FireFighterNation

By Jane Jerrard
Published Wednesday, February 1, 2012 | From the February 2012 Issue of FireRescue

In November 2011, Ernest (Ernie) Mitchell Jr. was confirmed as the new U.S. Fire Administrator. A former president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Mitchell spent 33 years working in the fire service, and has been involved in numerous industry organizations since his retirement.

An Unexpected Start
Mitchell’s entry into the fire service was not what one might expect. As a 21-year-old engineering student looking for a stable full-time job, Mitchell applied for a position as an engineering aide at the Los Angeles Fire Department headquarters. Although the job primarily entailed mapping, he eventually became interested in firefighting through proximity, and several of the fire officers encouraged him to join the fire service. So he changed his major to fire science and started taking fire service tests. His first industry job was with the Stockton (Calif.) Fire Department, where he stayed for 20 years.

After that, he served as fire chief and deputy city manager for the City of Monrovia, Calif., and as fire chief and assistant director of disaster emergency services for the Pasadena (Calif.) Fire Department. He also served on a number of industry organization boards and committees, most noticeably as a member of the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Advisory Committee.

“All of my life experiences to date have helped prepare me for this position, at least to begin,” Mitchell says of his appointment. “I’ve worked at the city, county, state and federal levels, and held positions in nonprofit organizations at those levels as well. All that experience has helped me gain a perspective of how the fire service operates and what the issues are. Now I have a platform I can build on.”

Leadership Advice
When asked to list the qualities necessary for becoming a successful leader in the fire service, Mitchell rattles off many, including integrity, honesty, fairness, respect for others, self-confidence and self-evaluation. “These and other qualities come down to character,” he points out. “As a baseline, there are skills and knowledge that you have to have to be a leader—but without character, that can kind of fall apart.”

For firefighters who aspire to leadership roles, Mitchell advises, “First, you have to learn to follow. Take responsibility for your own actions, without a lot of excuses. Be an example, and keep learning. Leadership starts with technical training, but eventually it becomes more about talking to people and being part of a team.”

He points out that a commitment to one’s station and fellow firefighters shouldn’t impede other values. “You need to be loyal to the people you work with, but also to the community you serve, he says. “And don’t forget to take care of yourself and your family.”

Challenges Ahead
Like most firefighters, Mitchell is well aware of the issues that the fire service currently faces, particularly inadequate funding. “The evident [challenge] right now is tight resources. I’ve seen periods of tight resources before, and those times have always passed,” he says. “This one may go on longer than the previous times, but I believe we need to be prepared for new opportunities when they come around again—and they will. We need to keep a positive attitude, get by with what we’ve got right now and be ready for change when things open up.”

A similar challenge that Mitchell sees is the growing number of responsibilities undertaken by fire departments. From the evolution of incorporating full emergency medical services, to the addition of swiftwater and other technical rescues, Mitchell says, “There’s a real can-do attitude in the fire service, a willingness to take on new problems and challenges that no other area claims. As a result … we’ve been meeting a lot more external demands, but not necessarily with added resources. Today there’s more recognition of the fact that if we’re going to take on something new, we need the right tools, resources and funds to do things right. We need the ability to focus on what we do, and we need to use data to quantify new needs.”

Mitchell also notes a third challenge: “What I’ve seen is we can succumb to the temptation of being good. Instead, we have to keep looking forward and striving to do better.”

Short-Term Goals
Mitchell points out that, once confirmed as fire administrator, he needed to immediately set some short-term goals for himself, since his position may end if President Obama is not re-elected, which would give him little more than a year to make a difference. “First, I need to give my full support to the Fire Administration staff and strategic plan, and make sure we stay on target and achieve results,” he says. “[The USFA has] an excellent strategic plan that was developed several years ago, and an ongoing mission and goals.”

Those goals revolve around what are termed four “stars” of the USFA—data collection and analysis; public education and awareness; applied research; and training. Mitchell explains that a fifth star was added after the USFA was moved into FEMA—a focus on providing technical assistance related to emergency response. “I’d like to [have the USFA] become a more active partner in FEMA’s emergency response arena,” he says. “We can play a bigger role in response and preparation, even at the community level.”

Mitchell’s other main focus will be on positioning the USFA to save more lives, including first responders, firefighters and civilians. “We’ve brought the number down over the years, but we need to analyze our data and look at new, innovative ways of saving those populations at risk, whatever they are and where they are,” he says. “We’ll also focus on reducing line-of-duty deaths and injuries. We’re moving in the right direction on this, and will continue to do so.”

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  Jane Jerrard

  Jane Jerrard lives in Chicago and writes regularly for FireRescue magazine. Read Full Bio

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