BY THOMAS A. MERRILL
Recently, I spent a weekend attending my daughter’s college graduation ceremony at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, New York, celebrating her great accomplishment. As I talked to her classmates and mingled with the teachers, school administrators, various family members, and school alumni, one thing clearly stood out: pride. Everyone associated with this university was proud of the school, proud of the students, proud of their accomplishments, and proud of the alumni. This pride resonated throughout the entire campus; even my wife and I were consumed by it. Although we were only occasional visitors to the campus, we were nonetheless extremely proud to be connected with this venerable learning institution. This wasn’t a new experience for us, either; our oldest daughter graduated from the university two years earlier. We have been exposed to this great sense of pride (unofficially called “Bona Pride”) for more than six years, two graduating classes representing two age groups, and two entirely different groups of people.
Some fire departments have an unbridled passion where members bleed their company colors. However, there are also departments where pride is sorely lacking. Hopefully, you are not in the latter group; we all should be proud of our volunteer fire department. From time to time, I’ve had firefighters from around the country reach out to me to discuss how to build pride and get their members to feel positive about their department and the service it provides.
Bona Pride
As I was sitting through the 2½-hour graduation ceremony, I was fixated on this Bona Pride phenomenon. I wondered about the secret to creating this pride. What maintains it? How is it passed from one class to the next? I was certain that whatever the answers, they could be applied to the fire service and we could take them back to our departments and use them to build and maintain pride that resonates among the entire membership, from all backgrounds and life experiences.
I asked my daughters and some of their friends to share St. Bonaventure University’s secrets for developing and maintaining such passionate school pride; indeed, their answers can be applied easily to our fire service and within our fire departments. First, they said they started to experience Bona Pride the minute they set foot on the campus during a visit with other high school students; they were treated with respect and greeted with friendliness. The tour guides could barely contain their excitement and enthusiasm for all the school had to offer.
When my daughters arrived as incoming freshmen, it mattered not where they came from or what led them there; they were simply welcomed into the Bona family in a warm and friendly way. As brand-new students, they were scared, nervous, and even slightly confused as to what was in store for them, but soon they all felt completely at ease, like family. Many students have told me that they knew that they belonged there from Day 1.
The upperclassmen acclimated the freshmen and answered their many questions. Even on “move-in day,” my family was greeted by friendly and helpful students who helped unload our car and lug box after box to the dorm room several floors up. The tone was set immediately; this was a school that welcomed and cared for its new students and visitors alike.
Setting the Tone
Do we set the tone in our fire departments? Are visitors greeted warmly and made to feel welcome? Do prospective members get an immediate impression that the organization is harmonious, professional, and caring? Do the firefighters passionately talk about how great it feels to belong to such an important, special group? And, do our departments welcome new members into the “family” in an organized manner? Do our senior members and department leaders help acclimate new members and get to know them and their families, likes, skills, and reasons for joining the department? The time used to gather this information is time well spent for establishing expectations and reviewing your department’s core values, time-honored traditions, and expected behaviors.
St. Bonaventure students, known as “Bonnies,” are reminded constantly that being a Bonnie is a big deal. They are a part of a special institution, and they have the right to be proud. However, they are also expected to behave a certain way and treat people with the respect and dignity they deserve—the ways in which students would want to be treated.
Reinforce how special it is to be a member of your hometown fire department. Just as St. Bonaventure students are reminded of how to act in certain ways, we can remind new members of how they are expected to act and carry themselves with a respectable demeanor. However, it’s imperative that our members then lead by example. Talk is cheap; actions matter. We can mentor and remind members of how we expect them to behave, but we must also live by the words we preach.
After the graduation ceremony, I stopped by a local pizzeria to get the proud graduates some much-needed food. I struggled to carry several sheet pizzas and bottles of soda out of the restaurant. I moved slowly out the door when two young men approached to assist me. I had no idea who they were, but there was no denying their affiliation with the school; they were proudly wearing their St. Bonaventure sweatshirts. They helped me carry the pizza and soda to the car and wished me well and went on their way. They walked the proud “Bona walk.”
Are we reminding our members (and ourselves) that we should walk the proud “fire department walk”? Are we behaving properly when in public, and are we treating everyone we meet with kindness and respect? Are we really conscious of the Maltese Cross that we wear and how it identifies us as firefighters and mandates appropriate behavior?
