VOLUNTEERS CORNER | By THOMAS A. MERRILL
During this time in history, it is easy to be cynical and dispirited by the world’s events. We constantly hear how different (and inferior) the world is today compared to years past, and we are often reminded that it’s a mean-spirited and nasty world. Unfortunately, news events often support this attitude.
- Be a Professional in a Volunteer Fire Department
- The Mutual-Aid Plan: More Than Words on Paper
- Earning the Title ‘The Professional Volunteer’
- Delivering a Successful Training Drill Presentation
Well, here, the fire service can again come to the rescue, serving as a reminder that there are still good people within it, people who can be counted on to exemplify honesty, integrity, empathy, and honor. These traits are often associated with firefighters because most departments enjoy a long and honorable history within their communities.
However, we cannot let down our guard. We must teach those joining our ranks just how important it is to remain in the public’s good graces and never do anything to damage this well-deserved reputation; sometimes, we also need to remind ourselves or even veteran members within our organization. Because we are often so busy and consumed by other duties and tasks in the volunteer firehouse [including regular fire and emergency medical services (EMS) training drills], this leaves little time to cover other topics or give any thought to this type of discussion.
There are things we can all do to ensure we are personally upholding the honor and integrity associated with our “firefighter” title and as a fire service representative. I refer to this as personal professional development. Much like professional businesses deliver professional development training for their employees, volunteer firefighters should receive this as well to help them earn and maintain that badge of being a professional volunteer firefighter. This training does not need to be graduate level or “rocket science.” The traits of being a true professional are under our direct control. As such, concentrating on personal traits helps members become recognized as professional firefighters. Then, by extension, their volunteer fire department will be recognized as a professional operation.
Spreading the Word
Over the years, I have spoken to firefighters from around the country on how best to deliver professional service and act as a true professional. Developing, displaying, and maintaining a professional image and reputation are the duty and responsibility of all firefighters—paid and volunteer. However, after 40 years of service, I have based my ideas and recommendations strictly on my volunteer fire service observations.
Many people have recommended that I retitle my presentations by removing the word “volunteer” because my ideas and thoughts apply universally among our ranks. After all, as I say in the title, the professional image is the duty and responsibility of both the paid and volunteer services. However, I won’t change the title and remove the word “volunteer” because I don’t want to give the impression that I am trying to be something I am not.
I have also occasionally received feedback and even criticism that volunteers in no way, shape, or form can be considered “professional” because that word can only mean it is your vocation or you are receiving a paycheck. However, there are numerous definitions listed for the word “professional,” and many of them have no mention of the almighty paycheck.
My message to volunteers is for us all to concentrate on each definition of the word “professional” over which we have direct personal control. No matter the department’s size, number of runs to which it responds, budget, or age of equipment, we can still strive to be professional volunteer firefighters.
Eight Tips for Success
Let’s embark on a personal professional development program to ensure that we are always serving honorably and continue to provide a level of service that our communities have come to expect from us. When we do that, we are also showing our community residents that all is not bad in the world and there are still very good people in it. Following are eight suggested curriculum tips for the professional volunteer, all of which are under our personal control.
Tip #1: Situational awareness. We are constantly reminded that we are living in a different world, one that is also different for our volunteer fire service. We are open to scrutiny like never before, and the public is not so quick to forgive indiscretions or behavioral issues simply because the offenders are volunteers. The damage caused by misbehaving volunteers can be long lasting. All the years of serving in the public’s good graces can be undone in an instant and can cause them to look at us with suspicion and discern for years to come. It may be easier to prevent damage than to repair it; remember, many are also recording everything we do. Photos and videos of potential misdeeds are often posted to the Internet quickly and, once in the public domain, they are there forever.
Maintaining a strong sense of situational awareness is a great way to protect both a volunteer firefighter and the department’s reputation of professionalism. Some will argue that we need not worry about what the public thinks. However, we need the public as much as they need us, and professional volunteers must know it is their solemn duty to protect the reputation of the fire service as well as the honor and integrity often associated with the title of “firefighter.”
Tip #2: Never stop training. Professional volunteers support and attend training drills. We cannot walk into a firehouse filled with all sorts of expensive and intricate equipment and pretend to be ready. Firefighters do not wear costumes, and the emergency scene is not “the land of make believe.” My paid job is working as a fire dispatcher at the alarm office. Never once has somebody called for help and asked for a paid fire department response or a volunteer fire department response. People just call and say, “Send help!” There is no 912. We are all they have, and we need to be trained and ready to go.
