Most of us at some point in our careers envision what it would be like to be a chief officer or even a fire chief–a big office, a leather chair, gold bugles and the glitz and glamour of being the fire department equivalent of a CEO.
A few weeks ago, I met with one of our crews to discuss the proposed changes to the floor plans of their station, which is scheduled to be remodeled later this year. As you might imagine, some ideas were received with open arms (new kitchen, new bathrooms, expanded TV room, etc.), while others were viewed with some hesitation and created some constructive feedback.
One recommendation in particular was presented in a tongue-in-cheek manner: “Chief, I have a suggestion for you, one that will seal your legacy. If you just relocate the battalion chief to Station 50, you’ll make us all happy and immediately become known as ‘the People’s Chief.’” Not surprisingly, that recommendation garnered the unsolicited, unanimous vote of everyone gathered around the kitchen table.
After leaving the station, I returned to my office to compile my notes (minus the recommendation to relocate the battalion chief–my apologies to all) for my meeting with the architect later that week. As I transferred my notes, I began thinking about the title, “the People’s Chief.” No, I wasn’t thinking about how I could suddenly become known as the People’s Chief, but rather how this title might be defined.
To a firefighter, the People’s Chief is likely someone who goes to bat for the men and women under their command. Someone who stands strong when challenged, never loses the fight and works tirelessly to meet the requests of their personnel, someone who’s willing to fall on the sword and take one for the team.
In the eyes of the customer, however, the People’s Chief might look much different–they may be simply someone who works to ensure that the customer receives the quickest, most effective response possible–nothing more, nothing less.
So what does it really mean to be the People’s Chief?
To define a formidable title such as this, we must first identify the “people.” The people we as chief officers serve are two-fold: Our external customers are our citizens, and our internal customers are our firefighters and fire officers. Our duty is to ensure that the men and women under our command provide the safest, most effective service possible to our customers given the resources provided. In some cases, this might require a chief to compromise on the “wants” of the crews and take a strong stance for the “needs” of the crews.
The People’s Chief understands the importance of a competently trained and prepared workforce; they understand the physical and mental demands of performance, personal discipline and accountability for all. The People’s Chief doesn’t hesitate to enforce, direct and demand that the established standards be met, because they understand that the lives of those we serve lie in the balance–and mediocrity is not an option.
The People’s Chief defaults to the needs of the external customer while never compromising the safety or general welfare of the internal customer (the men/women they serve). They carefully choose the battles they fight, all the while acknowledging the importance of winning the war that lies ahead.
Since its inception, the fire service has been a profession built on a foundation of selfless service, sacrifice and humility. Our acts of courage, bravery and compassion have brought about accolades and formal praise from those we serve. In some cases, however, the titles bestowed upon us (e.g., hero) have clouded our vision and instilled a mindset of entitlement. The People’s Chief is someone who ensures that we never lose sight of the mission (regardless of the circumstances, good or bad), the responsibility and the required dedication it takes to be a humble public servant.
The People’s Chief is the one who delicately balances pleasing the people with appeasing their people.
The title “the People’s Chief” was thrown out during the course of one of our profession’s traditional, casual forums–the kitchen-table conversation. But this is not a title to be taken lightly. It’s a title that seldom comes with personal accolades or popularity, a title that bears a responsibility to serve two groups of people who at times have very different demands. It’s a title that demonstrates one’s ability to never forget the demands of pulling a hoseline down a smoke-filled hallway or expressing compassion after midnight to our most frequent caller.
It’s a title that says what I do, how I do it and why I do it is all about the PEOPLE.
