It has been proclaimed that some people are born with the characteristics of a leader, and that may be true, but I would assert that other factors and stimuli also play a role in the development of leaders. This process of development will ultimately influence the prospect of leadership in our firefighters later in life.
Early interactions pave the way
Infants in the early stages of development will begin to display character traits in response to their environment, with much of that coming from a parent’s affection and attention (or lack thereof). These character traits or temperaments are inherited from our parents.
The interaction and attention given and the child’s response will help formulate or strengthen their disposition in life. In many respects, that attention will stimulate a child’s sociability with others, sensitivity and pleasure for activities. These are the first physical and emotional connections established with others, and as they grow into adolescence and adulthood, they will establish intellectual connections that will provide enlightenment and stimulation of the soul. A parent who establishes routines for sleep, play and mealtime is helping establish habits and fulfilment. But if those routines are changed, can the child adapt? The parent may rouse the child’s spirit with love and affection to ignore the change in habit or provide another stimulus to satisfy the interlude. It is important that the child becomes adaptable and accepts change in life to prepare them for discontent and frustrations yet to come.
Early development in moods and temperament may need adjustment and refinement as the child begins to interact with other children, or the child may coalesce well if the other children are not domineering. The personality they develop will endure as they grow into adulthood. Along the way, they will have experienced satisfaction, happiness and disappointment in life through group and social activities while attending school, participating in sports and establishing friendships. These activities require effort and commitment to achieve recognition and accomplishment going back full circle to fulfilment.
As young adults, they may or may not have aspirations to join the fire service. That could depend upon exposure to a friend or family member who is a firefighter. Or it could be the limelight of a movie or TV show portraying the excitement of the profession. The seeds of ambition may take hold to instill motivation to join a fire cadet program that will groom young men and women with the academic and physical training in preparation of admission to the fire service. When these young adults become of age and are seeking a career path with security and benefits, they may then choose to become a civil servant in the fire service. People have different motivations for joining a career fire department (i.e., economics, a job with a salary and benefits).
Now we have people from all walks of life, with various incentives, entering a profession—or a calling, if you will—where there is a possibility of being killed in the course of doing the job.
The path to leadership
We have the challenge to gain new firefighters’ attention, and to influence and enlighten their predispositions to guide them on the path to competency and efficiency, while mastering the skills of a firefighter to one day become a leader themselves. They may have taken a pledge when accepted into the department, but did they understand the meaning and implication of that pledge? That pledge was a promise and commitment of loyalty and faithfulness of oneself wholeheartedly. In essence, that is the foundation of a positive attitude to accept the responsibilities and obligations ahead.
These young men and women are now entering a new way of life by joining a group, a family of members with a long-established culture and traditions, and they must adapt. They must understand the mission statement of the department and agree to support its conception. Some departments have established a set of core values that became the foundation of its culture, which is the collective attitude of the membership passed on for generations, from the days where sacrifice and commitment included living in the firehouse for days on end with limited time spent with family.
It is the chronicle of the fire service to engage in battle with an adversary that sometimes wreaks havoc and mortality before defeat. It would take numerous encounters to begin to understand fire, its development and what actions were effective to conquer this foe. Tools and equipment for that engagement have been introduced and refined from the days of bucket brigades, horse-drawn steam engines, the first helmets fabricated by Henry Gratacap—the “New Yorker”—and water mains of hollow lumber.
Most of these innovations in tools and equipment have been incorporated into the fire service by firefighters performing the work and devising solutions of efficiency. That tradition will continue because of our culture and dedication to this profession. The ethos of the fire service is to ameliorate who we are and what we do. Those of us in this profession have an obligation to these young men and women, and that is to prepare them for the challenge they will be called upon. They must realize that cooperation and teamwork are required for the many functions that must be accomplished at emergencies and the fireground. Breakdown of efficiency is usually the less-experienced, less-trained, weaker team.
Self-esteem bolsters pride
A key first step is to inculcate the frame of mind that they have now entered a vocation of a special breed to build upon their development of personal humility coupled with pride and less hubris. Individual pride in themselves and of this profession will be the incentive for them to accept the challenge.
