FHWorld16: San Antonio Chief Hood Says It's 'Time to Own It'

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – For San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood, owning it means taking responsibilities for ones' actions no matter the consequence.

“It’s your time, own it,” were among the first words Hood stated in his keynote address during the opening ceremonies of Firehouse World 2016. It was also the title of his presentation.

“Your presence in the room today represents your unselfish commitment to save humans,” Hood said. “You are the last bastion of heroes in a world that is changing every day.”

Hood, who rose through the ranks of the fire service with the Phoenix Fire Department over a 22-year span with that department, became chief in San Antonio in 2007 and was the first outside the organization to head the 1,800-person agency with a budget of $292 million.

“Our society is changing,” he said. “Our climate is changing and there is pure evil out there that plays like a Hollywood movie that challenges us every day. …This is your time and you have to own it.”

Firefighters and officers own fire prevention, emergency medical services, fire suppression, safety and wellness and to provide internal customer service, which is the obligation to take care of each other in the fire service.

Hood, who served under fire service legend Alan Brunacini, long-time Phoenix fire chief, said he served as a captain of a station where no one wanted to serve because of high call volumes and hostile temperatures. He actively recruited members to serve with him at the station with the promise of good, station cooked food, cohesive training, fitness and health regiments and a culture of comradery where each person is valued.

He kept the crew together three years and felt guilty moving on his career, but fortified with the skills and knowledge that he took with him. He wanted to bring that same cohesiveness with him to San Antonio.

Early in his career with San Antonio, one of his firefighters rolled a brand new $1 million aerial on its side on an on-ramp trying to get the drop on an engine company to a light ballast issue. A brand new firefighter, first day on the job suffered a broken neck and the ladder was virtually destroyed.

The driver of the apparatus got a 120-day suspension and others got proportionally equal suspensions.

“And the kid who got a broken neck, got a broken neck,” Hood said. “It wasn’t his fault.” Fortunately, the young firefighter recovered and returned to work.

When he had to answer media questions, Hood said he did the only thing he could do.

“I owned it,” Hood said. “I took full blame for it.”

It was all an opportunity for him to implement policies and procedures, as well as consequences and discipline standards for similar behavior in the future, he said.

When he was first on board with San Antonio, he said there were 19 DWI cases in one year, something that was totally unacceptable.

“If I keep this up, I am going to kill a firefighter, or kill a mother in a minivan filled with kids,” Hood said.

So he owned it and decided the first DWI infraction was an automatic 60 day suspension. “The second time, they would no longer have the opportunity to serve with the San Antonio Fire Department,” he said. So far, the policy has been effective with only one infraction recently.

“We all stand for something,” Hood said. “The question is what are you going to tolerate.”

Hood said the legendary Green Bay Packer Coach Vince Lombardi, once said he didn’t have to like any of his players or his coaches but he had to love them. That was the strength of the team, Hood said.

“A leader who cannot love is not capable of true leadership,” Hood said, noting that love was not “mushy” or a sign of weakness. Rather it is a sign of strength and compassion for colleagues.

Hood also said, leaders can’t have egos, a lesson he learned from Brunacini who once said: “Egos eat brains.”

Fire service customers expect miracles from firefighters when they call for help, but outcomes don’t always result in “TV show endings.”

Using the motto on San Antonio badge, Hood said Honor, Duty and Courage are three most important things firefighter need to keep in mind while they serve.

“What does honor mean to you,” Hood said, paraphrasing from a discussion he had with all members of his department recently. “I’ll tell you, it’s an honor to be a firefighter wherever you work. When they lay you in the ground, or put you in an urn, you are still going to be a firefighter.”

Hood reminded the hundreds of firefighters from all over the country that service alone is heroic.

“We all need to remember that we do not have to die to be a hero,” Hood said, to loud applause. “It’s important that everybody understands that.”

Courage is having the guts to tell someone or do something that may not be popular or to help a friend who might not be a friend after the helpful action is taken, Hood said.

Hood added that it is also important to remember civilians who serve the department and he has more than 200 in San Antonio.

“They are just as important as everyone else in the department,” Hood said. “Without them, we cannot provide the services required of us.”

“It is an honor to be part of the fire service and we need to remember that every day."

More from Firehouse World 2016

• Photos: Day 1 - Future Firefighter Program
• FHWorld16: Firehouse Ambassadors Get Lessons in Values
• FHWorld16: Fireground Air Management - A US/UK Perspective
• FHWorld16: Building a Robust Fire Dynamics Training Program
• FHWorld16: The Halligan Is a Valuable Tool on the Fireground
• FHWorld16: Sendelbach Poses Challenge to Fire Service
• FHWorld16: Chief Hood Says It's 'Time to Own It'