Firefighting is the ultimate team sport, and when members train together, they limit the potential for dysfunction and sloppiness. No doubt, this leads to better coordination and a spirit of teamwork on scene. During training, members of all ages and experience levels grow accustomed to working together and developing a healthy respect for each other. Training together also limits cliques and internal strife. If possible, assemble the group after the training drill and enjoy a meal together. Most likely, great conversations and even some friendly bantering will strike up across the generations, leading to a professional, cohesive atmosphere within the organization.
Quite often in the volunteer fire service, there is a notion that the more years a member has, the less training he needs. Many departments are lowering the training hour requirements for senior members. Training is probably the most important part of a volunteer membership. Yes, you have other duties and requirements, but we are all volunteering in a business that can get you seriously injured or killed. In our business, a Super Bowl victory is successfully handling the emergency call and bringing everyone home safe and sound. Choosing to attend drills and training events helps us achieve this.
Tip #3: Never stop learning. Along with training, professional volunteers should be interested in the fire service. Why would somebody volunteer for something and not be interested in it? I may be speaking to the choir here, but our members must understand that if you’re not staying on top of fire service news and events, you are letting not only yourself down but your fellow members and the citizens you serve as well. All true professionals stay updated and read about their chosen profession, so always spend a few minutes each day learning about some event in our fire service world. One way to do this is to subscribe to and read industry journals and online content.
Also of great benefit would be to leave your “personal bubble” and attend live, in-person fire service events as well as conferences and seminars. There is no shortage of local, regional, and state programs that are often free or relatively inexpensive to attend; this includes national conferences as well. All these options present a tremendous opportunity for a volunteer to not just learn but also network with peers and industry leaders as well. You will be able to exchange ideas and learn from the successes as well as the mistakes of others. Chances are you will meet someone there who is experiencing a similar situation or problem you are dealing with, and you can share mutual advice. If nothing else, every time you attend a fire service event, you will walk away having made a bunch of new friends. You cannot replicate those experiences online. Being interested in the fire service is under no one else’s control except your own.
Tip #4: Dress like a professional. Appearance certainly affects a firefighter’s professional reputation. It is understandable that, as volunteers, we respond to calls while we are working around the house or doing something else that might not have us looking all that neat or clean. We cannot wear uniforms all day just in case we get alerted to a call. However, there are ways we can identify ourselves as firefighters and present a more professional appearance to citizens as well as other responding agencies alike (such as law enforcement).
One way to quickly cover up and present a decent appearance on scene is to keep a department T-shirt, sweatshirt, or jacket in your vehicle. In addition, some members don their turnout pants to cover up bathing suits, gym shorts, or tattered jeans—even at EMS calls. Also, ask your firefighters to wear a department job shirt, T-shirt, or other department clothing when attending official functions or training drills. If a call comes in, a more professional-looking crew will certainly be responding.
If your volunteer department is like mine, there is no shortage of T-shirts and job shirts, which are a great way to advertise our departments and profession. However, what do those shirts say? What image do they portray? Can they be considered professional with a neat, clean logo? Or do they show some type of disparaging comment or drawing? It is bad enough to wear these shirts out in public, but what if you respond to and show up at someone’s house wearing it? This does not portray a professional image and may actually diminish the confidence people have in our abilities, leading them to believe we lack compassion and concern for their problem. We must understand that, when a call comes in or we are attending a detail or function representing our department, we are considered as being on duty. Looking clean and easily identifiable as a firefighter creates a respectable and professional image.
Tip #5: Maintain a proper social fitness decorum. What is “social fitness”? To explain, I will borrow the line used by Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart to define pornography in 1964: “I know it when I see it.” It’s the same with proper social fitness—you just know it when you see it. Proper social fitness etiquette is closely related to appropriate behavior, meaning you treat people with respect, kindness, and empathy. Sometimes lost in our hard-charging firefighter world is the fact that somebody is having a really bad day when we arrive; although we may think it’s not a big deal or it’s a waste of our time, we must still maintain proper social fitness decorum and be respectful and polite to those counting on our help. Even if the situation is out of our realm of care or service, we can and should always treat people with kindness. It’s not too much to ask of a professional first responder.
