Modern Leadership in the Fire Service

The fire service, like most industries, is famous for its buzzwords and trends. From “solid bore” to “VES,” terms get thrown around until the next trend comes along. In the past few years, the buzzword spoken to ad nauseam is leadership.

“Leaders Eat Last” and “Step Up and Lead” are added to the thousands of pages that are written on leadership. You can find these books on the reading list of most promotional exams. However, often, rather than processing the expectations and traits of leadership, fire officers focus on regurgitation of the material. Even the National Fire Academy revamped its leadership courses and now require them for their Managing Officer Program.

To leadership’s detriment, there is so much information that the term has become devalued and misunderstood.

That said, I don’t want the takeaway from this to be that you shouldn’t read on leadership and management. “Leadership” and “management” often get confused, but they are separate. However, they can work hand in hand to make you a better officer.

I am the biggest supporter of education, learning and reading. I believe that you should keep up with current literature and trends while not forgetting the basics. Although reading about how a CEO who turned a company around contains multiple learning opportunities, if you don’t apply what you learned, it’s just a good story.

Below are a few of the traits or behaviors that I have found to be successful in the modern fire service.

Follow up

In the day of email overload, follow up still is important. Follow up works two ways. First, when you are sent an email from your line staff with a request or information, reply that you received it. That firefighter took time out of the day to send you an email with an idea or suggestion that individual feels passionate about. That person is likely to check email once, maybe twice, during the next shift day.

One way to make that individual feel insignificant or to discourage future communication is to ignore the email. Even if the recommendation is out of left field, reply, “Thank you for your suggestion.” It takes seconds, but it lets your crews know that you’re listening.

Second, when you are requested to reply to a citizen or to make a phone call, provide follow up that the task was completed. This lets others know that you did what was asked and that no further action is needed, and it saves someone else from having to ask whether the task was done.

Stop accepting ‘that guy’

The phrases, “Oh, that’s just Jim” and “You know Todd,” frustrate me to no end. Gone are the days when you get a hall pass for being a jerk just because people know that you’re a jerk. If I’m told Tom is a jerk before he has coffee, you better believe I’m talking to Tom before his coffee. Now, I’m not saying that everyone must be nice or sociable nor that you should look for confrontation. What I am stating is that our work has enough stressors, and stress that’s added because someone’s personality makes everyone uncomfortable must be addressed.

A poor attitude can ruin the cohesiveness of a crew, and it can be toxic in the long-term. If you know about it, you have a responsibility to do something about it. It’s a job (best job in the world), not a hobby, and occasionally individuals must be reminded of that.

Do the un-fun stuff

We like to think of ourselves as busting down a door or prying back the roof of a car, but nobody’s image of a firefighter is sitting behind a computer. When computers were introduced to the fire service, they were expected to be a great way of documenting training and equipment and of communicating with others. Fast forward to today: This work typically is punted to the new guy, and officer logins are posted so everyone can be assigned the work.

If you are passing off work that’s assigned to you because it’s boring, not only are you setting a horrible example, but you’re doing everyone a disservice. Do your work no matter how “un-fun” it is. One of our biggest enemies is the old adage “the way we used to do it.” It’s a fact that most people don’t like change, but your willingness to accept change (including using your computer more) and to accommodate a new normal won’t go unnoticed.

Knee-jerk

This is very common in the fire service, and we have seen more of this during COVID-19. In an effort to keep crews safe, departments quickly developed or changed protocols before information was vetted, and things became extremely confusing. This coupled with everyone who had a smartphone suddenly becoming an infectious disease expert. So, when information that was read in the field contradicted administration memos, naysayers would state that the department was trying to cheat members out of something, and your conspiracy theorists … well, you know.

I remember early during COVID we printed the most recent memos and spent all morning to ensure that everyone was up to speed. Then came the memos about those not following the protocol memos, and it became a vicious cycle. I’m not big on meditation or anything like that, but in these situations, take a moment and look at all of the factors before pulling the trigger on something that could be addressed on an individual basis. If it’s a systemic problem, then, yes, of course, handle it department-wide. If not, don’t punish the masses for the lack of judgement by a few.

Management of personalities

A week doesn’t go by when I don’t hear “it’s this generation” or “darn millennials.” I get it that everyone is different, but everyone always has been different. I often get asked what my management style is, and I say that I manage and lead with an a la carte style. I believe that different personalities require different supervisory styles. It’s your job as an officer to know the style that your personnel need to work the best. Although I’m not a micromanager, certain

employees thrive when instructed exactly what to do. Others thrive on constant feedback, and I witnessed personnel improve via a simple follow-up after the completion of a task. All of it doesn’t have to be positive, and you don’t need to say, “Good job,” after everything, but providing positive feedback post-incident or post-firehouse project goes a long way in the development of your personnel.

On another note, I frequently get requests for recommendations, and for the most part, I decline. When I recommend someone, I place my name behind them, and I am choosing to put my judgement on paper. This weighs heavily on me. The litmus test that I use is that if I owned a lawn service and I only could hire one person to work with me, would I hire this individual? If the answer is no, how can I in good conscience recommend this person?

In this day and age of acceptance, it still is OK to tell people, “No,” when they ask you to write a recommendation. Although it might hurt feelings in the beginning, ultimately, people will respect your conviction.

Never lower your standards

Ultimately, you shouldn’t need to be told to lead by example. This phrase comes with the job and is the timeless basis for leadership. That said, the best piece of leadership advice that I received was at lecture by Fire Chief Neal de Jesus, who stated, “The standard you walk by is the standard you accept.” This resonated with me, and it’s something that I try to impart on those who work with me. This doesn’t mean to be a negative all of the time, but it doesn’t mean turn a blind eye either.

If you choose to walk by a dirty truck, poor hose loads or a disheveled ambulance, you’re saying that’s OK and that you’re willing to accept that standard. As a leader, it’s your job to let personnel know that these behaviors are unacceptable. Set your expectations, clearly communicate them, and don’t get complacent. Never lower your expected standards, and do your best to give individuals the opportunity to rise to those standards.