Formally or, more likely, informally, mentoring has been in the fire service since its inception. I’m not sure of when I first heard the word “mentor” in relation to the fire ser-vice. Back in late 1978 and 1979 when I was on the list for promotion to lieutenant, I know that Lieutenant Eddie Boos took me under his wing. Other than my father, he was my first true fire service mentor. He was the engine officer at Station 7, where I made lieutenant. Lieutenant Eddie was kind of a radical in the department. He was not afraid to speak his mind! A heavy smoker and fond of adult beverages, Eddie wasn’t in the best shape physically, but I know he knew his way around a fireground.
As I found out, looks can be deceiving. He was the epitome of a mentor. The moment he learned that I finished fourth on the list, he began to work with me. He started by letting me prepare the daily personnel sheets for the next tour. I did the time cards and all the other reports. When he had the time (we were in the busiest fire company in the city at the time), he would turn to me on runs and ask me what I would do. After fires, he would quiz me on what needed to be done next. At night, after we had come back from runs, he would sit with me in the kitchen while I did the run reports. (He wouldn’t go up to bed to sleep while I did them; he’d sit next to me, smoking a few cigarettes and drinking burnt coffee.) Eddie prepared me for those first few months as a lieutenant.
After Eddie came Captain Bill Wagoner and Chief Bob Schwanzl-all informal mentors in my life. Since then, Jim Murtagh has helped mentor me at this late stage of my career.
As you may be able to tell, the Toledo (OH) Department of Fire and Rescue does not have a formal mentoring program. An informal program was established by the female firefighters in the department. I am ashamed to say that they got tired of waiting for a formal program and had to develop their own. On the other hand, I am very proud of their initiative and will certainly involve them (as much as they are willing to be involved) in any departmental program.
Having said that, a personal goal of mine (each bureau head must develop annual departmental and personal goals) for this year is to establish the foundation for a formal department mentoring program. My hope is to have the foundation of a voluntary program for all recruit firefighters and for all promoted ranks. Deputy chiefs should mentor newly promoted battalion chiefs, who should mentor newly promoted captains, and so on. Having said that, I’m not even sure that that is the way it should go. I’ll let you know what the final version of our mentoring program is.
John (Skip) Coleman, deputy chief of fire prevention, Toledo (OH) Department of Fire and Rescue, is the author of Incident Management for the Street-Smart Fire Officer (Fire Engineering, 1997) and Managing Major Fires (Fire Engineering, 2000). He is an editorial advisory board member of Fire Engineering and is a member of the FDIC Educational Committee.
Questions: Does your department have a mandatory or volunteer mentoring program for new recruits and incumbents? If so, please describe the program. Are there any requirements (for ecxample, “must be in program as a mentor ‘x’ number of years”) and pay incentives for mentors? Are mentors trained?
Rick Lasky, chief,
Lewisville (TX) Fire Department
Response: We started with a program that addressed most of the rank and file. To this day, we are continuously looking for ways to improve it. Personnel are “encouraged” to participate. There is no additional pay for being a mentor, just the satisfaction of helping a brother or sister. Many of the suggested improvements come right from the members. After all, when it comes down to it, they’ll tell us what they need if we let them.
We initiated something called the “Mentor Questionnaire.” This all came about with the realization that some of our people were retiring and taking all those years of experience with them. We wanted something simple and that would capture the information while we still had a chance to get it. The goal was to grab this information from our senior members, our mentors, before they left us. Members with 15 or more years of experience are polled in the areas listed below. Members putting in for their retirement are also asked to fill out the questionnaire. They are asked to take a few minutes and jot down some things-things that would tap their experience, knowledge, and tricks of the trade. The information is passed along to our newest and future members.
The instructions are easy: “Answer the five questions (or most of them) and-most importantly-keep it simple! You don’t have to answer them all, but it would be appreciated. Your answers can be typed or handwritten, and don’t worry about spelling or grammar. When it comes down to it, spelling and grammar haven’t saved a firefighter’s life yet, but the information you provide could very well be the difference between whether a firefighter goes home or not.”
•Apparatus, Tools, and Equipment. Are there any special needs? Any there any quirks, safety concerns, or potential problems?
•Calls, Incidents, Experiences, or Problem Buildings. Tell us about any calls, incidents, or experiences that have provided a “Lesson Learned” type situation or that can serve an historical purpose. Do you know of any problem buildings?
