The Eight Truths of Fire/EMS

Photo by Lee Cannon.

By George McNeil

What makes a fire department? I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately as I find myself in search of a new home to which I can bring my experiences and knowledge, and I may have come up with some good answers to this question.

The fire service—much like the United States Special Operations forces—are looked at as the “best of the best.” Everyone wants to be a part of the team, but only a select few will be afforded the opportunity. The selection and qualification processes are unique and rigorous; candidates are tested in all facets to determine their suitability to be one of the best.

However, I have seen on the news recently how certain “big city” fire departments have been relaxing their standards so that more people can join the team. Stories like these make me scratch my head and wonder. Relaxing standards just so lesser qualified people can be part of the team is detrimental to the success of our mission.

With this in mind, here are the “Eight Truths of the Fire Service” that are key to the success of any organization. These eight truths are taken from the United States Special Operations Command’s “Five Truths for Special Operations Forces.” I have also included some points from my friend and colleague, retired Navy Seal Andy Stumpf, which I will include at the end of the article.

Truth #1: Humans are more important than hardware. People—not equipment—make the critical difference in the success of any organization. The right people, highly trained and working as a team, will accomplish the mission with the equipment available to them. On the other hand, the best equipment in the world cannot compensate for the lack of the right people.

Truth #2: Quality is better than quantity. A small number of people, carefully selected, well trained, and well led are preferable to large numbers of people, some of whom may not be up to the task. Mass hiring of large numbers of people in the hopes that you will get a handful to stick is the wrong way to approach the situation. You can expect a certain amount of attrition, but that can be easily mitigated.

Truth #3: Emergency response personnel cannot be mass produced. It takes years to develop and train firefighters and emergency service personnel to the level of proficiency needed to accomplish some of the difficult and often complicated tasks firefighters deal with daily. Rigorous training at the fire academy and in specialty schools is required to fully integrate competent emergency responders into the firehouse. Do not hasten this process in the interest of putting warm bodies in the seat. Ultimately, it will prove detrimental to the response capabilities of your organization.

Truth #4: Competent firefighters cannot be created after emergencies occur. We talked about the amount of time that it takes to create competent, fully mission-capable firefighters in Truth #3. Too many times, firefighters are killed in the line of duty because we fail train for a job that can kill us. We need to stop being reactionary and train like our lives depend on it, because they do!

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Truth #5: Most firefighting and emergency service operations are going to require non-Fire/emergency medical services (EMS) assistance. Operational effectiveness of fire companies and firefighters cannot be—and never has been—achieved without being enabled by our joint service partners. The support of the police department, victims’ advocates, dispatch, emergency managers are what make our operations run smoothly. Without these essential services backing us up, we would have a hard time doing our job.

(Author’s note: These first five truths of Fire/EMS can serve as a blueprint on which you can build a successful organization. Truths #6-8 are key to a successful organization, especially for the newly promoted leader. On completing this list, anyone who is in any leadership role can apply to an organization.)

Truth #6: A closed-minded mentality will kill an organization. This applies to anyone, whether you are the chief officer or just the senior guy. Although you may not realize that you may be closed-minded because you are unwilling to see it, it will happen—and then you’re going to be left needing bodies to fill seats. If you are in a leadership role, you have to be open to the exchange of new and different ideas, and you have to turn your people loose to work and solve problems with minimal supervision. Unwillingness to do so will be detrimental organizational effectiveness.

Truth #7: Managing isn’t leading. Managing an organization and leading an organization are two completely different things. Anyone can manage an organization; some manage better than others, but anyone can do it. Leading an organization takes the ability to understand people, how they think, what motives them, and how to motivate them around a common mission. Not everyone has “it,” but everyone can develop it through training, education, and experience.

Truth #8: Emergency service leaders are responsible for communication with and coordination of all their assets. This applies to anyone in a leadership role within fire/EMS. Bear in mind that leaders will have to pass up the chain of command—from operations personnel to command staff—a certain of amount communication. However, leadership can put out only so much information or their subordinates won’t know what to do with it all. Once you relinquish total control and let your personnel do the job for which they’ve been trained, you will be amazed at how successful they can be.

Once decisions are made—good or bad—you need to support your crews. They have access to information on the ground that you may not, and not supporting them will ultimately hurt you, them, and the entire organization.

George McNeil is a paramedic in southern Colorado and the founder of Fire Department Concepts, a training and education blog for firefighters and emergency responders. He has a decade of first responder experience and has served in every position from firefighter/medic to emergency manager. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from Columbia Southern University and a master’s degree in leadership from Grand Canyon University.