By Robert Burns
On my first day as a probationary firefighter at the Fire Department of New York Fire Academy, I learned that the world of firefighting moved at a much faster pace than any of my previous jobs. In probie school, we were always on the go. Whether it was stretching handlines, raising ladders, or hustling from one activity to another, we moved quickly and never stood still. The message to the recruit was clear: When it comes to fighting fires and saving lives, every second counts.
After graduating from the academy, I was assigned to a busy ladder company in the borough of Brooklyn. In the firehouse, as in the fire academy, the mantras of preparation and speed continued to be driven home: turn out quickly, respond quickly, and stretch lines and raise ladders quickly. There was no time to waste; people were in danger, and they were counting on us to help them.
So, it might have been expected that at one of my first structural fires, the “need for speed” would impact my decision-making process and interfere with my ability to perform my duties safely and effectively. Fortunately, that’s when Captain Vincent Fowler Sr. taught me “the power of the pause.”
The Lesson
I was a member of the forcible entry team in the first-to-arrive ladder company at a fire on the third floor of an occupied multiple dwelling. After forcing the entrance door to the fire apartment (quickly, of course), I grabbed my tools and started to swing into action. I had barely moved a muscle when Fowler reached out, grabbed my shoulder, and said, “Wait a minute, kid, where do you think you’re going? Button up!”
That may sound like common sense to today’s bunker gear-encapsulated firefighter, but in the days of turnout coats and rubber boots, collars weren’t always buttoned and Nomex® hoods didn’t exist. In my haste to get the job done, I forgot to adequately prepare myself for the potential dangers that lay ahead.
I didn’t fail to “button up” because I didn’t know what to do. I skipped this important safety step because I let the emotion of the moment influence my behavior. People in technical, high-risk occupations need to develop habits, procedures, and safeguards to ensure that this doesn’t happen. In our world, the consequences of overlooking important “routine” behaviors can be catastrophic.
A few minutes after forcing the apartment door, I was searching in the master bedroom when hot embers and fire debris started raining down on me from the ceiling. Nothing penetrated my tightly buttoned collar or got into my coat. Thanks, Cap!
What Fowler had done on that stairway landing was to inject a “pause point” into our procedures where he reviewed a mental checklist of what needed to be done before moving forward. This was not an accidental or a spontaneous hesitation but a strategically planned activity. He paused at a logical point in the operation to ensure that critical tasks were completed and not overlooked in the heat of the moment.
That “lesson learned” would serve me well in many situations over the next 37 years of my career. No, the lesson was not to remember to button my turnout coat (although that was certainly a valuable one). The more important lesson I learned that day was to purposely inject pause points into my personal routines.
Just in case I wasn’t paying close enough attention during that valuable teaching moment, fate provided me with another opportunity to experience the power of the pause a few weeks later. My second encounter with a strategic pause didn’t involve the review of a critical event checklist but rather the need to gather additional size-up information before making a tactical decision.
My unit was searching for the seat of a smoky fire in a large commercial building. We were only a short distance into the occupancy and moving quickly when we came to an intersecting hallway. There were two choices – go left or go right. I didn’t have a clue! There were no obvious signs to indicate the location of the fire. I could feel “low heat” all around me, but I saw and heard nothing other than dark blinding smoke and the pulsating sounds of my self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
It was at that point that the senior firefighter who was searching alongside me grabbed my arm and said, “Stop, hold your breath, and listen.” As I held my breath, the noise from my SCBA subsided, and I could hear a faint crackling sound just off to our right. That “pause” slowed us down a little, but it created an environment that helped us obtain the critical size-up information that revealed the exact location of the fire. We immediately communicated our position to the engine company, who quickly stretched a handline and extinguished the fire.
Whether you are performing a 360° size-up before assigning initial units, evaluating conditions with a thermal imaging camera prior to initiating a primary search, or verifying that a crashed vehicle is properly stabilized before beginning extrication operations, the ability to pause and confirm that no critical information has “fallen through the cracks” is crucial for safe and effective operations.
Not Limited to Tactics
As I advanced in my career, it didn’t take long for me to discover that the power of the pause was not limited to the tactical world. As an officer, I encountered many nontactical situations where I needed to pause, step back from the emotions of an issue, and obtain additional information before making a decision.
Fortunately, my early mentors had also taught me a communication skill that injects a “leadership pause” into the nontactical decision-making environment. The skill is called “P-T-A.” It stands for: Pause, Think, and Ask. Ask what? Ask legitimate questions. This PTA acronym serves as a reminder (almost like a mantra) that pops into my head and rolls right off my tongue when I am faced with decisions that involve situations that are a little bit stressful or out of the ordinary.
For example, on one of my first tours as a new lieutenant, I was working in a unit in a part of the city with which I was not familiar. The troops asked me if we could take a ride “downtown” and pick up some fresh fish for lunch. The urge to do the “bobblehead” and immediately say yes to their request was very strong. Like everyone else, I wanted to be accepted by the group and have people like me. Fortunately, before I did the bobblehead, the PTA mantra popped into my head and slowed me down.
So, what were the legitimate questions I asked regarding a trip “downtown” to Sal’s Fish Store? You got it: “Where exactly are we going, and is Sal’s in our response district?” The answers to those two questions (“on the other side of town” and “not exactly, Lieutenant”) helped me decide that we were probably better off shopping at the local supermarket for our lunch.
PTA and a few minutes of awkwardness potentially saved me from a lifetime of regret. I would have been devastated if someone had been injured or killed at a fire or an emergency in our district and my decision to leave our area contributed to the outcome.
The Pause as a Performance Enhancer
When we learn to inject pause points into our behaviors, we are able to interrupt our impulses and connect with our values during the crucial moments of our lives. Pause points also allow us to reevaluate the environment as conditions change or problems arise.
Whether I was operating at the scene of a fire or an emergency or dealing with a difficult leadership issue, understanding the value of the power of the pause was one of the most important lessons that I learned during my fire service career.
Are there nontactical activities in your life that would benefit from a strategic pause in your routines? Take an honest look at yourself, and rework your personal habits. Develop your own “mantra” or “delaying mechanism” that will help you grow the space between stimulus and response, gather additional information, and connect with your values at critical decision points.
Are there tasks or protocols at fire and emergency operations that are frequently overlooked by members of your department? Get together with the other leaders in your unit/command and review your operational tactics.
Seek out patterns of behavior that are putting people at risk. Establish pause points and adopt checklists (physical or mental) to ensure that vital protocols are complied with. Focus on the items that are critical to your success or potentially dangerous if not completed.
There are very few line-of-duty “paper cuts” in the fire service. Our work environment is often dangerous and unpredictable. We need to ensure that a lack of attention or a bad habit does not put us at additional risk. When combined with a simple checklist or a strategic review, the “power of the pause” can keep us moving in the right direction, with the right information, toward the right goals.
ROBERT BURNS is a battalion chief (ret.) and a 37-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), where he was a chief officer for the last 18 years. He was an adjunct instructor teaching leadership at John Jay College and led the curriculum development group responsible for designing and delivering the leadership modules of the FDNY promotional training courses for lieutenants, captains, and battalion chiefs. He was the director of the New York State First Line Supervisor’s Training Program at the FDNY Fire Academy from 2007 until 2010. He conducts leadership training workshops around the country.
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