Chief’s Drivers: The Role-Players

By STEPHEN MARSAR

In Part 1 of this series on chief’s drivers (Fire Engineering, August 2022), I presented the value, roles, and responsibilities of this position. Although many have been encouraged to reflect on the facts presented, others have used it to carry forth proposals to staff such a position, while some have asked, “How do I choose, solicit, attract, or select an individual for that role?” This article will answer that seemingly complicated question.

• Chief’s Drivers: Their Value, Roles, and Responsibilities
• MAKING A COMEBACK: THE CHIEF’S AIDE
• The Fire Intel Officer: Managing the Fireground of the Future
• THE CASE FOR AN AIDE AT MULTIPLE-ALARM INCIDENTS

Promotion or Punishment?

Depending on whether the chief’s driver’s position is obtained through promotional exam, technician-level step, or the “Good Ol’ Boy” selection/appointment process, there are definitely key traits that should be common among all the candidates. If the position is looked at as a lowly one (or one used to “hide” an underachiever) and no one wants to leave the back step/bucket seat to perform it, there should be some criteria to consider before choosing someone against his will.

Another factor is why a firefighter or fire officer would want to take on such a position. Perhaps it’s the schedule or pay differential (if different than the member’s current one). Perhaps it’s a promotional step. Perhaps it’s the challenge. Maybe it’s the opportunity to learn things from the commander’s side of the job or a way of extending one’s career, physically or mentally.

Perhaps it’s none of the above. For some, it could be an inert feeling of being more productive and helping the needs of the department. The motivational factor behind a firefighter or fire officer seeking this position should be a factor in choosing them or passing them over.

Cast of Characters

Let’s assume that the position is not one obtained by a promotional exam or technician-level test. Those steps in and of themselves require a commitment to study; the ability to retain information; and the fortitude to display the required cognitive and, potentially, physical abilities necessary to perform the varied tasks and duties of a chief’s driver. Therefore, in a noncompetitive arena, what criteria should we use to select the right individual to perform this valuable function?

The most common first consideration is time. How much time does the particular firefighter/officer have in the department or rank? Several experienced chiefs and drivers point toward an individual’s maturity as a more dominant and important trait than time or experience. A level of maturity above an individual’s chronological age or time on the job should be a very important aspect to consider.

Another important aspect to consider is, is he a student of the department and “the job”? Does he drill, read, watch videos, and examine case studies as well as past fires and emergencies? In other words, does he look to better himself and the department?

Where’d Ya Work?

A very close second to the time/experience question is the inevitable, “Where did you work?” This presumption is that a firefighter or officer who worked in a “busy” place will have more experience and knowledge/skills than a firefighter or officer from a “slower” area. Although there is perhaps some credence to that, it may not always be the case. Perhaps the member from a slower area spent his time honing his skills and studying and was the most talented and hardest worker in that company or firehouse.

Slower areas sometimes breed great firefighters and officers (although they do tend to transfer as soon as they are able). They sometimes rise above that “slow” reputation and fight the complacency and lackluster performance of those units. They also tend to hold themselves and others to a higher standard. Don’t let history or a lack thereof tarnish the individual member’s ability based solely on where he came from. Look at him and his potential/abilities on an individual basis.

Organization

A chief’s driver must be organized. The many tasks he needs to accomplish in rapid succession call for him to set goals and priorities. The position does not allow for disorganization, confusion, or an inability to set goals/objectives and meet them in a timely manner.

On the fire or emergency scene, the chief’s driver is, first, a communication link between the incident commander (IC) and the dispatcher as well as the incoming units. Assisting the IC in gathering information of the scene such as conducting a 360° size-up; interviewing victims/witnesses; checking utilities; being assigned as the initial safety officer (if appropriate); or documenting the scene through pictures, videos, and so on requires the chief’s driver to know the department’s standard operating procedures (SOPs)/firefighting assignments so he can anticipate the IC’s current and future needs. Accomplishing these basic tasks, communicating them effectively, and anticipating what may be needed next (contacting utilities, transmitting multiple alarms, mass casualty incidents, known and potential victims, and so on) are all critical tasks that the chief’s driver must perform.

Communication skills are a fundamental requirement for the chief’s drivers’ position. Not only does the member need to speak and understand English clearly on both the dispatch and fireground radios, he must also be able to document what the chief is communicating to him. The ability to identify and secure the names of persons left in charge of a scene, gather information for fire reports, and know radio codes and signals (if still being used, compared to plain speak) are additional basic requirements of the position.

Integrity

The position demands the member be trustworthy. The chief’s driver may be privy to information that is not meant for public/department consumption, especially at the higher-up or staff chief level. There must be a mutual trust between the chiefs and their drivers that transcends the normal firefighter-fire officer relationship. The chief’s driver has the unique ability to “sit on a fence” and see things from both sides (the chief’s/administration’s view vs. the firefighter’s/fire officer’s view).

Trust is a two-way street. Chiefs expect their drivers to keep information to themselves when appropriate, and the drivers should also know that they can be a confidant to the chiefs by keeping them apprised of the field’s perspective on things. Of course, personalities always come into play. A chief who is a “control freak” or “micromanager” may not want or accept advice from his driver. On the other hand, having a driver who is overconfident or begins to see himself in a power role/position—in some cases, making decisions that would normally be relegated to the chief—could be a recipe for disaster. However, in each of those cases, there is a member for every seat. Each human personality has a comfortable and compatible counterpart who can work seamlessly together to accomplish the required tasks of both the chief and driver’s positions. As with any team, how the two mesh together and think and act as one will ultimately lead to their success or failure.

When a new chief or driver is assigned to a unit and their personalities conflict, fire departments can rely on their professionalism, policies and procedures, national standards, and access to acceptable best practices, things that some of our counterparts in the corporate world do not have. These devices allow us to be successful in our life- and property-protection ethos, even when we may not get along 100% of the time with the person in the next seat.

Sometimes, we must recognize that human nature may be all that there is between us. We might not like an individual or get along with him, but if we acknowledge that it’s a personality conflict and not a situation where that person has wronged us, we should be able to work through it as long as we keep it professional and build trust and consensus between us. It’s what separates us from dogs who like or dislike each other based on scent alone. We have the ability to think, rationalize, and react. We can change our behavior based on our values and attitude in any given situation. In the front seat of the chief’s vehicle or in front of a burning occupied structure is not a good place to allow mistrust or worse.

On the other hand, if either the chief or driver has wronged the other (either actually or perceived), it may be best to change shifts or units so that the two are not in conflict while working together. That is another human trait—knowing when we can’t or shouldn’t work with someone and then doing something about it.