Today at FDIC International 2023 Opening Ceremony Day 2, Chief of Training Brian Brush from the Midwest City (OK) Fire Department delivered the keynote “An Unquenchable Faith.”
“Being an FDIC keynote was not one of my personal goals, not something I was working toward. This is not because I didn’t see it as a professional accomplishment; it was because I didn’t see it as even being possible for someone like me. I am here in this moment not because I feel ready or because I feel worthy. I am here in this place right now because someone else believed I was. And in that is the lesson: The faith of others in you is not pressure, it is power.
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“It’s not about what is on this stage. It is all about what is in this room. On this stage is one keynote, one opinion, one background, one view, and one experience. In this room sits at least the last five keynote speakers and, without a doubt, the next five. Our legendary past and our brightest futures. The pride of standing up here is great, but it is pale when compared to being among the rows and rows of fire sitting shoulder to shoulder in front of me. In this room are opinions, experiences, and backgrounds from coast to coast, different countries, spanning multiple generations. Outside of these walls, each one of these factors is leveraged daily to sew division, conflict, and friction.
“The world has enough people working against each other. The citizens we all swore to protect deserve a fire service that works with and for one another joined in one mission, not separated by our many differences. This is a reminder and reset for everyone here in this room, watching online, or putting on the uniform tomorrow. The world knows us as one. And that is Firefighters to them. When we are in service, we are nonpolitical, nonjudgmental, physically and mentally prepared to put the need of others first. More than any skill performed on the fireground or service performed in the community, it is the long history of firefighters collectively demonstrating strong values, high ethical standards, and selfless service that has built such a faith in us.
“Consciously and subconsciously, every second of every day, people around the world place their faith in firefighters for protection. The faith of others in you is not pressure, it is power. They believe in you. They trust you. Your presence in their cities, neighborhoods, and most tragic moments brings them hope. Their faith in you is unquestionable.
“Your presence in this room and in this moment brings me hope that as long as great people are unified in mission, great things are possible. Faith in our mission joins us. Faith in each other builds us. Faith in ourselves moves us.
“2023 marks a very important anniversary in our fire service history: 50 years ago, America Burning was published, and it directed the difficult but courageous first steps toward the fire service we know today. In the late ‘60s and ‘70s, our nation was facing an escalating fire problem. While the American fire service was well established at that time, it was mostly operating independently. We were not necessarily divided but certainly not collective. It is estimated that at the peak of what was called the ‘War Years,’ our nation suffered more than 1 million residential structure fires and over 12,000 civilian fire fatalities in a single year. The public pressure and accountability to the problem could not be avoided. It was time to face the problem with humility and the admission that the efforts of the past were no longer meeting the need and lives were in the balance. Fortunately, this did not divide our elected officials, chiefs, and commissioners into placing blame. It was viewed as a challenge and great responsibility they all shared, and this fired their resolve. Faith in their mission joined them.
They formulated a plan to address it with a new and aggressive approach and support. Faith in the efforts of each other built them. 50 years ago on May 4, 1973, the commission on fire prevention and control published America Burning. This seminal document was both blueprint and challenge to a modern fire service. Faith in their plan moved them.
“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can and repeatedly alters the course of history. This famous quote from Ghandi defines the impact of America Burning and those who worked together on it. They truly altered the course of our profession and the impact of fire on our nation. Will it be the quote that defines your impact?
“It is in this room where the work to define the mission, unify efforts, and provide purposeful direction for the next 50 years begins. In this room is the small body of determined spirits of today. In this room are those whose passion for the job is a fire that cannot be extinguished. In this room are those whose thirst for knowledge, skill, and improvement cannot be satisfied. The public’s faith in firefighters is unquestionable. Is your faith in our mission unquenchable?
“To the small body of determined spirits assembled here, may the knowledge that firefighters are the difference between life and death validate your faith in our mission. To the recent retiree, probationary firefighter, chief of department, company officer, or senior member, all blended together out here, joined as one, build your faith in each other. Everything you represent gives our citizens greater hope. May that build the faith in yourself so we are so moved in everything we do as an effort to give them a better chance. It is both my challenge to and my prayer upon you that when you leave this room today that both your faith in mission and the unquestionable faith of others in you make you all unquenchable firefighters.”
