At the FDIC International 2022 Opening Ceremony Day 1 on Wednesday, April 27, Deputy Chief of Operations Dan Shaw from the Fairfax County (VA) Fire and Rescue Department delivered the keynote “Sharpen Your Ax!”
He began: “‘Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the ax.’ This quote, often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, so eloquently and simply states a point that is vital to us as firefighters: We must painstakingly train and drill, dedicating time, effort, and sweat to hone our skills in preparation for a task that may only take a few moments to execute but is essential to our success.
Photos: Opening Ceremony, FDIC International 2022
“The task of applying eight pounds of force on a nozzle bail, releasing hundreds of gallons of water onto the seat of the fire, may be simple. Equally, the concept of forcing that front door, clearing that window to search, all are simple tasks that may take only seconds, but the preparation for putting that skill to use was years in the making because the repercussions for not doing so can be deadly–deadly to us and deadly to those we took an oath to protect.
“The question then becomes not simply how do we prepare but how do we prepare correctly? How do we sharpen our ax? With all the demands on us today in the American fire service, it could be easy to lose focus and even harder to prioritize what is important. But, history teaches us many valuable lessons about how we can be successful if we only remove our blinders, put our bias in our back pocket, and are willing to learn.
“Since the earliest days of our civilization, we have used storytelling to share history from one generation to the next–sharing lessons and experiences, sharing how far we have come, and sharing to ensure our past is never forgotten as we forge into the future. As we struggle to always be prepared and lead, an important first step is to know our history and understand why that history has such a profound impact on everything we do every single day. The fire service history has led us, albeit under the most unfortunate circumstances, to learn from firefighters we will never meet. Yet many times when I teach, I get blank stares because the audience has no idea what incident I am talking about, no idea about the tragedy and sacrifice of our lost brother and sisters. We, as a collective fire service, have failed in providing the tool, the outlet, the platform, the path for our members to learn our history.
“If you are not reading every day and learning and growing, you may be able to read and write, but our profession demands more than simple baseline we expect of a third grader. It demands that we can function, with a high level of precision, in the most chaotic and stressful of situations that we all face each day. Without capitalizing on this “free” experience, and that is what this is, don’t be mistaken; this is free experience from those shoulders you stand on each day. If we are not seizing this free experience that can be gained from our history, we are doing a disservice to ourselves, those we lead and charge down a smoky hallway with, and the families at home waiting for us to come back safely.
“But one cannot walk away thinking that simply because you read a book, an LODD report, or an article that you are a natural born leader or ready for any incident. It is work, striving and grinding to achieve mastery, a constant practice and dedication to the craft. We must pair our experience with this new-found knowledge and do something with it. It takes work! We cannot bury our heads in the sand and tie an anchor to our progress with past practices because we are afraid of change or because nothing bad has happened to us–yet.
“So, what is the singular, universal platform for the fire service that exists to overcome this challenge? We have an enormous stream of data with no clear direction or pathway to learn. So, if you were not impacted by a dedicated leader or indoctrinated during your early years on the “what” and the “how” to learn and grow from our past, then you were left to filter through all of this and determine what is irrelevant and what is beneficial.
“That is the challenge we face today: How do we honor those we have lost, how do we ensure they did not die in vain, how do we take what our brother or sister firefighters faced on their most perilous day and use it to make us better–not just better but the best in executing the mission? How do we use these lessons to ensure we do not suffer the same outcome?
“We all have dedicated and talented firefighters who are making calculated decisions in a chaotic environment with limited information. I know when I arrive at fire, I rarely, if ever, see acts of omission; what I see are many acts of commission. And we would all take a yoked lion any day over a belligerent donkey.
“Brave firefighters must not be led by incompetent leaders. Those leaders have to be smart, humble, a dedicated student to our craft, putting their ego in their back pocket while focusing on the mission. Equally, we can never underestimate the importance of our mindset and how we approach our trade. We must be prepared, no matter the rank, no matter the type of department, when we arrive at this dynamic event we call a working fire.
“Our history can be that linchpin to our success, providing that pathway for the preparation that might make the difference in the outcome, that sharpening of our ax.
“So, when you pick up thatLODD report, first and foremost, remove your bias. Don’t think because it happened thousands of miles away or in a different kind of fire department that it doesn’t apply to you.
“Second, don’t be fooled into the illusion that you ‘know all the details.’
“Last, read it in the manner that will make you better and honor those who have perished. Ask yourself these 3 questions:
- Could this fire happen to me? We all have the same structures; we all go to unpredictable fires; we all have flawed but dedicated humans show up at these fires. So, the answer is yes, it can happen to you, and you must read and learn!
- What are the red flags and anomalies that occurred at this incident and what would I do if I faced those same issues? We must first recognize these red flags and then act accordingly. Ignoring them is not a solution and is a recipe for disaster.
- How can this event make me, and my brothers and sisters, better? What drill, tip, technique can you pull from the report to ensure it never happens again?
Bret Tarver – catalyst for developing a large area search drill,
“You, and only you, write this narrative. You get to write this story. Ultimately, it is you. How you will make an impact?
“When we arm ourselves with the lessons from our history and pair it with our own experience, we are prepared and ready to make an impact. That next step can seem daunting and, at times, insurmountable, but we can never lose focus that it not about us, it is about those we lead and the mission we took an oath to preserve.
“Now is the time for you to craft that narrative; now is the time for you think about the legacy you want and make an impact! Simply put, man only gets one lifetime but history, history lasts forever.”