We can attend conferences, seminars, and trade shows; look at millions of dollars worth of gear and equipment; and learn new and innovative ways to do the job, but when all is said and done, the public we serve will simply remember how they were treated. They will never know or care that you used that new nozzle or truck for their emergency. In the end, all they remember is that you showed up, took care of their problem, and were nice to them. In words of the late, legendary Chief (Ret.) Alan Brunacini, “Be nice.” Each action and every word you utter is done as a firefighter. Every time you are out in public, every community event you attend, you are representing your fire department. Like it or not, how you act impacts the reputation and professional image of your department and yourself as a professional firefighter.
At a fire scene, show compassion, and refrain from overzealous behavior. Sometimes, as volunteers, we often get more help at the scene than we might need. Maybe four or five members are needed on the interior to perform EMS work, and the other responding members assemble outside, ready to help, if needed. How do we expect these members to behave? Are they laughing and joking around in full view of the patient, concerned family members, and neighbors? It is understandable that firefighters will make random conversation as they stand around ready to assist, but they must also understand that their behavior impacts the department’s reputation.
When mopping up and overhauling, laughing loudly, joking, and even swearing while someone is having a really bad day presents anything but a professional image. Sometimes, it’s the simplest things that equate to the kindest gestures such as putting furniture back, cleaning up discarded waste, and conducting a careful salvage and overhaul. The victims’ belongings should be as important to us as they are to them. You don’t know the value something has to a resident. This extends to the lost art of salvage. It may be because of the limited staffing available today, but we should reintroduce salvage at training drills and at the fire scene and assign crews to take care of peoples’ property and treat it as their own.
Also remember that our actions and conversations are easily recorded on home security camera systems, too. At FDIC International 2022, a class attendee told me how his department suffered an embarrassing moment when a group of firefighters standing on the street outside a medical call had their very inappropriate conversation picked up on the resident’s doorbell security system. Be careful. Be appropriate.
Off-duty behavior is important and impacts a department’s reputation. Once somebody knows you are a firefighter, you are a firefighter 24/7, and that elevates you to a higher standard. Let’s work together to uphold the standard. Remember, proper behavior and social fitness etiquette apply in house, too. There is absolutely no room in today’s fire service for bullying, hazing, sexism, racism, or any other “ism” of any kind. If we witness any of this, as professionals, we must step in and stop it immediately. Do not let a “social club” persona be more prevalent than the very professional persona we want to showcase.
I am not against having fun in the firehouse. As volunteers, we must encourage members to want to be at the firehouse and enjoy their time while there. However, we must understand the boundaries that are acceptable organizational behavior. Nobody else controls your behavior or how you choose to treat others; it is under your own personal control.
Tip #6: Exercise proper social media etiquette. Every day, examples exist of people making poor decisions with social media. In our line of work, improper use costs people their careers; even postings by volunteer firefighters can have bad consequences. Professional volunteers should always think before posting, putting their departments first, and do nothing to bring shame or embarrassment to them.
Don’t air your “dirty laundry” on social media platforms. It’s inevitable that we will have a conflict or disappointment at some point within the walls of our volunteer firehouse; it happens in every organization and is not limited to the volunteer fire service. However, the public does not need to know or care about how the by-law change you wrote and lobbied for did not pass, nor does it need to know about passionate discussions going on within your boardroom or how your favored candidate did not win a recent election. Everyone is dealing with issues, challenges, and problems at work and in their life, too. Taking to the keyboard may make you feel better, but it does no good for your personal or professional reputation.
Remember, too, that posting, even as a private citizen, can impact your personal and departmental reputation. Choosing to make disparaging remarks and comments about businesses, services, or people easily associated with you as a firefighter is not a good look and not what a true professional does.
This brings up another point: Let’s say you are standing in line somewhere and notice the person next to you is sporting the iconic Maltese cross. We may exchange a warm hello and, before you know it, engage in a lengthy conversation with someone who, just moments ago, was a total stranger. It’s one of the things we love about the fire service, right? So, why then do so many in our ranks love to take to the keyboard and criticize—sometimes mercilessly—our fellow brothers and sisters? There are members out there who are just waiting to pounce when a firefighter or fire department has a “bad day at the office” or makes a mistake (or a perceived one anyway). Who out there has never made a mistake or been involved in an incident where not everything went according to plan?
