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Linda Willing

Leading the Team

Linda Willing is a retired career fire officer and currently works with emergency services agencies and other organizations on issues of leadership development, decision-making and diversity management. She was an adjunct instructor and curriculum advisor with the National Fire Academy for over 20 years. Willing is the author of On the Line: Women Firefighters Tell Their Stories and was co-founder of Women in the Fire Service. Willing has a bachelor’s degree in American studies, a master’s degree in organization development and is a certified mediator. She is a member of the FireRescue1/Fire Chief Editorial Advisory Board. Connect with Willing via email.

LATEST ARTICLES
Training your officers to encourage firefighters to seek help and having peer support teams are two ways to fight stress
Hammering home a list of social-media rules will not work as well as managing a discussion on why of those rules are critical
Every firefighter has to take precautions against cancer from day one, but officers lead by rules and examples
The largest problem in the coming year is how departments deal with young firefighters
Exhibiting kindness is a sign of strength and confidence in who you are; it is an inspiration to those you lead and your peers
Intrinsic motivation is what drives firefighters toward excellence rather than mediocrity
Police have long embraced having everything they do on the job recorded by either the department or civilians; fire officers need to adopt their mentality
Peers play a tremendous role in ethical decisions, and one voice can sway a group — for good or bad
Following disciplinary protocols in a fair way does not make you a jerk; it makes you a credible leader
The reality of women firefighters is that they become pregnant; treating them right is best for everyone on the department