You’re off Probation, Now What?

It is always an exciting time when as a young probationary firefighter (Proby) you finally get off probation and you can remove the “dreaded” orange  front-piece, patch or sticker on your helmet that has been a beacon of your “rookieness” or lack of experience for that long, long year.

Most firefighters count the days, hours and minutes until they can remove that patch from their helmet. Many of these firefighters feel like that orange symbol is some sort of Scarlet letter and they cannot wait until it is gone so they can finally feel like “one of the gang”.

I always felt that firefighters should embrace this short period of time and try to absorb and learn as much as they can while on probation.  That orange symbol affords young firefighters with a “get out of jail free card” when they inevitably make a mistake. This is the point in their career where other firefighters are constantly watching out for you and showing you the ropes, in and outside of the firehouse. But what happens when you finally come off probation and receive your prized company front-piece or patch? What do you do to continue to grow as a firefighter? What is expected of you as a member of that company and department? 

The FDNY  has developed a great program that ensures probationary firefighters continue their education after graduation from Probationary School.  They developed training that includes reading assignments, training videos and monthly training modules. They even issue a composition notebook to the probationary firefighters in order to document and record their training and lessons learned at fires and emergencies responded to during their probationary period. This notebook as well as these monthly training modules are great tools that reinforce everything the probationary firefighters have learned at the academy and at their companies.

The only flaw in this program is that it ends once the probationary period ends. This is why I feel it is very important as officers that we stress the importance to continue to train, drill and learn after you get off probation. 

In order to emphasize this point, I used to give my probationary firefighters a “Test” when they finished their probationary period. It would have the members go through a series of evolutions or drills (i.e. Life Saving Rope evolution, well-hole stretch, using the Rapid Intervention Air-Pack) so they can demonstrate their competency in some of our everyday operating procedures. 

This “test” was not a pass or fail test, it was just a way for me to show these young firefighters the importance of continuing their education and training. 

After they inevitably passed this “test,” I hand them their company patch and explain to them the importance of the company patch. That they are no longer just another “Proby”. That they now represent that company and all the past members that came before and those members there now.

Their actions, whether at a job or while working at another firehouse reflects on that entire company now. If you mess up or do something against our standard operating procedures, you are no longer “Proby Smith” that messed up at that job, now it’s “Engine 99 or Ladder 99 messed up at that job.”

With that company designation on your helmet, you are now representing something greater than yourself. This is why you are now accountable for your own development and advancement in your career. You must take it upon yourself to drill, read, watch educational videos and be proactive in your own learning.  Continue to reach out to the senior firefighters and glean as much information and knowledge from them before they are gone.

One of my biggest regrets on this job was being a young Proby and not approaching senior members of my firehouse to ask them questions or have them recount their vast experiences from their time on the job. These senior firefighters will not be around forever and before you know it, they’ll be gone, taking with them years and years of knowledge and skill that you will miss out on acquiring.  

Just remember that you have embarked on a noble profession that requires a great deal from us. This job is not forgiving to those members who do not aspire to improve or at the very least maintain their skills and knowledge.

Once that safety net of that orange symbol is removed, you are now responsible and held accountable. It is our duty as officers to not only teach and lead these young members of our department but to also instill in them this ideology to continue to strive to learn, improve and develop every day.

The following quote from American author Seth Godin sums this up perfectly, “Our job is obvious: We need to get out of the way, shine a light, and empower a new generation to teach itself and to go further and faster than any generation ever has”.

BIO

Steve Aviles is a 22-year veteran of the fire service and currently serves as a Captain in the Fire Department of New York (FDNY).

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