First Due: Advice for a New Firefighter

I often am asked what advice I give to new firefighters who are starting their career. In fact, I am asked this question so often that I created a list. For the past few FDNY probationary classes, I handed out the list to our newest members.

My list is different than what you might expect. You won’t find “Be early to work” or “Be the first at the kitchen sink after a meal.” Nor will you find advice to listen more than you talk or to be the first to clean and maintain the tools. Plenty of other folks reinforce these important messages.

My list focuses on the long game: simple rules and virtues to live by for your entire career, not just as a new firefighter.

My first hope is that firefighters read it, but beyond that, I hope that new firefighters hang the list on their locker or in another visible place to remember and remind themselves, when they are a new firefighter, perhaps during difficult or challenging times, to review to see how they are doing throughout their career, or to pass along to new firefighters that join the department.

I am blessed to work for FDNY, a department that’s steeped in tradition, where mentorship and the passing on of the virtues of generations of firefighters is part of its DNA. Indeed, many of the points on my list came from others who helped to instill them in me.

To be sure, the list isn’t all-inclusive. In fact, I modified it several times to what I now believe is a worthy enough list for publication and distribution outside of FDNY. I encourage you to add or modify this list to best suit your individual needs.

• Be ready to go to work—always. This includes properly hydrated with adequate sleep and proper nutrition
• Learn something new and fire-related every day
• Respect comes from knowing your job
• Be loyal: always remember where you came from
• Remember our greatest resource is our firefighters—and our families; we must take care of both
• Maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Be into the job; the more involved that you are, the better the experience
• Maintain your physical fitness; cardiac incidents are a leading killer of firefighters
• Protect yourself from occupational cancer; there are many simple no-cost steps to take; be your own best advocate
• Look out for each other, seek out help when needed, understand the importance of maintaining your mental health and well-being; seeking help is a sign of strength, not of weakness
• Always look out for and take care of your brother and sister firefighters
• Remember why you are here: to protect and serve the citizens; it always is about them
• You can learn something from everyone; sometimes you’ll learn what not to do
• Never Forget: this is so much more than a saying—never forget our history, our retired members, our fallen
• You are an ambassador of the department; this includes both in and out of uniform and on and off of the fireground; be proud—and represent proudly and respectfully
• The department name on your bunker coat stands for so much; always be worthy
• Read LODD reports; they honor and remember our fallen while teaching many often repeatable lessons
• Listen and learn from the fire stories of retired members; they have many teachable experiences; experiences are transferable
• Listen to other firefighters; this is how you become a seasoned veteran firefighter
• Trust the people you work with; they will do amazing things with you and for you
• Surround yourself with good people
• Mentor newer firefighters; we owe it to the next generation; before long, there will be newer firefighters than you
• Do the right thing, even when nobody is watching, but remember, someone can be watching and, likely, videoing your actions, too
• Be a student of your profession; stay learnable; read or watch something fire-related every day
• Love the job; it will love you back

Frank Leeb will present the keynote address at Firehouse Expo 2022. "Fire Service Cornerstones of Success: Training and Teamwork and Why It Matters on Game Day" will provide insights and lessons learned regarding successful outcomes. To register for Firehouse Expo, visit firehouseexpo.com.