The students conveyed to me that contributing factors to their allegiance to St. Bonaventure were the teachers’ genuine concern for the students’ success and their dedication to helping them achieve it in any way necessary. It’s not uncommon for teachers to give students their personal phone numbers and encourage contacting them at any time for help and guidance. This was not limited to classroom learning, either; teachers helped many students navigate through the challenging situations happening in their personal life as well. Teachers clearly established expectations and ensured open lines of communication to help foster a protective, positive, and productive learning environment. Likewise, fire department leaders should show concern for members’ welfare, wanting them to excel and succeed. Who wouldn’t? This will lead the organization to excel and succeed as well—it’s a win-win.
This extends beyond the emergency scene. Never be too busy or disconnected to get to know your new members. Treat them with dignity and respect to make them feel as if the organization genuinely cares about them. Answer e-mails and other communication in a timely manner, and don’t make up answers when people have questions; if you don’t know the answer, find out and get back to that person quickly. If you say you are going to do something, do it. It’s caring and competent leadership, and it shows that you are committed to maintaining a positive and an open environment. It’s just another way to make your members feel included, comfortable, and special; this will create a strong allegiance to the fire department.
More Than Just Education
As with all colleges, the main focus for students is to gain a solid education. However, students point out that there is a focus on having fun as well. Sprinkled in among the stress of studying, exams, and term papers is a variety of activities designed to bring momentary distraction and allow them to take a break from the rigors of collegiate life.
Sporting events. Students will turn out in droves for sporting events to support the home team; often, family, friends, and proud alumni also descend on the city. Even school visitors are drawn into the excitement, cheering on the team, celebrating wins, and mourning losses. It’s also not uncommon to find teachers and school leaders mixed in with the crowd; they are never too busy or think too highly of themselves to spend some time with the students supporting their team in a fun-filled, occasionally crazy environment.
Picnics and station events. The fire service is a very serious business with periods of immense stress. However, just like the St. Bonaventure experience, we can bring fun and much-needed distractions to our membership through picnics, group outings, or hanging out at the firehouse. Open these events to all members and all ranks and tenures, and have department leaders attend. Members love to see a chief, a commissioner, or a president supporting the team and attending a family picnic. Perhaps they could even sit in a dunk tank or have an egg smashed in their hand during a family egg toss. It’s all about building a cohesive team and putting egos aside. The firehouse should be a place where people want to be. When I stop by the station, I love seeing people hanging out together. All department mottos should be “One Department, One Clique.”
Hanging out with friends or people their own age is acceptable and inevitable, but members shouldn’t avoid visiting the firehouse just because one particular group is there. Similar to the St. Bonaventure gathering spots, the firehouse should be a central gathering point where members can enjoy being together. All members—young, old, veterans, and probies—should be part of a true firehouse where everybody feels comfortable as if they are in their own home.
In addition, department leaders can demonstrate support for the membership by occasionally stopping into the department clubroom or social quarters to hear what the troops are talking about. As a leader, sit down with and actively listen to the members to hear their concerns or thoughts on any other issues. Whenever possible, offer solutions to their problems. Embrace open, honest, and clear communication. You will be amazed at how this can improve morale and improve how members feel about the organization. You can’t fix everything or do everything they want, but by simply being there and genuinely listening, you are demonstrating empathy and interest, and the members will feel supported by leadership.
Public spaces. Students look at “free time” as a time to have some relaxing fun. The St. Bonaventure campus features several cozy spots where the students gather and hang out together, play games, or just relax and watch television. Even if they choose to just hang out together in a dorm room, these gatherings foster a cohesive environment and allow students to get to know each other. It solidifies the St. Bonaventure bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood.
St. Bonaventure students have an incredibly strong sense of community because they understand that they are all there for the same reason. They support each other and work through difficult times, just as volunteer fire departments should. Similar to the students, we are there for the same purpose: to provide a service and help our community. We may stumble and navigate through difficult times, but we should count on the support of our fellow members and be there when in need. No college or fire department can survive without unity.
Embracing Tradition
Everywhere you go on the St. Bonaventure campus, you are reminded of the special people who have attended the school over the years. Many buildings display photos, stories, and memorabilia documenting the many legends and icons that once graced the campus. Some excelled academically. Some were skilled athletes. Some achieved fame later in life. Some contributed to the school’s growth and success. Some were military heroes. Some even sacrificed their life in defense of our nation. But they will never be forgotten. The memories, names, and stories are not allowed to fade into the past. Year after year, they remain for all to see, welcoming a new class of students, reminding them that the school’s proud and glorious present evolved through the generations of students who stood on the shoulders of giants from years past.