If you find yourself watching a video or looking at photos that show something going wrong, learn from it. However, do not lash out and attack another firefighter or agency. Doing so may make a “keyboard warrior” feel better about himself, but it does nothing for our fire service. No professional responds this way. So, share information in house and discuss it in a proactive and respectful manner among your crews and department. Ask them how you might do things differently. How would your standard operating procedures apply? Taking to the keyboard to make disparaging remarks and, in some cases, vicious attacks on fellow firefighters goes against everything we stand for the fire service, so stop the trolling and senseless attacking and take advantage of all the great online information and platforms by using them appropriately. True professionals don’t “troll”; this is most definitely under your personal control.
Tip #7: Embrace teamwork and mutual respect. I don’t pay attention to the so-called “generational divide” or listen to those who say the new generation will never make it as firefighters. Every generation thinks the world is doomed because the generation coming up behind them is horrible. Get over yourself and teach the new generation to be great firefighters.
At a recent conference, I heard a veteran lamenting about how one new firefighter couldn’t contribute to the house fund because she never carried cash and paid for everything electronically. Another veteran said that his new members refer to screwdrivers as “plus” and “minus” instead of “flathead” and “Phillips head.” Oh, the horror! What about when need to scan a bar code to read a menu at a restaurant? I have certainly fumbled around awkwardly trying to use my phone and complained about the lack of an old-fashioned paper menu. Then, a young person, exactly the type we like to complain about, will reach over, grab the phone, scan the menu code, and hand the phone back to us before we can even take a breath. This clearly illustrates to me that each of us can extend mutual respect to one another and understand the strengths and weaknesses each of us brings to the table. As the new firefighters can teach us how to scan a menu, we can teach them the parts of the job we know and need them to understand. At the same time, new members should be receptive to sage advice and information; that mutual respect is the trait of any professional.
Tip #8: Respect your department’s history, customs, and traditions. Most, if not all, volunteer fire departments have a rich and vibrant history. The departments were founded by regular citizens, often pitching in their own money, muscle, and equipment to build the firehouse and purchase necessary supplies. They demonstrated incredible determination and resilience. They ran countless picnics, field days, and various other events to help build the treasury. They fought fires with little to no turnout gear, cotton hose, and primitive tools. The stories are endless, entertaining, and colorful. However, many firefighters today don’t know or appreciate their agency’s rich history. True professionals should understand where their organizations came from as well as the efforts that were put forth to build those organizations.
However, a true professional volunteer firefighter does more than simply know the stories; he appreciates them as well. He gazes upon the old photos in his firehouse or talks with a former member whose shoulders he stands on. He recognizes that yesterday’s members contributed to today’s successes and understands how former members built and passed on that strong legacy entrusted to those serving today. One way to show appreciation is to attend department wakes and funerals. Although you may have not known the deceased member, a professional still attends. This type of respect is the proper way to honor those who came before.
Show Your Pride
Appreciating the department’s customs, traditions, and storied legacy also helps build pride in the department and is something the professional volunteer firefighters should exhibit. You may have many reasons to be proud, but every now and then, take a step back and truly marvel at what you are a part of. Who doesn’t want to be proud of their agency? You can personally choose to ignore the story written in your agency. You personally can cast aside the contributions made by those who served before you. However, true professionals don’t do that! A true professional understands and appreciates the proud legacy that has been entrusted to him and ensures that he never brings dishonor to his department or the title of “firefighter.”
It’s imperative that today’s firefighters understand it is their responsibility to uphold the well-deserved, honorable, and untarnished reputation that firefighters and the fire service enjoy. A personal professional development program encompassing these eight professional traits can help ensure that this reputation continues on into the next generation. And, in today’s mean-spirited and nasty world, the fire service can continue to serve as a reminder to all that there are still good people among us.
THOMAS A. MERRILL is a 41-year member of the Snyder Fire Department in Amherst, New York. He served 26 years as a department officer, including 15 years in the chief officer ranks and five years as chief of department. He has conducted various fire service presentations throughout the Western New York area as well as at FDIC International. He also is a fire dispatcher for the Amherst Fire Alarm Office.