Time and time again, you hear about a bad incident or one that involves a firefighter fatality and learn during the critique or investigation that someone in the department or a company knew about the building and its problems or the special danger it posed but never shared that information with the whole department or even made it available. More importantly, we don’t want our experienced members to walk away with this type of information. Once these members are gone, those experiences go right out the door with them. Grab the information before they go. One of the things we want to learn about is that building in which no one wants to fight a fire.
•Lake Lewisville or Dive Operations. We’ll take any information we can about our lake operations-hazards, safety concerns, or suggestions-anything that will help a new member stay safe, especially when it comes to diving in black water.
•Department History. Many fire departments have done a great job of preserving their department’s history. One in particular, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has done a great job in preserving artifacts and holding on to the information relative to the founding of the department. We asked this one in an effort to reclaim some of our heritage by gathering as much information about our department’s growth and history so that each firefighter brought on in the future will be able to see where it all started.
•Your Wisdom and Thoughts. Tell us anything you would say to new firefighters that would help them stay healthy and safe throughout their career.
All of this information is then placed in our “Mentor Book.” This book contains a table of contents, background information on the questionnaire, and the five sections corresponding to the questions. Looking at each section, you can read the information and, at the bottom, the name of the firefighter or officer who provided it and the date.
New members are required to review the book. A copy is kept in all stations, the administrative offices, and the training division. We have noticed that some of the more seasoned members are calling some of the firefighters who submitted the information and asking them questions about some of the items they submitted.
Regarding the question about problem buildings, we found that some of the more senior members weren’t aware of a “bad” building. So the positives about this particular book is that is runs both ways, up and down the experience ladder. Our goal is to have a book that is just chock full of great information in the years to come. Again, the goal here is to keep the firefighters healthy and alive.
In other related areas, our recruitment and retention committee has looked at our hiring process and has made recommendations, many of which have been implemented.
“Positional Line of Sight” Mentoring Process
We also restructured all of our promotional processes. Previous promotional processes were poor to say the least; they were riddled with favoritism and those changes that seem to come up right in the middle of the process that leave everyone with a bad taste in their mouths. Since implementing the new structure and process, there have been no complaints and several compliments, mainly because it is done fairly and objectively and allows you to prepare properly. By the way, a committee of members from the rank and file and some from the next level above-not the chief-put this process together and implemented it.
The next step in our mentoring process is what we refer to as “positional line of sight” mentoring. This pertains to training a member for the next position or promotion-you know, the one you can see but just can’t reach yet. Our goal is to get everyone ready for the next step.
•From firefighter to driver engineer. As firefighters get ready to “bump up” or when their captains feel they are ready to “act” up, the captain submits a request to the battalion chief, who then submits it to the training division. The member is then given the material needed to study for the written exam and a time frame for completion. After completing and passing the written exam, the member is given a driving and pumping practical. Both require a passing grade; firefighters are given plenty of time to practice. The idea is to get them ready for the promotional process for driver engineer, where they are given a written exam along with a pumping and driving practical. The driving practical is the same one given during the promotional process; the pumping practicals are similar. When all is completed, the training division submits the member’s name to the chief of operations for approval to serve in the acting driver engineer role.
•From driver engineer to captain. This process also starts off with the request or recommendation to “act” as captain. The promotional process for captain involves a written exam, a tactical assessment, and an in-basket exercise. The process for approving a member for acting capabilities is pretty much the same. Candidates are given a written exam, a tactical assessment involving a single-family dwelling fire, and several in-basket exercises dealing with the types of scenarios a shift captain would face. After passing all portions of the exam, the results are sent to the chief of operations for approval.
•From captain to battalion chief. This process is similar to the one described above for a driver engineer to act as captain, except it is tailored more for the multicompany officer. The tactical assessment involves a multifamily dwelling fire with several challenges and in-basket exercises that hit on those types of situations a battalion chief would handle. In addition to the above requirements, candidates have to ride with the battalion chief for a minimum of three shifts. During this time, the battalion chief and the captain can switch roles, allowing the captain to act as battalion chief and the battalion chief to serve as the “coach.”
Our division and assistant chiefs are often working with each other in an effort to prepare each for that next level. The idea is not to hold anything back. Again, as stated earlier, too many officers are afraid to share what they know with those coming after them because “they might just then know as much as I do.” I thought that was what we wanted to do in the first place.
