The Sunday New York Times ran a full-page story about a millionaire commodities trader who left that gig to become a rookie paramedic with the FDNY at age 41. It was remarkable, the author suggested, that such a person would choose to leave such a high-paying job to train as a paramedic making less than $50,000 annually as a starting salary.
The story surprised me, not because of the admittedly jarring salary differential but because such fire department origin stories are actually quite common and usually don’t command full-page coverage in a major newspaper. (OK, maybe there aren’t too many millionaire commodities traders filling the ranks, but I was always amazed by the diversity of backgrounds that brought people to the emergency services.)
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Past lives
Among the people I worked with on the fire department were those who had previously worked as teachers and bus drivers, park rangers and grocery clerks, electricians, plumbers and carpenters. One person was a flight instructor. Another had been a ranch cowboy. One had briefly played in the NFL. One was a former Navy SEAL. And yes, we even had a stockbroker among our ranks.
Additionally, when I did interviews for my book profiling women in the fire service, one question I asked everyone was, “What did you do before you became a firefighter?” Some of the responses were expected: military service, other first responder roles. But other experiences were wonderfully diverse: a rancher, a surgical assistant, a lawyer, a bartender, a house painter, an opera singer.
In the Times article, the medic spoke of how his previous Wall Street experience prepared him for the job. He pointed to the adrenaline rush and “the mastery of arcane lingo and byzantine rules. The constant competition to prove he’s among the fastest, the most decisive, the smartest.”
But talk to any firefighter about their past lives and they are likely to say similar things. Past experience can provide technical skills and knowledge, whether focused on electrical wiring or unusual rescue situations. It can provide leadership development through a history of leading teams of workers or motivating kids in a classroom. Past experience teaches resilience through all kinds of challenges — in war or in an operating room — and provides for opportunities for personal development in the areas of communication and decision-making, whether flying an airplane or standing behind a cash register. It’s all valuable.
Unfortunately, some fire departments do not do much to tap into this resource. Becoming a firefighter necessarily means taking on a new identity, and that is a good thing. But sometimes the complete focus on that identity can overlook valuable skills and abilities that firefighters bring with them to the job. This is especially true now that many firefighters join their departments in their 30s or even 40s. They have a whole life of experiences that can contribute to their effectiveness as firefighters, if departments choose to recognize them.
Prime example
Years ago, I was invited to participate in a weekend retreat hosted by the Phoenix Fire Department. The event encouraged participants to share innovations and best practice. I clearly remember a story told by Chief Alan Brunacini about how his department had been struggling to find computer software that met the specific needs of their fire prevention division. They had tried several different products, at considerable cost, but nothing had really worked so far. The prevention chief attended a meeting among other department leaders where he vented his frustration about the situation.
Sitting silently at that meeting was the prevention chief’s driver, a firefighter in his 30s who had been on the department for less than a year. As they drove away after the meeting, the firefighter hesitantly offered that prior to joining the fire department, he had been a senior programmer with a large software company. He could custom design such a program, if the department wanted. The chief had no idea of this firefighter’s prior work experience but immediately followed up. Very soon, the new firefighter was given the special assignment of writing the needed program, in addition to keeping up with his rookie firefighter obligations.
Tap into your team
All past lives have value, but it may take some effort within the department to uncover those useful skills and abilities. This can be done in a more formal way, such as asking each member to fill out a skills inventory questionnaire or through informal conversations. In any case, understanding and utilizing the totality of each individual’s life experiences will give a fire department the best possible resource for meeting the infinitely diverse needs it is called upon to address.
