As firefighters, half of us made a New Year’s resolution and those will have less than a 10 percent chance of success. In fact, by now many of those resolutions have already fallen by the wayside.
The good news is that if you actually make a resolution you are 10 times more likely to keep it than those who don’t even take the time to make a list. For firefighters who do, half are self-improvement promises while the rest are evenly divided between weight, money and love.
In keeping with tradition and offering generous tributes to the basic subjects covered by any personal resolution, here are some firefighter resolutions in no particular order.
I won’t procrastinate on PPE
“Spend a little to save a lot — namely me. I’ll get that new flashlight or rope rescue figure 8. I’ll get a new pair of extrication gloves, scratch-resistant safety glasses or that multi-pocket radio chest harness I’ve always wanted.”
Don’t ignore your own safety devices for another year. Besides, as you progress you will always be able to give something to someone else — hand-me-downs carry great tradition as well as a slight upgrade to those in need.
Now this is truly the spirit of giving, a solid resolution you should have remembered last year.
Health and fitness will be my passwords
“My carbohydrates will stay under 600 grams a day unless we have a burner. I will take some time on shift to learn about food for fuel and the art of snacking. My workouts will be tailored to me and my fitness level and I won’t be tempted to compare my pushups to anyone else, unless I’m ahead of him.”
For better or worse, over 47 percent of firefighters fit into the obese or over-weight category. While these are technical terms and overtly prejudice, especially when we are young, active and strong, they take on greater warning when combined with age and your individual body mass index — how much of our body has turned to fat and how much muscle is left.
If you are strong and healthy at 26 years, 6 feet and 196 pounds, you are a perfect candidate for the fire service. But 20 years later, those same statistics begin to work against you.
If you think you are maintaining, you are actually regressing. This revelation should be your quiet resolution, the one you keep for yourself.
A viable firefighter is one who works without distracting pain. To do so you must think like an athletic guru and do everything in your ability to extend your career. Besides exercise and good food, it could be heat raps, ice bags and stretching.
Do not limit your options by comparing yourself to others, thinking you are too far gone or simply tired. Health and fitness are the direct conduits to years of extra shifts. Take the time for yourself, your job and your crew.
I will take one of my skills and begin its craftsmanship
“I have loved cutting metal since my first Pontiac Tempest. She ran like a dream, even after I tried to install a hood scoop.”
A great many firefighters underestimate the value of the skills they learned from jobs before the fire service. Carpenters, air handlers, electricians and plumbers bring to the service skills that are needed and experiences that are slowly diminishing in availability.
As the job of firefighter becomes more demanding, we find ourselves moving toward a specific skills-based candidate, bereft of life experience other than wanting to be a firefighter since age eight.
Remember, before you can access all of the latest vehicle technology, you have to cut along the dotted line dictated by the properties of metal. If this is your skill, find someone to help catalogue your talent and expand it into an instructional class.
Whether a hands-on skill or a more efficient evolution, translate what you know to a class taught by you. You will be surprised at the amount of enthusiasm associated with your expertise and your willingness to share.
Just as automotive skills advance extrication techniques, the same goes for the rope and hardware formations of a good high-angle rescue or the precision of a positive-pressure approach to a rapid knock down.
Whether you are an experienced wildlander with environmental savvy or simply a firefighter comfortable on medical calls, pass your artistry down with pride and precision.
I will get organized
“How can I be so focused at work and so disheveled everywhere else? If I could just find my phone. Have you seen my keys?”
Start small with your personal vehicle and hope the attempt eventually flows into your finances. Finding an old checkbook in the glove compartment would be your first clue that you need to get a grip.
While work tasks are your best example of organizational procedure, take a moment and reflect on all attempts at self-actualization, from your station to your home.
Now make a resolution to take the time to complete a project or find a starting point for something worthwhile. Continuity fosters prioritizing, which in turn, promotes good organizational systems. In other words — practice makes it better.
I will say goodbye to social media.
“Do I really need to socialize publically, and is it really positive and productive? And if I don’t click goodbye right now, then I should maintain a practiced and professional approach to all input, regardless of origin or intent.”
If you feel uncomfortable with any one of the myriad of questions surrounding these public outlets, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate their position in your life and more importantly in your career as you move both forward.
Remember, sarcasm does not translate well and anger is forever. Respect the power of the press — of a button.
I’ll even mentor an officer
“We’re all a team, after all.”
As firefighters we know there is a fine line between procedure and policy. While an officer is comfortable in both worlds, a firefighter begins with input into procedure in hopes that such pointed insight will lead to accessing policy — if only at a fundamental level.
New Year’s resolutions for fire officers are often centered on strategy and tactics, specifically small-department, large-resource incidents. Helping an officer better understand his or her challenges builds trust and increases the likelihood of successful incident resolution.
In most instances, the officer you are mentoring will greatly appreciate the help and progress. At the same time, you will begin to see the strategic link between working divisions and procedural modifications. In addition, you will notice that the process of updating policy is happening faster throughout your department.
Make 2015 a year you resolve to get better at what you do. And make now the time you breathe new life into those promises you made yourself a few short weeks ago.
