BY MATTHEW EMRICH
Describing how I prepared myself for the position of lieutenant, I contemplated everything I have done in the fire service for the past 10 years. I have been a volunteer firefighter, a resident firefighter, a part-time firefighter, and a full-time firefighter. At my previous department, I ran a training division with a $100,000 budget. I have instructed and managed at fire academies and have many qualifications throughout my career, having tackled the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) series and worked my way through many of the National Fire Academy courses.
Working at departments that have annual call volumes ranging from 400 to 9,000 calls per year, I tried to observe and absorb as much knowledge as possible. Through this I have realized that even with certifications, classes, and conferences, nothing measures up to experience. Some say “Just because you are certified doesn’t mean you’re qualified.” I agree with this wholeheartedly.
The courses I have attended and the certifications I have achieved are minor compared with some of the lessons I have learned in my fire service experience. These lessons have prepared me more for the lieutenant position than any course ever could. Here are some of these lessons.
LESSONS FROM EXPERIENCE
The ability to build healthy relationships with the crews and the community can make or break the crew as well as the department and can affect the outcome of affairs on and off the fireground. Building and maintaining good relations with members are the cornerstones of a healthy organization. An important part of relationship building is to maintain mutual respect without undue familiarity. In essence, have a healthy and constructive working relationship with your team, but also make it clear that it is a work or “business” relationship, and it cannot completely transfer into the social atmosphere. This is where the relationship becomes unhealthy because of accusations (or the perception) of favoritism, special treatment, and so on, leading to failure at the foundation.
Open the ears and shut the mouth. This was a personal weakness of mine until I realized that I actually learned more by listening rather than squawking. Making a decision without taking in all the information can be a very dangerous move. This applies both on and off the fireground.
Get rid of stale thinking. Although very important, tradition and pride can be hazardous to your health if used incorrectly. As with every organization, the fire service goes through change. Realize this and embrace it, because it’s going to happen whether you like it or not.
No one person is more important than the team, including the officer. Find out what the individual crew members’ goals and values are, and help them achieve and maintain them.
Be nice! Help the crew by washing the dishes, cleaning the house, and serving dinner. Be sure they know that you respect them and consider them part of your team, not your subordinates.
I cannot stress this lesson enough: Being observant is one of the most important keys to staying alive. Being observant doesn’t only mean watching your surroundings at the incident scene (although that is very important). It also means watching your crew. Learn their character traits. Know when “something else” is going on. Recognize their learning styles so that you may better relay information to them.
Balancing my work life with my personal life and using proper “time management” have long been my other weaknesses, but I believe I am now turning them into strengths. This resulted from taking on way too much work and never admitting when I was getting overloaded; I missed deadlines and produced unsatisfactory work. It also extended into my personal life and, regretfully, I missed many important family events because of poor time management. To combat this, I learned to better prioritize and delegate my time and assignments. Just remember that you can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility. Take a little breather now and again.
Treat others as you would like to be treated. As the saying goes, “Today’s children are tomorrow’s future.” The same rings true with new firefighters. A fire officer should always train crew members to do the officer’s job. That new firefighter may someday be the incident commander at your fire. Train your replacement now!
Although this statement refers to fireground operations, its principle can be related to the normal day-to-day operations we are so accustomed to: Keep the safety of yourself and your crew the highest priority in every situation.
These are some of the valuable lessons that have prepared me for the lieutenant position and should be passed on to our firefighters, especially those who aspire to be future officers. These lessons are a foundation on which to build. As I continue in my service, I will learn many more beneficial lessons about building relationships, observing, and listening.
Holding a position of rank can be very rewarding, but it comes with a lot of hard work and demands diligence. You must be prepared before making the decision to move forward. Being a leader holds a great deal of responsibility, and it is easy to become frustrated and overwhelmed. Work hard, and respect the crew. You have to earn their respect; it’s not going to be handed to you. Take advantage of every chance to learn and every opportunity to teach.
MATTHEW EMRICH, a 10-year fire service veteran, is a member of Orting Valley (WA) Fire and Rescue and the president of the United Firefighters Foundation. He is an IFSAC II and IFSAC certified fire instructor.