Mentoring shouldn’t be just a buzzword, and it shouldn’t be something that is hurriedly put together so that you can say you have a mentor program. At the same time, it shouldn’t take years to develop-or to get through. You can always change it or enhance it. Think back to the times when one of your mentors sat down with you and shared. Think about how valuable that information was and probably still is. Think about all of the “stuff” those before us gave us. A good mentoring program has to touch on several levels and cover a variety of topics. Our overall goal should be to spread information up and down the experience ladder-give them what they need to do their jobs, and help prepare them for their future.
It’s mind boggling when you consider what we can do with the information we can grab from our senior members before they leave and from those who will be around for a while yet. A good mentoring program will make your incidents go a lot more smoothly, elevate your organization overall, and-most importantly-provide a much safer working environment for your personnel. We owe it to them.
Bob Oliphant, lieutenant,
Kalamazoo (MI) Department of Public Safety
Response: Our department does not have a mentoring program, and I must confess that I do not know a lot about this type of program. My impression of a mentoring program is that a senior peer is officially designated as the “go to” person for a new employee. As a peer, the mentor is an informal, nonthreatening resource for a new employee to learn about the operations, policies, standards, values, and history of the organization.
The absence of a mentoring program does not mean that new employees are on their own when they come into our organization. We do have a field training program, which probably addresses the same purpose but in a more formal way. The field training program uses field training officers (FTOs) instead of mentors. FTOs are more than peers but are not quite supervisors. They are carefully selected and trained to work with new employees. Personnel selected as FTOs are considered to be above-average performers and receive initial and ongoing training. FTOs are responsible not only for training new employees in the ways of the organization but for evaluating their performance. New employees typically work with an FTO for three months before they work on their own. The time can be shortened or extended according to how the FTO rates the employee’s performance.
FTOs are compensated with extra time off, but I do not feel this is sufficient for the job they do. FTOs play a critical role in orienting new employees to our organization and should receive extra pay during the time they spend with a new employee.
Steve Kreis, assistant chief,
Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department
Response: The Phoenix Fire Department does not have a departmentwide mentoring program for new recruits or incumbents. Recently, a mentoring position was added at the training academy to help recruit firefighters get through their time as recruits. A few years ago, we tried a formal mentoring program designed to help company officers prepare to become command officers. In this program, each command officer was assigned two or three company officers to work with and mentor.
In many professional settings, a mentor/protégé relationship works well for employee development, but I’m not sure that a formal mentoring program works in the fire service. Some inherent concerns should be addressed if a mentor program is to be successful in most departments. They include the following: Who decides who mentors whom? What about the members who are not selected for mentoring? What if the individual being mentored doesn’t like the mentor?
Some members of our departments would make excellent mentors. I suspect there are some very successful mentoring programs in the fire service. The problem with a lot of the “new” (although mentoring is not new) management programs is that the more senior members of the department get to decide what’s good for the younger members of the department.
Sometimes when we try to make things better, we end up making them worse. Think back to the person who made the biggest difference in your career. Wasn’t it a “good boss” or a “good senior firefighter” who took the time to explain things to you and keep you out of trouble (kind of like an informal mentoring program)? The fire service has always had an informal mentoring program; we just never titled it as such.
Peter Sells,
District Chief-Officer Development, Toronto Fire Services
Response: Toronto Fire Services does not currently have a formalized mentoring program for newly hired or incumbent firefighters. We do, however, have a system of firefighter certification, which produces many of the same benefits in terms of the professional development of our people.
In 1998, a municipal restructuring created the new City of Toronto by amalgamating six former municipalities and one regional municipality into North America’s fifth largest city. Each of the six former fire departments (ranging from approximately 160 to approximately 1,200 members) had its own hiring and placement practices to suit its own local needs. These practices included
- placing each new recruit in a specific, multiapparatus station under the tutelage of a specific officer for a designated period of time (a mentoring system),
- placing each new recruit with a pumper crew (engine company) for a designated period of time with the potential for transfer to another type of apparatus after further training (an informal type of apprenticeship), or
- placing each new recruit according to staffing vacancies with consideration given to matching the aptitudes of the individual to the assignment when possible (meeting operational need).
Since the creation of Toronto Fire Services in its present form, we have hired 385 new recruits to keep pace with attrition. Each class receives 16 weeks of training and education at the Toronto Fire Academy according to a curriculum in use by fire departments across Ontario. On completion of provincially administered exams, recruits enter into a three-year certification program to meet the Ontario Fire Service Standards as adopted by the Office of the Fire Marshal of Ontario and the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs. A major part of the certification program is the completion of a job performance checklist, listing tasks the individual must be seen to perform correctly under the supervision of an officer (usually the captain to whom they are assigned). This comprehensive set of fireground tasks must be completed under actual firefighting conditions (i.e., as part of an actual response) or, in some cases, as part of a realistic simulation.
