By Thomas A. Merrill
Firefighters are an extremely proud bunch. In most cases, they are proud of their profession (yes, even a volunteer can consider it a profession) and what they do. However, firefighters should also recognize that there is a lot to be proud of “in house.” Our people, our accomplishments, our traditions, and our heritage all can contribute to what I like to call house pride. The Professional Volunteer Fire Department should promote house pride at every opportunity.
It’s easy for firefighters to get wrapped up in the problems of the day. The clubroom politics can sometimes be distracting and overshadow all the good being accomplished in our firehouses. Take a step back and look at what has been accomplished within your department. Look at the equipment, the rigs and the firehouse; all you see took lots of work, effort, dedication, and commitment. The turnout gear you wear? Many meetings were held and studies done to decide what kind to purchase. That new thermal imaging camera (TIC)? In addition to the time and effort spent studying which TIC is best for the department, members may have had to navigate mounds of paperwork to secure a grant or identify a source of funding for the purchase.
Or, quite possibly, they arranged for a fundraiser of some type. The newest rig in your fleet? Hundreds of hours were put into that project. The fresh coat of paint in the hallway? If it wasn’t done by a member on his own time, somebody still had to arrange for that project to be completed.
Accomplishing all these tasks and doing all the busy work at our local firehouses is most often done by our members after they have already worked their eight-, 10-, or 12-hour paycheck-earning job, or after they coached that little league game or helped their kids with their homework. Yes, after doing so many other things, it’s off to the firehouse to meet with the committee or to get done what needs to be done. The point is that firefighters should all be proud of the work and effort put forth by members over the years that moved the department forward.
However old your department is, look back at your history. Show appreciation for the people who brought you to where you are today. Sure, many are long gone, but they should never be forgotten. Dig out those old photos, dust them off, and get them up on the wall. Impress upon the new members that they are now part of this proud tradition. Show them the photos and explain who these people are. In addition to honoring and remembering those who helped shape the department, this also contributes to house pride. Your members will feel better about the department knowing they are part of a long-standing tradition. When they walk through the hallways of the firehouse, these photos serve as gentle reminders that many others served before them and contributed to the department’s success over the years.
At every opportunity, extoll the virtues of being a firefighter. Be sure our members understand the responsibility that comes with that esteemed title. That responsibility equates to serving with honor, integrity, and behaving appropriately on and off duty. Along with that responsibility should be a sense of pride. Wearing the badge of a firefighter should elicit pride from all of us. We have every right to be proud of the great fire service to which we belong. It is forged with hard work, dedication, selfless service, and sacrifice. Impress all of this upon your membership.
Firefighter pride should be a bridge to department pride. Build pride in your department by highlighting all of its great accomplishments through the years. As I said, the people should be on the wall; celebrate their accomplishments and highlight your department’s unique characteristics by focusing on those things of which your department is extremely proud. Every department has certain things—a tool, a rig, the first to try or do something, a unique annual tradition—of which it is proud. Celebrate it! Teach it! Pass it on! But, remember to teach our members to be proud and humble yet never arrogant.
Some departments actually develop and present an annual training drill focusing on their department history and heritage. What a great way to teach new members what it means to be a firefighter! It also serves as a great reminder for the senior members because, from time to time, it’s important to point out to all members why they should be proud of the title “firefighter” and to be equally proud to be a [insert your department name here] firefighter.
Sometimes, members get discouraged and upset about negative things going on in the firehouse, and it hurts house pride. I always like to point out to our members, especially our newer ones, that there are life lessons that can be learned from the way issues are resolved and disagreements worked out within departments. Let’s understand and agree that disagreements and opposite points of view are inevitable in any organization. But, if there is a clearly defined process for handling them, issues can be resolved in a nonconfrontational manner. Sure, a decision has to be made or a course of action has to be decided on. In most cases, democracy will prevail, and not everybody will get what they wanted. But, if the process allowed for all concerned members to have some input and differing views were allowed to be discussed, there can be less controversy and less of the so-called “dirty politics.” Members will be less likely to feel victimized. They may be disappointed and even upset, but if they have been provided a fair opportunity to participate in the discussion, they should at least be able to walk away knowing they were provided with the chance to express their point of view. Life lessons can definitely be gleamed from the many boardroom discussions that lead to successful conflict resolutions.
