A Quick Look At The Volunteer Fire Officer
We write a lot about leadership because the Chiefs and Company Officers play a large role in the success of a Volunteer Fire Department. I’m not trying to belittle the rest of the membership. It goes without saying if we didn’t have the regular membership comprised of Firefighters and support staff, we would have nothing. However, the membership needs a group of educated, experienced and mature leaders to manage the direction and culture of the department.
Whether your leaders are voted in by the membership or selected through a testing and interview process, it is important to make sure your leaders possess the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to hold the position. Unlike in most career departments where the Fire Officer is assigned a company and basically one “role” throughout their day, the Volunteer Fire Officer may find him or herself in a multitude of roles based on who shows up for the incident. Volunteer Fire Officers may find themselves driving, riding in the jump seat, on the nozzle, leading a crew or even running incident command. They need to be well rounded, ready to work in any role that is thrown their way.
It is extremely important that no matter how your Fire Officers are selected, that they are tested on their knowledge and physical ability before hand. Fire Officers should never be selected based on popularity or favoritism. Second to knowledge and physical ability come availability. The Volunteer Fire Officers needs to be available for more than answering calls. There are behind the scenes tasks that must be done. Many of these tasks are the ones full time Fire Chiefs are responsible for on Career Departments. Because we are Volunteer Fire Departments, these tasks are handed down to the Fire Officers. Tasks such as training, records, equipment ordering and inventory, vehicle inspections and certifications, building maintenance, grant writing and report writing are some of the few responsibilities that should be passed down to the Fire Officers.
Finding the right Fire Officer to do a specific task should be simple. Each Fire Officer has their own niche or specialty, use that to your ability. Empower them to take a task and make it their own duty throughout their career. Be careful not to reassign the same task to another officer without speaking to all involved first. There is no need to reinvent the wheel or double your work.
Though every Fire Officer may have their own niche or specialty, it is everyone’s responsibility to welcome new members, get to know everyone on your department on a personal and professional level and to represent your organization with the upmost professionalism. Your members rely on the Fire Officers to teach, lead and mentor. Don’t let your membership and your organization down.
