There’s a strange thing we do in the fire service, and honestly, it’s not unique to us. We divide ourselves. We take one team, one mission, one purpose, and we split it into “us” and “them.” Shift versus shift. House versus house. Administrative folks versus line folks. We create competition where there should be collaboration, and we expect an amazing organization to somehow come out the other side.
This mindset doesn’t make sense, yet it keeps showing up. And when it does, it erodes trust, support and culture. It creates distance between people who are actually working toward the same goal — serving our community and each other. We even start using derogatory terms or sarcastic labels that dehumanize the people across the “line,” as if they’re the problem. But here’s the truth: There is no line; there’s just us.
| BETTER EVERY SHIFT: How’s your leadership pipeline?
The strength in difference
Every shift, station and division brings something different to the table — and that’s a good thing. One crew might pride itself on spotless rigs, another on perfectly maintained tools and another on keeping the house dialed in. Those differences don’t mean one is better than the other; they mean together, we’re balanced. When we combine everyone’s strengths, we fill in each other’s gaps. That’s how great organizations are built — through complementary differences, not competing ones.
The danger comes when we start believing that for one group to succeed, another must fail. That belief system destroys teams. It’s like trying to win a game that doesn’t keep score. There’s no “winning” in the fire service if the result is people pulling against each other.
The illusion of competition
From an early age, we’re taught that there are winners and losers. That lesson works fine on a sports field, not so much in a firehouse. In life, success isn’t about beating someone else; it’s about lifting each other up. If we’re truly living our mission, vision and values, we can’t be in competition with one another. We’re one coin with two sides — line and staff, firefighters and firefighter-paramedics, command and crew. If you take a step back far enough, you can see both sides at once. That’s perspective. That’s leadership.
More light for everyone
I often think of it this way: If I’m a candle and I use my flame to light another candle, it doesn’t make my light any dimmer. It just creates more light for everyone to see. The same goes for our teams. Supporting someone else’s success doesn’t take away from your own; it multiplies it. When we build each other up, when we celebrate other people’s strengths, the whole organization shines brighter.
Choose collaboration over competition
So here’s my challenge to the fire service and beyond: Stop believing the “us versus them” myth. It’s not real. It’s just a story we’ve told ourselves for too long. The best organizations — the ones that truly serve their people and their communities — are the ones that replace competition with collaboration, criticism with curiosity, and resentment with respect. We’re not on opposite sides. We’re on the same side of the same mission.
| WATCH: How Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell’s career was shaped by the fire family
