What makes a good firefighter? I’ve constantly asked myself that question over the years, and it seems like the answer is always evolving and changing. As I grow older and into my fire department career, I find that there are no straight answers, either. The best answer I can provide is: “It depends.”
What Makes a Good Firefighter?
When I was a young fireman, the answer was simple: Passion. You have to have that passion, that drive to succeed, to be good. That was it. Train hard, study hard, judge those who don’t, and compare yourself to other high achievers. It’s fun to now look back on those days, although given the opportunity I’m not sure I’d go back to relive them. They were great years, though, and when I sit back and listen to young firefighters today I hear and see that same drive, that passion.
As time went on, I became more seasoned. I was able to get those “jobs” everyone yearned for, the runs where you were able to prove yourself. I started to understand my department and community along with what it took to grow into a leader. I started to become part of the brotherhood as I understood it. I was somewhat older when I started my fire service career, so I was aware of how the world worked somewhat, but nothing can prepare you for the shift-by-shift experiences you get as a firefighter. Good and bad, those years provided some incredible experiences that to this day I use as a company officer. What made a good firefighter at this point in my career? Experience.
Then came becoming a company officer, which is where I’m at now. There are many company officers who have served much longer than I have. Some in larger departments may spend what could seem like a career at the helm of a fire apparatus. I have been fortunate to serve for nine years, and blessed to serve as what I hope was a mentor to many firefighters. I feel the responsibility daily and pray that I’ve done all I can to help them along the way, to both protect and guide them in their careers and life.
Being married with children, I know what is like to want what’s best for someone other than yourself. Such a situation is the best training you can get for leadership, hands down. That said, I have learned a lot and consider the company officer position to be what I know most about. The word I think of most as a good firefighter at this level is development: development of self, development of subordinates, development of relationships, and so on.
There is no more vital position in the American fire service than the company officer position. A company officer must develop to succeed.
Speculating here, as I’m only an observer of the higher ranks, but from shift commanders to the big chiefs, the word that first comes to mind is service. Service is such a broad term, you’re saying, and is applicable at every level. Why service? It’s because service is what they do! As I start understanding my need to promote within my own department, I learn that although a chief is not on the front lines fighting the battle, they are still in the trenches of service. The tip of the spear is behind them in their careers, but that does not mean they don’t hold a vital part of the mission. They are in the service of the firefighters, senior firefighters, company officers, station officers, etc. If you aren’t doing your best to serve those under you, then in my opinion you are doing it wrong. That is only half their service: We must also factor in service to the community, citizens, organization, politicians, and the fire service as a whole. Think of the greatest chiefs you can, either from your own experience or what you know of them secondhand. What are the things you think of? Why? Service to those around them makes them great. The selfish ones always fade away quickly. They must be of service to everyone as much as possible, yet have the wisdom to discern priorities. Service must be the name of their game.
Considering all these terms—passion, experience, development, and service—I believe that one large thing is overlooked that truly is at the core of being a good firefighter, and that starts long before we put on that badge and long before we recite the oath. It amounts to being a good person. Let that sink in and I’ll say it again. You can’t be a good firefighter until first you’re a good person, or at least have the desire to be a good person. That must be everyone’s starting point from the first day on the job till the last day we clock in. It must be your compass that guides you through all the tough, challenging, wonderful, and horrible experiences that you may have, whether on or off duty. You must do good and be good to become good.
A Foundation
What am I talking about? I would call it a foundation for success, a starting point—something instilled into us that guides us in everything we do. Some may call it founding principles, morals, or ethics, but whatever you categorize it as, the meaning is the same. It is the ethos we follow that gives us the sense of right and wrong or good and bad. People will follow it in different ways, some with a motto or code, others perhaps just remembering how they were raised. Some may think of the 10 Commandments or some other organization’s creed, pledge, or oath. However you conceive of it, these values must mean something to us and without question we must believe in them. This is where we start, and everything builds from there.