The inaugural message welcoming them into the fire service should accentuate dignity and what it signifies to represent the uniform and the person wearing it with pride. They will comprehend that they belong to something (an organization) greater than themselves, an organization altruistic in nature gratifying in soul. This emotion and reward will be carried in perpetuity. Respect and obedience to duty is a trait of character they must attain before they will earn respect from others. Provide them with confidence, skills and knowledge to perform the duties of a firefighter, and allow them to master the skills of the trade. This will provide them with the conviction and courage to perform the tasks at hand and ultimately prepare them to coach and mentor others.
As firefighters we belong to an organization that provides service and care to the public. So what would be the priorities of training to start with a new recruit? We are called upon for just about any emergency one can think of in a millisecond and yet it is not uncommon to be called late for a fire. Of course, many departments also provide response to medical emergencies. In fact, it is becoming a prerequisite in many departments that before being accepted, one must be EMT-certified. So training as a certified medical first responder would be logical because those emergencies may exceed 60–70 percent of our alarm response.
Considering that this type of interaction with the public at times involves intimate contact, it would be neglectful to ignore the manner or deportment that we should display on these calls. Some departments have instilled a mindset to label this as an attitude in the delivery of “customer service” to the public, and I understand the purpose of the categorization. As a member of a department (FDNY), which is more than 150 years old, we have always displayed professionalism and respect for the public in their time of need and hope to be given respect in return. The demeanor we display to the public is not only the respect we have for them but the respect and esteem we hold for our department and all those who came before us.
Every recruit enters the fire service as equals aspiring to become better. They will be afforded respect from their instructors as individuals embarking on a career, either paid or volunteer, to provide comfort and assistance to mankind and to save them from the ravages of fire. They will develop mutual respect with their peers while enduring the rigors of the physical training required handling heavy hose flowing streams of water to exertion. They then will work together to master the techniques of carrying and raising heavy ladders to windows high on a building to provide a means of access for the rescue of a life in danger. The dynamics of team-building and mutual accomplishments will build upon their individual and collective pride to rouse their self-esteem. It is important that these young recruits understand the significance and alliance to team cooperation to achieve success.
Taking up
The phrase “Taking Up” in the FDNY is used as the connotation to gather all your members, tools and equipment in preparation to leave the scene of a fire or emergency and return to service and or the firehouse for R&R.
Those most diligent to heighten their performance will gather and critique their actions, the procedures followed and decisions made during the fire or emergency to final extinguishment or mitigation. This can be referred to as an after-action review or “tail-boarding,” which is an informal conversation about the incident and the lessons to be learned amongst the members at the tailboard of the apparatus.
An important component of this review in post-fire operations is to evaluate the fire dynamics and how they changed with every action that took place, from arrival to final extinguishment. This type of evaluation will help them appreciate the validity of the strategies and tactics employed to be effective and or in the need for refinement. Not only the actions of procedures but also the physical actions and decisions made by the members can be substantiated or evaluated for improvement. All members have the opportunity to make self-evaluations and that of the team.
To reiterate, the breakdown of efficiency is usually the less-experienced, less-trained, weaker team. Every day can be a training day for those attentive to observe, hear the assessment of others, and share your thoughts and experience. Each firefighter at every rank has the capacity to impart leadership by setting an example in their attitude and performance and, ultimately, leading by example.
When we refer to the leaders in the fire service, we most generally think of those men and women who are managing fire departments and bureaus within departments. We don’t often think of the leaders at every rank who carry on the spirit and purpose of our mission. If it were not for firefighters taking on leadership roles at every rank, the managers’ and fire chiefs’ accomplishments, direction and determination would not be realized at all!
Leadership is a spirit, energy, passion, resolve and devotion to duty that is nurtured and realized. The term “Taking Up” has also been used when members leave the fire service for a life of retirement. In many respects, when members leave the fire service, their knowledge and experience leaves with them, and that is a great loss to those members who remain. As such, it is important to foster an atmosphere for leadership to emerge informally and spontaneously throughout the organization where every member is content to share their passion and commitment to this vocation for the inspiration of others. What will begin as a small spark of kindling will develop into a burning flame of passion in one’s soul.
Gerald Tracy
Gerald Tracy retired as a battalion commander with the FDNY after more than 30 years of service. He developed numerous training programs for the FDNY, including programs for firefighters, company and chief officers. Tracy was the catalyst to research conducted by NIST, UL and NYU Polytechnic Institute on fire behavior and wind-driven fires. He served on the NFPA Project Technical Panel reviewing “Firefighting Tactics under Wind-Driven Conditions" and has authored numerous articles for trade publications. He was recently awarded the Tom Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award.
