In the Higher Education section of Firehouse, a recent article by Anthony Mangeri addressed the importance of improving fire service professionals’ aptitude in math and science. While the basic skill sets have always been needed, the introduction of new research on fire development, flow paths and building construction is pushing the threshold of education for firefighters to a new level. Certainly, there is no replacement for experience; however, education and training must serve as key supplements, since the number of fires continues to decrease, but they remain a high-risk event.
It is also important to understand that math and science aren’t the only tools needed to address the other “fires” we are fighting—those known as generational gaps. It doesn’t take long for a conversation in the firehouse, at a conference or in any blog to include the comment, “What is it with these kids today?” The suggestion that the individuals who are entering the fire profession are different is an understatement. The younger generation is rapidly advancing in rank, education and technology. Of course, members of the fire service should be educated, trained and prepared for rapidly advancing fire growth, but they should be just as prepared for the rapid advancement of the “Millennials” and/or the “Generation Y” fire recruits.
The new generation
Over the past several decades, the fire service workforce has been relatively stable between the Baby Boomers and Generation X. However, according to sources, such as Grovo.com and businessinsider.com, Millennials surpassed Gen-Xers in the workforce in 2015, and by 2025 will comprise the majority of America’s total workforce. Their impact on the workplace has increasingly pushed the limits of personnel management as communication styles, work ethics, and a decrease in long-term employer commitment emerge as issues that are different from previous generations. To answer the question of, “what’s wrong with these kids?” we must first know who they are.
Millennials are individuals born in the early 1980s and into the early 2000s. These individuals have come of age in an era of technology that has evolved in ways never experienced by previous generations, which has had an effect on their communication skill set. Approximately 79 percent of Millennials hold a bachelor’s degree at minimum, making them the most educated group. But like Boomers and Gen-Xers, they have different motivations. Specifically, Millennials are looking for meaningful work where they can develop and advance; they look for efficiency in the workplace and want to find ways to do things faster. Most importantly, they want information, and they want it now. Also referred to as Generation “Why,” they are accustomed to asking a question and immediately getting an answer that satisfies their needs. Keep in mind, they’ve been raised in an age where people can instantly access information about anything using cell phones, iPads, laptops, etc.; they’ve also been inundated with information through 24-hour news programs and sports shows.
Tyler Summit, the son of Pat Summit, former head coach of women’s basketball at the University of Tennessee, is himself a head coach for Louisiana Tech’s women’s basketball team at the age of 24. Coach Summit was quoted as saying, “You used to get a kid to run through a brick wall by yelling at them. Now, if you explain why you want them to do it, they will.” The days of telling the rookie firefighter to do something because “I said so” doesn’t work.
Soft skills needed
Traditionally, the fire service has focused on the technical aspects of the job, such as fire behavior; strategy and tactics; and building construction. Additionally, specialized training and certifications, such as those regarding hazmat, emergency medical services, the fire officer rank and codes and standards, further enhance the knowledge and skill sets of the firefighters and fire officers of today. This knowledge has served the profession well over the past several decades, but more is needed of today’s fire officer when leading Millennials.
The fire officer of today and tomorrow must develop something called soft skills. Communications, problem solving, listening, time management and organization are all soft skills that will best serve a leader who’s working with Millennials. While this may not be the fun, sexy, adrenaline-fueled training that most desire, it is essential for success.
The need for higher ed
For years, experience served as a crucial training tool for fire officers when leading in the firehouse and on the fireground. And in many regards, it still does and always will. Today, however, the fire service is recognizing more and more that training and education supplement an officer’s ability to effectively lead a team toward achieving goals, objectives and organizational strategy. While still not embraced in every department, education acquired through a college degree is emerging as a necessary factor for promotion, and in some regards, for gaining employment. Considering most Millennials already possess a degree, this is serving them very well.
One reason why higher education has arrived in the American fire service is the National Fire Academy’s (NFA) Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP). The popularity of the EFOP—and the minimum requirement of a college degree for admittance—has served as a catalyst for individuals who want to pursue higher education. Although many fire chief and chief officer positions require EFOP completion, the prerequisite of holding a bachelor’s degree has added a level of competition to the program.
Additionally, the standardization of certain fire science and fire administration programs, which are major components of the NFA’s Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) model, has provided more credibility to colleges and universities that offer those degrees. Individuals seeking degrees in fire science and fire administration will find that many of the courses, certifications and training they’ve accumulated through their career can often be used for transfer credit, thus making obtaining a college degree much more accessible and desirable.
That said, for the purposes of this article, the fire service must look beyond a fire science degree if we want to successfully lead Millennials. But in both fire science and administration, there are only minimal course requirements for developing soft skills. The curriculum is derived predominantly from fire service technical needs, not human subject-matter topics. As the fire service becomes saturated with Millennials, the FESHE model may need to be evaluated to include more human and interpersonal topics to better prepare fire officers.
For soft skill development, many degree programs, such as Organizational Leadership, Education, Psychology, Business and Public Administration, contain courses that help train and educate individuals on the soft skills mentioned earlier. Communications, diversity, ethics, human behavior, negotiation and conflict resolution, team building, critical thinking and leadership are typically found in these programs. Development of these soft skills and acquiring a degree in these fields can lead to success when to trying to fill generational gaps.
Embrace change
Today, the Millenials are in recruit schools and firehouses and more and more often, they’re riding the right seat of the rig. The fire service must embrace this new generation by understanding who they are; stop asking “what’s wrong with these kids?”. Instead, find compromise in communicating with them at their level. The truth: The Millenials aren’t the problem. Fire service tradition may be the culprit, because it so seldom embraces change quickly and with a positive attitude.
Remember: Acquiring the training and higher education to develop the soft skills needed to fight “personnel fires” is just as important as those needed to fight structure fires.
