6 Ways to be a high-performing firefighter
I have put together a list of six key points in order to make yourself a high-performing firefighter. These aren’t the only points that could be brought up, but these are things that stand out in my mind. I’m sure collectively we could all come up with a lot more.
1. Pay Your Dues
Don’t become a member of a fire department and expect to become instantly respected, promoted or accepted. The culture of the fire service almost always dictates that we pay our dues.
What does it mean to pay your dues? When you are in your probationary period, it means keeping your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut. It means being the first to pick up a brush and wash the trucks. It’s being the first to sweep & mop the floors and take out the trash. There is no excuse for a probationary member to not help clean up after a call or to not be the first to jump. This shows the other members that you have the ability to lead yourself and potentially hold a leadership position in the fire department in the future.
Paying your dues doesn’t stop when your probationary period ends. Paying your dues also includes gaining experience at calls, sitting in on committees, creating programs by being a self-starter and putting in the work that keeps the organization running.
If you haven’t been front and center at fundraising events, trainings or incidents, you have not paid your dues yet.
One thing to also remember, if you possess a boatload of certificates but don’t have the experience behind you to back those certificates, don’t expect to be the first in line for a promotion. Put in the time like other candidates have. One thing that I have always believed in, is seniority sucks until you have some. Seniority should absolutely play a role in promotions, just the same as certifications should. But, they must be both, not one or the other.
2. Be Prepared
When you are sitting at home and the tones drop for a call, are you absolutely ready to respond? Are you prepared mentally and physically? Are you prepared with the right equipment? Do you have the proper training? Do you know where you’re going? Becoming prepared is a task that we should all be focusing on. This isn’t restricted to volunteers or on-call members or career members.
What do you have with you for equipment? Do you have the proper tools with you to self-rescue or to rescue others? What do you carry in your personal vehicle? If you are on an organization that allows you to respond direct to the scene, are you prepared to be the first arriving firefighter? Having a fire extinguisher of some sort with you can surely help in any fire situation. I’ve seen firefighters knock down quite a bit of fire with personally owned water cans or dry-chemical extinguishers. Do you have brush fire equipment with you? Think about what you may be able to accomplish while waiting for the apparatus to show up at a brush or grass fire if you had a forestry rake with you. A lot of departments have large coverage areas where many of the members can get to well before the apparatus show up.
Are your batteries charged in your flashlights and your portable radios? Do you have proper cold weather gear? Is your POV fueled and ready to go?
I carry a personal Halligan tool in my truck. It was given to me as a wedding party gift a few years back. It comes in very handy if I am first on the scene of a vehicle accident. It also serves as a great tool for personal protection in the event I become in a situation where my life is in danger because of someone trying to harm me at a call.
Do you know where you’re going? It’s critical that we know our district inside and out. Knowing the hazards, where your hydrants are and so on will make you better prepared. Listen to Podcast Episode 041 for more on this.
Being mentally and physically ready to respond is critical. Obviously, are you sober? We shouldn’t be responding to calls if we are under the influence of any substance. Are you well rested? Yes, adrenaline can take care of that most of the time, but adrenaline only really helps with your energy. It doesn’t help very much when it comes to decision making. If we aren’t well rested we may find ourselves in tunnel vision. Tunnel vision restricts our ability for situation awareness.
3. Be Vigilant
Today’s society is becoming more and more dangerous for first responders. We need to be making sure we are not getting ourselves into a situation where we could be hurt or even killed. We train a lot on situational awareness when it comes to fire behavior, building construction, power lines and other hazards. These are very important things that we should all be brushing up on. But are we truly staying as vigilant as we should on the scene? Are we taking that deep breath first to release the adrenaline? Are we using all of our senses to learn what is going on?
Be vigilant friends. Taking the necessary steps to making yourself more alert will save you. Every time I enter a building, whether it’s a home or a business, for a call, I always discipline myself to look at my surroundings. It doesn’t matter what the call is. It could be a medical call, a fire alarm or anything really. When you enter a home or business always keep your head on a swivel. For one, it helps to know the layout of the building in case you need to evacuate quickly. And two, you never know what dangers could be lurking.
4. Adapt & Overcome
As firefighters we are always faced with the unknown. We can set up pre-plans and train every day, but nothing is constant in the fire service. Things always change course. Nothing is routine. If we can develop the ability to adapt and overcome when things change, we’ll be better Firefighters. We want to be ready for split second changes. We want to be prepared to solve problem after problem without a single hiccup.
We also don’t want to be the senior guy who refuse to change the way we do things. Now, I truly believe in traditions and that some traditions need to remain in order for our individual department cultures to thrive. But when new technology comes out and new studies are released, we need to be open minded and willing to adapt to the changes.
5. Provide Value
Don’t be mediocre. Every one of us has a talent. We each have one or more things we excel in. Be sure to take that talent and put it to good use within your organization. By providing value, you are becoming more than an average firefighter.
What kind of value can you provide? Well, the very first thing we all provide is our time. Time is a hot commodity right now. But after a while we wont be able to hold time itself as an acceptable offering. We will want to bring more to the table. What is your expertise?
Always be looking to enhance your education. Attend classes and training seminars. Bring what you’ve learned back to your organization. There are training seminars literally everywhere.
Providing value makes you stand out from the others, and in a good way. Be that firefighter.
6. Possess Integrity
The final thing on my list, possessing integrity, is in my opinion one of the most valuable things you can provide to your organization. If you have integrity, you will become very respected within your organization. You’ll also be trusted. Trust is critical within the fire service for obvious reasons.
Having integrity means you hold personal values, you’re honest and you don’t cheat the system. You earn your way. You’ve paid your dues and did it the acceptable way, through education, experience and hard work.
Don’t be the one who feels entitled and believes he or she is the all high and mighty of your organization. Don’t be the one to whine, beg and manipulate their way to a promotion. Having integrity means you aren’t putting your own best interest first. If means you’re allowing yourself to be part of the entire organization. You’re allowing yourself to play a significant role in the big picture, the grand vision of the organization. Yes, we need to take care of ourselves first, but we can’t do it to an extent that others are left behind.
Firefighting is the ultimate team sport. There is no “I” in team. Without integrity, you’re leaving that team behind. Or worse, putting it in danger.
