From the Firehouse to HQ: A Perspective on Leadership

A proud member of Ladder 4 running in the middle of the city, guaranteed to be on every fire, was the best seat in the department. A busy firehouse and a deep camaraderie within our crew provided a drive to show up to work and give 100 percent every single tour. We leaned on each other, looked after each other, and took extreme pride in how we showed up and performed our jobs.

Then, an opportunity to be promoted came, which meant an office job within the training division. I was already heavily invested in the division, spending many of my off days developing or delivering training. Now I was afforded the opportunity to direct the training program. I wanted to focus on leadership, as there are thousands of offerings within the fire service, but to make them relevant, I also put them into practice. Ultimately, I wanted to ensure that, as a chief officer, the leadership I put into practice bridged the gap between headquarters (HQ) and the firehouse.

Be Present

At many leadership classes, attendees are asked, “What qualities does a good leader have?” One standard answer is to be present. There are multiple ways to be present as a company officer, such as performing daily tasks with your crew, playing cards at the kitchen table, or sharing fellowship at the outside picnic table. But what about chief officers? I have often been told, “I am swamped with meetings,” or “it’s budget season.”

These consume a ton of time as chief officers and represent the “other” side of the fire service that some never experience. Yet you still must make time. Be present with the crews at the firehouse. The best thing about an office job is that we can do it on any computer. Grab your gear and go out to the stations. Ride out with a company as an extra. Participate in training as a student. Ride the medic as a third and take questions from the field training officers on shift.                    

Making time also means allowing members to come into your office and talk. Help them understand that you can’t discuss specific topics until they handle it at a different level. Let them think logically through the things they bring to you, and if you have lived experience with the challenge they present, explain how you dealt with it and what the outcome was. Sometimes it’s about work and sometimes, it isn’t. My fire chief once told me an officer came into his office, told him something important, and then walked out. The chief, a company officer then, never looked up from his computer. After watching the event unfold, a senior member came into his office and told him, “Look up from your computer next time. I know you heard everything he said, but all he knows was he was not important enough for you to look up from your computer to be present in the conversation.” The chief said that from then on, he might ask them to hold for a second while he finishes a thought, but he otherwise gives them undivided attention. Being present builds respect between HQ and the firehouse. It is earned.

RELATED CONTENT

Earn the Respect and Care

All of us have heard in the firehouse, “I can respect the position, but I don’t respect the person.” If you are content with this, a chief officer position is not for you. Knowing your crews at a personal level must be a priority of any chief officer. Being able to ask about their families, how college is going for them, and knowing they enjoy putting models together in their free time takes the conversation and relationship beyond the firehouse, so it’s not all about work. Connecting at a deeper level with your personnel builds upon the respect earned and shows you care about your people.

Leaders should care. Earning respect and caring for your people also allows for some of the most challenging conversations to occur. For instance, I had a company officer put me into a position where they knew they goofed up, and a tough conversation involving discipline had to occur. There was no other choice but to discipline. No one likes to have these conversations, but at the end of ours, departmental expectations moving forward were made very clear, discipline occurred, and we shook hands. That officer made a very poignant statement a day later: “I apologize for putting you in that position.” I have said the same thing to an officer in my career. When you care for people and earn their respect, those people will move mountains for you and respect you enough to move forward, improve, and continue to move mountains.

Let Them Work and They Will Grow

A goal of every chief officer should be to watch their folks succeed in their careers and every aspect of life in general. As chief officers, we must understand that our members want to work and perform. We must let them. Now, I am not saying turn the keys over and turn them loose but provide them lanes to stay in and let them go. There are points in which we as chief officers may have to step in and guide the path, but do not constantly hold their hand and do not micromanage.

Our job is to foster a culture where members work through problems and develop strategies and tactics to succeed. We allow them the freedom to work on a fireground and employ their strategy and tactics—why wouldn’t we do this across the board? If you have members wanting to gain experience by shadowing HQ personnel, or your department has various committees for designing apparatus, training, and setting operational standards, give them the tools, establish guardrails, and let them work. As with the fireground, allowing these members to develop the department outside of operations will enable them to experience tasks and challenges they would not otherwise until promotion and exposure to administrative duties. Allow them to grow and bridge the gap.

Staying Connected

Chief officers miss the field. They miss running calls and being part of the firehouse banter. There is a way to fix that and keep the camaraderie. Incorporating these principles in our department has allowed me to stay connected with every member and given me a front row seat to their success, allowing me to witness all the hard work they have put in.

 Work with the members and the culture they are creating—after all, they will carry on the department after you retire. Ensure it is positive and address the culture if it turns negative. Earn respect by being present and investing time in your people. Care for your people by showing up, getting to know them, and sitting side by side in an apparatus running calls. Set the lanes they need to operate in, let them work, and watch them grow. Our responsibility is to give them the tools to succeed, for the time will come when they step into our position. Don’t just talk about the culture you have—dive into it, be a part of it, and live it every single day.

RELATED CONTENT

Shane Bridges, a 20-year member of the fire service, is the division chef of training for the Pearland (TX) Fire Department.