A letter to my brothers in the fire service
Raymond C. Hoff
Battalion Chief
Chicago (IL) Fire Department
The mail came today, and my latest copy of Fire Engineering was one of the items I looked forward to receiving. As with other periodicals, there are a number of items with ideas and concepts I can associate with and others that cause me to sin. I believe this would not be an uncommon response to most of the readers of such a publication. My response to things that set me off or even anger me must be put aside at times to open my mind`s eye to see the value of another`s opinion. Having said this and struggling to practice what I preach, I must know where I stand in what now appears to be a growing conflict within the ranks of the American fire service.
In the struggle to prove who is the poster boy of the American firefighting profession, we have in one corner of the ring the unsafe, overeducated, and dangerous firefighting relic of years gone by. In the other corner we have the modern, educated risk manager, who has gleaned the most efficient and sound practices of modern Fortune 500 companies and brought the fire service into the modern age. The worst part of it all is that millions of fire service people are caught in various stages of the verbal slugfest. There now comes a time of decision for this 32-year veteran of the fire service, to see for himself where the chips fall. I feel we are being forced to take a stand for something and against something else.
I have come to believe that we in the fire service are on a mission, much akin to a military mission, that was and is to be ready to lay down our life for others as well as our own. I agree that to do so foolishly is not a sacrifice but a wasted life. Yet, if I were to run my choice through a list of risk management factors or await the arrival of the person in the appropriate colored vest before acting on an immediate problem, then someone else`s life could very well be wasted. How do you sort out these concepts and end up with a reasonable approach to tactics and strategy? Well, I keep things in two boxes. Box one contains the leadership skills picked up over the years from fire combat leaders who were my mentors. In Box two are the management skills absorbed through study and example. If it were possible, we in the fire service could combine skills and knowledge into plans and operations that would be of benefit to all concerned.
I believe we are interjecting concepts into the fire service that just do not fit our reason for being in existence. When we take on the mantle of customer service and marketing our services, we bring the idea of privatization into play. This can be of great value in the industrial brigade and private sector. However, when we enter the arena of protecting the public, it would be sad indeed to remove the concept of service to and for the people. To manage the fire service is a reasonable goal but to attempt to manage a fire scene without treating it like a battleground operation is naive at best.
There must also be an awareness that most of the fire departments in this country are still in a volunteer mode. Fireground operations based on safety alone will increase property loss and injury by ignorance. Departments who will try operations they have neither the training nor the experienced leadership for will eventually write a tactical check that their department cannot cash. If one studies the case histories for firefighter deaths and injuries, it will be found that a return-to-basics concept is most important to curtail the problems. In the April 1997 issue of Fire Engineering, a man attacks the macho attitude of another man and then flexes his titles and education and speaks in a condescending manner about bravery and courage in battle as a cover-up for incompetence but fails to identify the problem as a management glitch and not a lack of bravery on the part of the troops.
My desire would be to sit and reason together and do what would be wise and good for all firefighters. If, however, I would be asked to make a choice between giving up my servant`s heart toward my fellow man and living a safe and intelligent life without nobility, honor, and sacrifice, then my choice is made. My life is a gift given to me at great cost, and in honoring the giver, I must be willing to give this gift for or share it with others. All other considerations must fall in line after this one principle.
