By Samuel A. Giordano Jr.
The term “reimagining” has recently been popularized by people who want to do things better or differently within themselves or an organization. Reimagining is about recreating, doing things in a new and creative way, changing a culture, or even reworking a current process.
Imagine a fire service in which the fire departments are defined by their ability to inspire, foster collaboration, and create experiences for their firefighters and the citizens they serve that are simple, meaningful, and enjoyable. Does it sound like some impossible or distant dimension? It’s really not! We need to leverage these challenging and uncertain times to reinvent, reshape, and reimagine how we operate today.
The fire service in America has been operating in essentially the same manner for hundreds of years. Our mission, “To Save Lives and Property,” has been our focus since the 1700s. But we need to reexamine achieving this purpose and, moreover, we need to reexamine ourselves.
There are questions we should seek answers to as we reflect and reimagine the fire service. We need to establish new and innovative guiding principles that will help us to grow. To accomplish this, we need to ask ourselves these three questions, and we must be honest with our answers.
- Who are we? Do we have a compelling, standout identity that attracts and inspires our firefighters? Do we communicate why we exist through a unified purpose, a strong commitment to our values, and a unique culture?
- How do we operate? Do we have a straightforward operating model in place that fosters teamwork and rapid decision making? Does our system value and develop talent throughout the organization—not just at the top? Is there transparency that future members and the community can place their trust in us?
- How do we grow? Do we have a robust environment that values internal and external partners, leverages individual talent, and is committed to doing whatever it takes to create and maintain a continuous learning atmosphere?
The fire service needs to have fast and flexible operating models formed by an unshakable sense of purpose. Instead of control and hierarchy, we must cultivate collaboration and teamwork. It is imperative that we link the purpose of the fire service to activities taking place right now that are impacting not only our communities but the society in which we operate. We need to reflect a new reality and unleash the inherent power of the fire service by addressing these three core questions. Through this process, we can discover new ways to build, collaborate, and innovate, which can only lead to the betterment of our field of service.
To be successful at reimagination, one of the first things we must do is “unlearn” and let go of all our bad habits, because this is what prevents us from moving forward and trying new ideas. We must then determine who is critical to our organization and what core values we need to have moving forward. As a collective group, we must acknowledge and understand that our greatest asset is not our equipment, though good equipment is vital to our success, but our firefighters and fire officers. Finally, we must realize that our stakeholders consist of every single member, at every level of the organization, and we must involve everyone to make this vision a reality. We can accomplish this goal by having clear and concise communication, explaining the purpose of our plans, and getting everyone’s input.
The new fire service must establish and enable the right kinds of behaviors to successfully reimagine our ability to save lives and property. We need to determine our “secret sauce” within our own individual fire department and clarify how our organization is unique and valuable for our community. Forward-thinking organizations realize that providing a safer, happier, and more productive work environment ultimately benefits them as much as their communities and the citizens they are sworn to protect.
The best fire service leaders have a shared sense of purpose; they know what the organization stands for, well beyond shareholder value. They understand that we need a positive and integrated culture that will benefit the organization long into the future, and we need like-minded partners that will help foster our mission. We must understand the importance of inspiring and encouraging all members, so that camaraderie within can flourish within our organization at all levels and ranks.
The big question is, how do we change our everyday operations to function better with an increased sense of purpose and with a stronger vision for the future?
We can begin accomplishing this by following these 10 steps:
- Accept responsibility for our past actions or inactions.
- Properly develop all our members to reach their greatest potential.
- Ensure everyone understands their job and role within the organization.
- Develop a strategy, set goals, and control the results with active participation.
- Be the leader and foster leadership over management. Set the example for your team.
- Set standards high, and ensure all members reach them.
- Ensure proper training so all members can do their job effectively, efficiently, and safely.
- Identify weaknesses, inefficiencies, incompetence, and room for improvement that will lead to systemic failures. Create solutions to overcome or eliminate these areas.
- Communicate your results to all stakeholders, internal and external to the organization.
- Understand this will always be a work in progress; you will need to reevaluate your team and organization on a regular basis to ensure improvement and evolution.
What is important during the process of reimagining the fire service?
We must build a culture of extreme ownership that underscores the importance of each member doing their specific job to the very best of their ability. Every member is important!
We must recognize the influence of the company officer within our organization. This in no way reduces the importance of executive leadership. However, the company officers influence, inspire, and directly lead the largest number of members. They are also the ones who will directly carry out your lofty mission, vision, and goals. They are, therefore, our greatest catalyst for effecting change.
We must take advantage of every opportunity to interact with our company officers. Because these moments are so infrequent, they are far too valuable to be wasted. Make these moments count by reminding your officers of their importance with the organization as well as the importance of our culture, mission, and vision. Then, and more importantly, truly listen and acknowledge their responses.
It is absolutely possible to reimagine and reinvent your organization. We all must realize that the same approach will not yield different results. If we want different results, we have to try different approaches and ideas. Albert Einstein is widely credited with saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”
Reimagining is a way to improve, to get better, to advance, and to move forward. Envision just for a moment the greatness that can come from reimagining the fire service! Then, go out and make it a reality.
BIO:
Samuel A. Giordano Jr. entered the fire service in 1975 and is the fire marshal for the Elmhurst (IL) Fire Department as well as a tenured professor and department chair for Fire Science Technology and Emergency-Disaster Management at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. He has an AAS degree in fire science technology, a BS in fire service occupational safety and health, and an MBA in public administration as well as numerous Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal and national certifications. He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Society of Fire Service Instructors, Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, Illinois Fire Inspectors Association, National Fire Protection Association, and International Code Council.
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