Continue building that house pride by sharing your members’ personal success stories. If a member has recently been promoted in his paid job, congratulate him at the monthly business meeting or in the department newsletter. If a younger member accomplishes something at school, share it. Publicize members’ birth announcements, weddings, and other happy events. At the same time, support members in time of sorrow or grief. It’s amazing how petty politics and differences can be cast aside—even forgotten about—when a member is having a difficult time and the department bands together in support. It speaks volumes for fire service brotherhood when members show up at the wakes and funerals of not just current members but past members as well. Like most departments, we try to attend the wakes when a former member passes away. Often times, the member was last active decades before, and many may not even have known him. But, by paying our respects, we are teaching the new generation of firefighters the meaning of fire service brotherhood and the importance of honoring those who served before. In most cases, the family of the deceased is forever grateful. In all cases, everybody is left with a greater sense of fire service pride.
Keep track of and recognize your members’ service milestones. I used to congratulate members at the monthly business meeting when they reached a major anniversary date such as 20 years of active service. I would also highlight their accomplishment s in our department newsletter. I never realized how much this came to mean to the members until I inadvertently missed one member’s anniversary date. That firefighter let others know he was hurt that I missed it (he was afraid to point it out to me for fear of that large ego).
Most departments do some type of service recognition at their installation banquets, which is great. We added a twist: instead of just mentioning the member and how many years of service he had, we added a short bio of the offices he had held along with other noteworthy accomplishments during their career. Again, I never knew how much that meant to people until one year when the wife of one longtime member told me how appreciative she was that we mentioned this information while calling him up to the podium to be recognized. She correctly pointed out that many newer members had no idea of all the contributions and years of dedicated service put in by her husband. By taking a minute to highlight his career, hopefully we contributed to this member’s house pride. His wife certainly was a little prouder of the department in which her husband had been serving faithfully for so many years.
You can also build pride by recognizing and congratulating members as they complete fire and emergency medical services training courses. Obtaining an emergency medical technician certificate or firefighter certification means many hours of long work. A nice pat on the back and a “well done” in the company newsletter or at the monthly meeting is certainly well deserved. We designed a little promotion ceremony when elevating a newer member from the ranks of nonstructural exterior firefighter to an interior or a structural firefighter as well as for when a member came off probation. None of these ceremonies need to be long or drawn out, but they can easily be done in a simple but meaningful manner, and they certainly make a lasting impression.
Embrace social media to help promote house pride. Publicize fire service milestones, personal success stories, and their important firehouse events; don’t just hold it all in house. Let the community know. In addition, highlight department operations, community interactions, and fire service camaraderie. Post a photo of the probie getting sworn in or a story about a member’s career as he approaches his service anniversary date. Show a video clip of members training hard or discussing a successful operation. Social media is an incredibly powerful tool and can immediately impact a firefighter and fire department’s reputation. Used often and correctly, it can also enhance house pride.
One important thing to remember is to always be fair and not taint house pride by purposely ignoring certain people or their accomplishments. The recognition must be shared equally among all members. The old saying, “What you do for one, you must do for all” certainly applies here.
Developing a company logo, apparatus insignias, and catchy mottos certainly can contribute to house pride. Some departments like to design a kitchen table with the logo carved into it or display their logo throughout the firehouse and on the rigs and incorporate it on jackets, T-shirts, and other uniform accessories. If done tastefully, this is a great idea to help boost department pride.
There is so much to be proud of by being part of the great fire service. The Professional Volunteer Fire Department works hard every day to develop, promote, and celebrate house pride and to make our fire halls or fire stations a firehouse!
Thomas A. Merrill is a 30-year fire department veteran in the Snyder Fire Department, which is located in Amherst, New York. He served 26 years as a department officer, including 15 years in the chief officer ranks, and recently completed five years as chief of department. He also is a professional fire dispatcher for the town of Amherst fire alarm office. He can be reached at tamerrill63@aol.com.
- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: Social Media
- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: Customer Service
- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: The New Member
- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: Honesty, Integrity, Honor, and Dedication
- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: Radio Communication
- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: Preplanning
- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: Physical Fitness
- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: History, Heritage, and Pride
- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: Officer Development
- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: Recruitment