The Ontario Firefighter Certification Program functions in part as a mentoring process (in that the individual is coached, guided, and observed by an officer) and in part as an apprenticeship (in that the skills of the individual are developed, observed, and recorded over time in relation to a set standard).
Ron Hiraki, assistant chief,
Seattle (WA) Fire Department
Response: The Seattle Fire Department does not have a formal mentoring program for recruits or incumbents. Throughout the department, a great deal of mentoring is occurring. Informal mentoring may take the form of extra manipulative practice offered to recruits or offers of advice to peers and others who express common concerns and interests. However, we do not have a formal program that might include a coordinator, requirements or guidelines for mentors and students, training, recognition, and incentives.
Recruits in our school often find that they could benefit from additional manipulative skills practice. Although our recruit instructors often spend time after school to assist them, recruits are hampered by fatigue at the end of a long training day. On Saturday afternoons during the first six weeks of each recruit school, members of the Seattle Black Firefighters Association volunteer their time as mentors. The recruits choose specific skills they need to review, and the mentors instruct, coach, or critique without evaluation. Recruit instructors often comment that mentoring by the members of the Seattle Black Firefighters Association has a significant positive impact on the recruits.
The Seattle Fire Department recognizes the value of a mentoring program for recruits and incumbents. We encourage informal mentoring until we can organize and support a formal mentoring program.
Nick DeLia, chief/fire marshal,
Groton (CT) City Fire Department
Response: Our department does not have a formal mentoring program. New members of our volunteer companies receive an administrative orientation and an equipment/procedures training class given by their company officers. If they have questions or problems during their probation or later, they normally consult their company officers for advice. The most recent career personnel hired were teamed with the shift commander for whom they would eventually work. The officers assisted as needed and gave feedback to the chief of the department relative to the recruits’ developmental needs.
I have seen a fire service mentor program work very effectively in my past. In one of the companies I joined as a volunteer, a member was assigned to be a helping hand and guiding force. Many of the procedures used by the department were different from those to which I was accustomed, and he proved to be a very valuable resource.
Firefighters need someone to show them the ropes just as new employees in the private sector do; in our business, it could also save someone’s life. We often discuss the lack of significant emergencies or realistic training in some jurisdictions. The direction mentors give during training or actual emergencies could make the difference. I would hope the program would use individuals who have adequate experience and the ability to share what they have learned. I think all of us have had mentors who have had a significant impact on our lives and careers. A trained person who listens to questions and gives proper direction can make the difference.
Larry Anderson, assistant chief,
Dallas (TX) Fire Department
Response: Our department has a mandatory mentoring program for new recruits that commences with their assignment to a fire station. The program is administered through the In-Service Section of the Training Division. The recruits remain in the formal program for six months and, hopefully, continue the relationship with their mentors for years.
An instructor from the training academy delivers a packet of training opportunities and monthly performance evaluations to the recruit’s new assignment. Station officers and mentors use these items to develop a personalized program for each recruit. The performance evaluations provide feedback regarding the recruit’s progress to the recruit as well as the Training Division.
All members of the department can volunteer for the mentor program. We prefer that mentors have a minimum of five years of field experience. Our department provides all EMS service for the city of Dallas, so we encourage firefighter/paramedics to join the program. We have no stipulation with regard to a mentor’s rank; as a general rule, our mentors hold the rank of lieutenant or below.
Once a prospective mentor is identified, the candidate attends a four-hour indoctrination program conducted by the Training Division’s In-Service Section. During this course, potential mentors are given tools to help them develop the recruits, who represent the future of our fire department.
Our mentors receive no monetary compensation for their service. Because of this, we know our mentors are in the program because they want to help and not just to earn some extra money. Our mentor program is less than a year old, but we have been encouraged by the results. We are currently looking into designing a pin or a patch mentors can wear on their station uniform to identify them as special contributors to our department.
Mentoring takes place in the fire service whether we like it or not. It can be formal or informal, positive or negative. Having a formal mentor program allows us to influence the attitudes of new recruits and veteran members. I thoroughly believe that veteran firefighter/paramedics are the greatest asset any department possesses. When given the opportunity, they contribute in ways we never imagined. My hat is off to these dedicated professionals.
