department and its people, living in the city that I serve and being involved in the community at various levels.

Recently, my ability to show ownership and set an example of pride took a different level with thanks from my understanding wife. I was presented with an opportunity to be able to purchase a piece of our department's history and bring it back to the city to be enjoyed by my family, the department and the city. I was contacted by the owner of a 1947 Buffalo pumper that had been owned by one of the city’s fire companies. Even though this owner had better offers, he wanted the rig to return to its home city.

After some discussion, we brought her back to the city. Actually, if you ask my grandson, Santa brought it early for him. It was an easy decision as I am an apparatus guy, but more importantly I could practice what I am preaching at a different level and show pride, tradition and ownership in our organization. The old girl has spurned phone calls, emails and other contacts about this apparatus and its history. There has been a great interest from the current members, retired members and the community. It has made me feel an even greater level of ownership and pride.

I believe that being the chief is all about family. Without family you and the department are lost. When we talk about family in this business we could mean several things. The department family, the station family and your own home family. It is the chief’s job to keep the family together and involved no matter which family. What do you do to keep your families together? Do you set the example of the importance of the family?

The chief needs to build the family into the department's pride, tradition and ownership. This means all of the family. What activities do you involve your members’ families in on a regular basis? That involvement and support creates a good thing and helps set the stage for all three leadership skills. We have started a new family tradition within the Winchester Fire and Rescue Department by participating as a department in the local Christmas parade. This has included a float for the department’s members and their families to ride on. In the past two years, it has grown in popularity and now several of the members and several department family members have stepped up to manage and expand this event.

Being the chief means believing in yourself, your people and your department. Sometimes this is not easy and there are times you will have to stand up for your belief in your people and the department. And even go out on that limb for them. You also have to believe and foster the belief that things will be okay and that they will get better when times seem the bleakest. There is a lot to be said for faith and believing. You are the one who needs to stand tall and be the chief and show that it is okay to believe that things will be all right.

All of this ties together with being a good, caring leader. I encourage you to take time to start new traditions in your department and pay tribute to current ones. Show your department that pride is not just now, but all year long. Practice ownership and its importance and show your commitment to it. Make sure you take care of the family and that your folks are taken care of, and don’t forget to believe in yourself, your folks and the job.

As always stay safe and return to quarters.

ALLEN W. BALDWIN is fire chief for Winchester, VA, Fire and Rescue. Baldwin has been involved in emergency services and emergency management for 32 years. He previously served as chief of the Gettysburg, PA, Fire Department and was the director of operations, safety and incident response for the Pennsylvania Turnpike.