Professionalism: The fact that you are a paid firefighter does not make you a professional. The fact that you are a volunteer firefighter does not make you a professional. You become a professional only when you exhibit on the emergency incident scene those skills that you have acquired over the years from experience, study and training at local, state and national training centers. Your conduct on and off the emergency incident scene is, and will be, the yardstick by which your superiors and the public judge you and the organization you represent. That judgment will precede you everywhere you go in the form of … your reputation!
When the public calls 9-1-1, they do not care if we are paid or volunteer, white or black, or green or purple or pink for that matter. The want and need our help and it is our job to meet or exceed the expectations of our customers every time we go out the door.
For the most part, the people we serve are uninformed about who provides fire and rescue services within their community or what it takes to provide those services. They also do not believe that they are ever going to need the services we provide. But the costs of providing such essential services in terms of money, time, energy–and even lives–are great. Fire and rescue apparatus and equipment are expensive. But these things aren’t what provide the services that our communities depend upon. It is, after all, firefighters. I’ve never seen a fire engine drive itself out of a station, tag a hydrant and then stretch a line into a burning building.
Ask any member of your community what they think about firefighters and the overwhelming response will be positive. Still, when it comes time to support fire and emergency services in communities protected by volunteer firefighters, only 30% of the community typically contributes through voluntary fundraising efforts. That means that 100% of the community is receiving essential services paid for by 30%–hardly equitable.
Career vs. Volunteer
I’m not advocating that the United States nationalize the fire service or work toward an all-paid system. This country was born out of a tradition of volunteerism when an all-volunteer army beat back a well-funded and far better trained (and paid) British army. Yet I cannot envision that the members of that all-volunteer army under the leadership of George Washington held bake sales or chicken barbeques or carnivals to raise money to buy muskets or ammunition or black powder.
Perhaps the most troubling point about the volunteer fire service isn’t that it’s in danger of becoming extinct because of a lack of individuals willing to serve, or because demands for better training or annual physicals are being considered. Rather, it’s that the volunteer fire service is being crushed under the weight of being required to fund itself. There are tremendous misperceptions that “volunteer” means free. There is nothing free about providing fire protection to a community. And it should not fall to those who are actually risking their lives for free to fund themselves at the same time.
Having said that, leaders in the volunteer fire service need to let go of some of the traditions that date back to the Revolutionary War, including the mantra “Live Free or Die.” Too often, the biggest impediment to meaningful dialogue is an unreasonable expectation that financial support be given without corresponding accountability.
Seek Community Support
So here we are at the crossroads of ensuring essential services and finding a way to fund them. And we are all standing here together–political leaders, customers and firefighters. I hold a substantial respect for individuals who accept the challenge to become an elected official or a city/town manager. As much as they look to us and think, “I could never do that,” I feel the exact same way about their job.
Mutual respect for each other’s position can yield tremendous results. To the fire service leaders reading this article: You should clearly define the costs of protecting the quality of life that your residents enjoy so that your elected and appointed officials, armed with accurate information, can solicit and gain the support required to cover those costs. Such solutions can include a dedicated levy equitably distributed across the entire community, with collected funds set aside for apparatus purchases, equipment maintenance and facilities. It can also include mergers and consolidation.
It’s important to remember that while professionalism has nothing to do with pay status, it is not free. I’m continually struck by the stunning lack of support communities show toward their firefighters when they don’t question the costs associated with funding our brothers in law enforcement. It is our responsibility to change. We must work cooperatively and look beyond the past to see our future. Our communities should support us in every way possible so that we can answer their call. Sit down, have a discussion, develop a plan and then follow it. Be prepared to let go of the traditions that are impeding our ability to accomplish our most important mission. Our communities are counting on it.
