Fire Scene: Defending the Fire Service Culture
Lots of people, including firefighters, company officers and chiefs are writing and talking about the need to change our fire service culture. Now let me state right up front that most of these folks are dedicated fire service professionals who are trying to improve the American fire service. I don’t believe that any of them are trying to cause any discord or controversy, but some of that has developed.
A snapshot of our culture
If you read the title of this article you know where I’m going to start. I think the culture of the American fire service today is solid as a rock! This is my opinion, but I do have some supporting evidence. When I think of the “culture” of the fire service today, many issues and beliefs and traditions come to mind. With 40 years in the fire service this year, in four different fire departments (both volunteer and career), I have seen, heard and experienced many different attitudes, habits and behaviors. I must say that a great majority of them are the positive, desirable and are admired by folks both inside and outside the fire service. So when I hear the words “fire service culture,” I think about:
- 10,000 firefighters showing up at a line-of-duty funeral for a firefighter who they never met, who lived and worked a thousand miles away. These same firefighters traveled at their own expense and often swap shifts or take days off from their full-time jobs to attend. These same firefighters not only attend the funeral but dig into their own pockets and donate or support a fundraiser for the deceased firefighter’s family, with money that could have been spent on their own family. This is our fire service culture!
- Firefighters who arrive at their career firehouse hours before their shift because they love what they do and want to be the best they can be. They also stay late when a brother or sister firefighter is running late for a shift, because that’s what we do for each other, for the people we serve and for the job. Those same firefighters attend seminars and training events, very often on their own time and at their own expense. This is our fire service culture!
- Seeing my engine company chauffeur on the apparatus floor at midnight with the probationary firefighter, going over a tool that the new firefighter had a question about. That same engine chauffeur would also often be found at the workbench on the apparatus floor repairing a tool so the company would not be without it, rather than simply tagging it and sending it out for repairs. This is our fire service culture!
- Firefighters arriving at a working fire in a commercial building, and after a rapid size-up, going to work. Teams deploying to the roof, to the fire floor and even to the floor above according to their department’s tactics and procedures. These are well trained, disciplined and experienced firefighters who are risking their lives to some degree, to provide the service we all have promised to the residents and visitors in our communities. This is our fire service culture!
- A group of firefighters, company officers and chiefs conducting a review of a recent fire where a close call occurred. All of the members in attendance contributed to the discussion. Those who followed procedure described their actions and those who fell short or operated otherwise explained the reasons for their actions. When the discussion was over several lessons were identified and shortly thereafter relayed to the entire department via several training initiatives. This is our fire service culture!
Don’t blame culture
A recent report about a serious firefighter injury laid the blame for many of the improper activities and fireground habits of the department in part on their culture. This included issues such as wearing proper PPE, proper transfer (or lack thereof) of command, acceptance of predictable injuries, lack of enforcement of safety requirements by company and chief officers and much more.
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines culture as “a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization.” So are they saying that everybody there doesn’t wear PPE, accepts predictable injuries and doesn’t enforce the rules? I’ll bet not! So when we refer to fire service culture, we need to be careful not to paint our problems with a broad brush. The fire service culture is something we should be proud of and consciously defend it from being compromised on the basis of an individual or organization's actions.
I do agree with a captain’s comment I heard at a USMC officer graduation ceremony that stated, “If you don’t enforce the standards of your organization, you are simply establishing new lower standards.” Instead of blaming culture, I think we all need to spend more time on organizational discipline, effective leadership training and creating job-wide “esprit de corp” to create a feeling of loyalty, enthusiasm and devotion to the department.
John J. Salka Jr. | Battalion Chief
JOHN J. SALKA JR., who is a Firehouse contributing editor, retired as a battalion chief with FDNY, serving as commander of the 18th battalion in the Bronx. Salka has instructed at several FDNY training programs, including the department’s Probationary Firefighters School, Captains Management Program and Battalion Chiefs Command Course. He conducts training programs at national and local conferences and has been recognized for his firefighter survival course, “Get Out Alive.” Salka co-authored the FDNY Engine Company Operations manual and wrote the book "First In, Last Out–Leadership Lessons From the New York Fire Department." He also operates Fire Command Training, which is a New York-based fire service training and consulting firm.
