Every company officer being promoted to the rank of battalion chef knows that just like when he or she moved from firefighter to company officer, the little nuggets of wisdom from those in the position help to make the transition smooth.
Milwaukee Battalion Chief, and FireRescue Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Erich Roden began his FDIC 2018 class with this emphasis for new battalion chiefs when he said that at the start of the shift it is the little things that will matter most. Coming in to work you will do the same basics you did as a firefighter; checking the chief’s vehicle; checking your gear and tools you will use as a battalion chief. But what should you do next? What do you think is the logical next step?
Don’t Start in the Kitchen
“The best advice I was given was to ‘avoid the kitchen’,” Chief Roden told the audience. It seems logical that after checking the vehicle and gear you would head in to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and the latest scuttlebutt, but Roden steers the class in a different direction. “Go find the chief you are relieving and get all of the details from him first. Let him fill you in on everything; the right, the wrong, and the people on the floor.”
Doing this gets you informed on all the gaps in your house and area. Personal experience was the example Chief Roden used citing the recent company and firehouse closings that the Milwaukee Fire Department has had to face. Get the scoop first from the chief who worked before you and you will be better prepared for all the gripes, problems, and complaints that will hit you once you step in the kitchen.
Encourage Creativity
The higher up you go in rank, the more people you will have to answer to. Reach out to company officers and encourage them to let their people be creative. Roden gave an illustration of this with a story about a FDNY probationary firefighter assigned to Engine Company 44. The probationary firefighter looked at how the standpipe hose rollups used to be made and came up with a different way to fold the hose, so the sections could be easily connected before being deployed. He presented his idea to his office, who in turn presented it to the battalion chief who sent it up the ranks for review. His idea was tried and tested and eventually became the standard used today. “It’s likely that had the probie been faced with the ‘two ears, one mouth’ attitude, his idea would have been snuffed out at the company level.”
Send a Deserving Firefighter to FDIC 2019
Form Your Own Opinion
Sometimes you ae going to win and sometimes you are going to lose, not just on the fireground but in the firehouse as well. Get to the four main firefighter personalities you will face. They are:
– The department asshole
– The department overachiever
– The department hater
– And the department cynic
Everything you say can and will be used against you so know how your people-based facts and your own observations. Dealing with illogical fallacies — demoralizing a subject without fact of the complete story — will be a constant issue for you. This narrative fallacy is repeated over and over and is taken as truth. It will be your responsibility to set the record straight on the matter with facts.
Fireground Command Advice
When you arrive on the scene of a fire, can you tell visually what phase the operation is in? Could it be described as a smooth concert or circus music? At the battalion chief level our phases are in writing — SOPs — and that should be the guidance for all the companies operating.
Avoid being the suggestion box at incidents. Officer and firefighters will approach you saying, “Hey chief, how about we do this?” offering a different strategy or tactic. This can lead to clogged stairwells, clogged rooms, everyone trying to do their own thing, and a loss of command. Be cognizant of the troop trying to give you the orders.
Give your companies the first minute to get comfortable with what they are doing during the fire attack. Don’t interrupt too much if things are going smoothly and as expected. Know every inch of your operations and if your companies are deployed properly. Don’t be afraid to call it when you are losing. What you allow on the fireground will be your standard.
Stay calm. Calm is contagious. Keep an eye on your people. They want to work, and they don’t want to come out.
Send your firefighters to rehab. How you feel on the scene, they feel worse; take care of them.
