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Devyn Espedal
Via E-Mail
When Getting the Job Isn’t Really Getting the Job
I was hired in 2006 as a full-time firefighter EMT in a small-to-medium-sized department. I had spent four years as a volunteer and a part-time employee. My department had—and still has—an average of 28 full-time firefighters, and we run about 2,400 calls per year. Based on national averages, each of our three shifts runs about six to eight fires per year. I worked hard on probation and finished all the required evaluations and tests to complete my first year and stay employed. After probation, I didn’t do much else. I had no fire or passion to do anything but the minimum, and complacency was the accepted norm.
I’m not bashing my department; we are spectacular at running EMS calls, and our CPR and high-performance CPR have always been amazing—but on the fire side, not so much.
In my early days, after every fire, our chief was quick to point out that the fires were a success if no one from the department got injured and if the fire didn’t spread to any exposures. Most of the fires I had experience on, regardless of whether they were room-and-contents or fully involved fires on arrival, ended with only the foundation left. We didn’t save anything. And to me, that didn’t matter: It was a fire, and I did firefighter things just like in the movies.
I was a lazy firefighter but didn’t care. I had the T-shirt and the sticker on my vehicle. I told people I was a firefighter and was proud of it. My issues stemmed from the fact that I was hired late in life, had a bit of a chip on my shoulder, and hadn’t accomplished much of anything; I was 36. I had a wife, three kids, and a mortgage. I took a huge pay cut but the schedule, promise of more money, and a retirement motivated me to make the change. I immediately had to take a second job to try and make up the difference and that probably contributed to my lack of knowledge or desire to improve my skills. Firefighting was a job. I didn’t love it and some days I didn’t even like it, but it was security.
Fast-forward to April 2017, when I was sent to FDIC. I went because my training officer thought it would be a good idea since I was leading training events. It was like nothing I had experienced before; it was massive. With so many firefighters and so much going on, it was tough to figure out what to do. I attended mostly classes on how to run training events and how to do different drills, but I didn’t know who any of the instructors were and I didn’t have any idea of who I should go see or who the bigger players were. I was also only there because I was told to be. I was still in the mindset that firefighting was the same everywhere and I knew what I needed to know.
The one class that stood out was the preconference workshop “How to Be a Better Instructor,” taught by Lieutenant Steve Crothers from the Seattle (WA) Fire Department. It was really good, but it was running into him on the street after the class that had an impact. I thanked him for the class, and he asked if he could have lunch with me to talk about the class. I was shocked. Here was this person who just presented a four-hour class at the largest conference in the world, and he wanted to know what I thought of his class—me, an actual nobody.
That interaction stuck with me. It was one of the main motivators for me to want to try and become a company officer. To test for an officer position, I would need to get some certifications to fulfill the requirements, specifically Officer 1. I had been doing this for 11 years, and I knew what I was doing, so why did I need a class? I took the class and quickly threw it aside; I had the requirement I needed. In my first 11 years, with the exception of FDIC, this was the only thing I did that was considered extra.
In February 2018, I attended my first local fire conference. I only went because it was close to me, I had nothing else going on, my department was going to pay for it, and I got days off work for free! That is when I was handed the “Red Pill.”
The 2018 Portland Firemanship Conference kicked me in the face. Here I was, sitting in the audience, just waiting for the class part to be over so I could go hang out at a random bar. Cody Trestrail walked onstage and everything changed. I was mesmerized as I listened to Curt Isakson, Aaron Fields, Paul Capo, Shannon Stone, and Arthur Ashley. They were passionate and knowledgeable, and they talked about firefighting in a way I had never been exposed to before. The three days of lecture were followed by two days of the class “Nozzle Forward.” Talk about a one-two punch! I had no idea there was that much to know about flowing water.
I was instantly hit with the realization of how poorly I had been doing my job for 11 years. I also realized how little I knew about a job where I was considered a professional. I wasn’t even at rookie level; I was the greenest of the green. I had been a poser for my entire fire career. To make it worse, I was the person who did the training for our volunteers and new part-time employees. I was teaching the way I learned, which, after these five days, was clearly “old school.” I decided right then I would be better, I would learn more, and I would attempt to make others come with me.
The following Monday, I addressed my academy class and apologized. I told them how I had been doing them a disservice and I would be better. We did “Nozzle Forward” hose movement the entire week and followed that up with other information I had learned. I have spent every day since attempting to be better and learn new tips and tactics.
I went from doing nothing to doing everything. I worked hard to get certifications to learn and get better, not just to get the certificate. I went back to college and earned a second bachelor’s degree in fire administration. I attended local conferences every chance I could.
I went back to FDIC in 2022 and 2023, and each time was a completely different experience from the first time. I started a F.O.O.L.S. chapter in 2019 to fill a need in my area, and I joined the F.O.O.L.S. International Eboard in 2022. I have met and become friends with some of the biggest figures in the fire service, and I am still in awe of their knowledge and experiences.
My department has changed with the times. We keep room-and-content fires contained. We have many passionate firefighters who are working hard to get better. We no longer do things based on the past but make equipment and tactical decisions based on modern ideas and techniques. The culture has changed for the better. I can only hope that I had a small part in making that happen. I am now the training officer and I still work for my former training officer, who is now the assistant chief.
My second dose of the “Red Pill” came at two different times at two different conferences in 2022. The first time was when I attended FDIC. I was heading to a class when I saw a national speaker standing by himself in the hallway. I took a chance and approached him just to say hi. We ended up talking for about 30 minutes. The discussion was mostly about his frustrations and insecurity on how his classes were being received. I was in shock.
This was a well-respected, big-fee-commanding national speaker, and he was expressing some of the same feelings I have when I teach high school fire cadets. My perception was that the FDIC instructors were confident 24/7. I couldn’t think of anything besides that interaction all day.
That evening, I found his contact information and sent an e-mail telling him how much I got from his classes and his message. I told him how I looked up to him and how I looked forward to seeing him present every chance I could. I ended the message with my contact information and figured he would never see it because it would go through some screening process and he must get hundreds of e-mails all the time.
Imagine my complete shock when he texted me the next day thanking me for my e-mail and support—not an impersonal e-mail but a text from his personal cell phone. We have texted back and forth since then, and I feel lucky to consider him my friend.
The second time was when I was sitting on a nearly full bus to go on a fire department tour as an event during a conference. I was asked by a firefighter if he could take the seat next to me. Of course I said yes, and he sat down. He introduced himself and told me how his F.O.O.L.S. chapter president had challenged everyone in the chapter attending to meet someone they respected. Thinking back to the first story, I told him I thought that was a great idea and asked him who he was going to approach. He said, “You.” I was floored. Who was I that anyone would seek me out? We had a great conversation, and now I am excited every time I run into him.
You never know what people need or how they are going to respond. The best you can do is stay motivated, positive, and moving forward. We owe this profession passion and accountability. I’m writing this to motivate myself to go farther, to let people know that inspiration can come when least expected, and in the hopes that someone who needs a boost will get it from this.
I got my job in December 2006, but I didn’t “GET” my job until February 2018. And I vow to work every day to keep getting it.
Dana Larkin
Lieutenant/Training Officer
Camano Island (WA) Fire & Rescue