Looking back over the course I’ve my life, things have given me the opportunity to strive my best to be good. Some of these things were positive, others negative, and If I’m honest, there may be more negative than positive. I’ve made mistakes, been wrong, and suffered consequences. Luckily, those negative experiences only allowed the positive ones to be more impactful. As I age and my stubbornness subsides, I find that the positives outweigh the negatives. Maybe it’s supposed to work that way.
The positive elements have helped me tremendously. These foundational events and seasons of life have set the example on so many levels. They all have guided me to believe in something bigger than myself. I learned that doing good for others will in turn be good for myself. Maybe more importantly, they taught me to care about what you leave behind and how it’s carried on in those you influence. You must truly believe and care about what you’re doing.
My family has been a great example of this. I consider myself raised by many, as my grandfather would say. My family was the biggest influence of morals and values I acquired. In good or bad times, they showed me the way. Next comes what was formerly called the Boys Scouts of America. This organization at the time shaped me into a self-reliant person with an eye on service. I wouldn’t have considered it the cool thing to do, but it definitely solidified the morals and values instilled by my family. That experience was worth it. Lastly would have to be my time in high school football and a short stint playing in college. The team aspect and competitiveness was unmatched in any other sport I played. I absolutely loved it. I honed my work ethic and drive to succeed on the field, which still serves me on the firegrounds today. The parallels between the two, football and firefighting, run deep.
All these experiences had one thing in common: They all involved a coach or mentor in my life, a person who put in the effort to invest in me. I didn’t do it on my own; luckily, I didn’t have to. They saw something or at least believed they saw something in me that suggested to them that their efforts would not be in vain. I’m suspect they were doing their best to leave their craft, community, and world better than they found it. They were leading and setting the example of their passion, experience, development, and service to someone who they believed would carry it on. How could I fail to do otherwise? I owe it to those who invested in me to share that investment with others and leave it better than I found it.
How Do We Get There?
You may be asking yourself: How can I do this? How can I leave my department better than I found it? What if I don’t have the opportunity to mentor? You must rely upon who you are and what has shaped you. Everyone is different and everyone will see the path to being a good person in a different light. First, ensure that you yourself are on the correct path. Be honest with yourself.
Consider:
- Are you being a mentoring example of passion, experience, development, and service with those you love, work, and serve?
- Is your work ethic lacking due to low passion or service?
- Is your circle of influence small due to lack of experience or development?
- Do you practice what you preach, both on and off shift?
An article like this cannot change these things for you instantly. If anything, it can open your eyes and hearts. I cannot presume to be in your shoes, and I trust that you know that. I believe deep down we all truly know where we may lack in being the best we can be. Face those demons within yourself. Do good! We often the phrase, “lead by example.” Ensure that you demonstrate the proper values to truly inspire those around us. That is where we must start.
There is no better place to teach and inculcate those values than within the fire service. I, like you, can spread that same kind of influences to shape the future of the men and women in the American fire service. If we together can focus on the formation of great people and citizens participating in the fire service, many other things will fall into place.
Picture the firefighters in your department: A young firefighter has been shown that respect, work ethic, and passion are in harmony with one another. A seasoned firefighter uses his experience to benefit the team on and off shift. Maybe a company or station officer who has learned the selflessness of true people development helps shape great people and an unstoppable team. Finally, you have a chief who puts service of all others foremost. Such organizations do not happen on their own. Members must be taught, shown, encouraged, and rewarded—by the leaders in our organizations. To create these groups, we as firefighters, regardless of our rank, must create the mindset of leaving our departments better than we found them. Only then will we harvest the cultures we all scream for online and so desire to see up and down the chain of our departments at home.
It’s not easy. Nothing worth it ever is. But it is necessary. How can we expect anyone being raised or promoted within the fire service to know how to be great people if we don’t teach and set the example ourselves It’s up to us. Are the firefighters we serve with good and being “good”? If we are unsure of the answer, then it’s time to get to work.
- It’s Not What You Know, It’s How Much You Care
- To Be or To Do? Navigating Career Crossroads
- What We Are Missing
- Firehouse Family Values
Chris Logan is the recently promoted chief of training with the Georgetown (KY) Fire Department. He is 17-year career veteran of the fire service, with nine of those as a company officer, and has a passion for leadership and personnel Development.