Do this at your firehouse. Every fire department has a story to tell, so get yours written down and preserved for future generations. It’s never too late to start. Even if there are gaps in history, record what you know now. Contact some former or retired (exempt) members and invite them to the firehouse for a meeting. You may have to visit them yourself, but meet with them to hear their stories, and record what they tell you. Once recorded, tell your department’s story by filling display cases with awards and walls with photographs. This will remind members and visitors alike that some special people belonged to the department, highlighting important events in your department’s history. Clean them up, reframe them, and get them on the wall or in the cases. Many departments do this, and it’s a wonderful tribute to those who served. Take it a step further and show off photos of the firefighters who may have only spent a few years at the department before moving on. Most importantly, accurately identify what is happening in the photos and to the people in them; these are the faces that tell the stories.
Also, ask members—past and present—to share photos they may have in their personal collections. Today’s technology allows for the digitizing of photos without altering the originals. Displaying photos, artifacts, and other memorabilia prominently throughout your firehouse quietly tells your department’s story and invokes pride among the ranks. As people wander the halls and go about their daily routine, these subtle reminders of firefighters who served before them tell their sacrifices and their stories. By doing so, today’s members will understand and appreciate their department’s shared legacy and proud and rich history.
When walking around the St. Bonaventure campus, you can see the school logo, featuring its wolf mascot, on nearly everything. Logos, mascots, and department slogans elicit pride; putting them on walls, podiums, articles of clothing, or nearly anything else can “fire up” a department’s pride. If your department has no logo, consider creating one and put it on your apparatus and throughout the firehouse. Recently, my department put our logo on chairs we purchased for our TV room, and the members loved them! Every single time the members are in the TV room, they see the logo, and their passion builds. Logos support pride; it’s a great return on an investment that costs next to nothing.
When your members wear a shirt that proudly displays the company logo and Maltese Cross, they feel as if they are part of a special organization. No matter where we are, that shirt is like a magnet that attracts other firefighters also wearing their department T-shirts. Conversations are struck and, soon, a new friend is made. It’s the same for St. Bonaventure students. A former student recounted to me how he was wearing his St. Bonaventure T-shirt at an overseas airport and was pounced on by a legion of current students studying abroad.
Passion and Pride Continued
The passion and pride shared by St. Bonaventure students continues long after graduation. The school hosts an alumni weekend, and graduates come back in droves. Although students are now scattered throughout the world, they still consider St. Bonaventure home. They eagerly come back to reminisce; see old friends; and, just as important, make new friends. They talk to the current students and, together, honor the past while talking about the exciting things going on at the school. This alumni base also gathers regularly in cities throughout the world; each year, additional alumni join even if they are not from the same class. To them, sharing the St. Bonaventure experience connects them all and lasts a lifetime; as they say, “Once a Bonnie, always a Bonnie.” Perhaps our expression should be, “Once a firefighter, always a firefighter.”
Much in the same way, we can welcome back former members into the firehouse and make them feel special and appreciated. If we preserve the memories of past members with photos and memorabilia, we can also show them that we have not forgotten their hard work and contributions that have brought today’s success. Welcoming past members back to the firehouse shows appreciation and exemplifies department loyalty. That loyalty is there for all current members to see, which will solidify department pride.
St. Bonaventure is a small school, one of the smallest Division I schools in the country. But Bona Pride runs deep, and every student will tell you that no matter where life’s travels take them, they will be forever grateful for the privilege to have attended St. Bonaventure University. Size does not matter for pride to run deep in your volunteer fire department, either. Learn from this St. Bonaventure experience because, like its students, staff, and alumni, your firefighters—past and present—as well as visitors should have that same passionate pride for their hometown volunteer fire department.
THOMAS A. MERRILL is a 36-year fire service veteran and a member of the Snyder Fire Department (SFD) in Amherst, New York, where he has served 26 years as a department line officer including 15 years in the chief officer ranks and chief of department from 2007-2012. Merrill is also a fire commissioner for the SFD and a full-time fire dispatcher for the Amherst (NY) Fire Alarm Office.
