After 15 years of living, breathing, sleeping, and eating all that is fire rescue, I walked into an office last year full of personnel records, labor management issues, accident and injury reports, investigators, and attorneys.
If ever there was a difference between day and night, I think I found it when I began working as the deputy chief in charge of human resources (personnel), workers compensation claims, and risk management.
While both broadening and interesting, it was a difficult period of my life associated with many tough days and even more sleepless nights.
Then, as of January 1 this year, I became the first internally selected fire chief in 21 years for our organization. After years of what has been a long parade of both good and bad leaders, for better or for worse, I am now it.
Perhaps the most difficult part of 2006 was moving from my coveted spot of division chief in charge of special operations to the deputy chief’s position, and slowly transferring command of everything associated with the National Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, water rescue, and all technical rescue programs to others.
Some of our folks felt that maybe I was a duck out of water. After all, surely I must have been out of touch after dealing with high profile rescues and disasters all over the country, and living in a world where I spent more time talking to state and federal governmental officials than I did to our own command staff?
Truth be told, when the going gets tough the tough get going. Fortunately, all of those battles trying to move both a state and federal rescue system forward had taught me many lessons.
Like so many of us in this business, I lived in a system where seconds and minutes counted, and most problems could be solved in 20 minutes or less. After years of dealing with both the state and federal government, I had learned many valuable lessons in patience working within a system that sometimes could take weeks, months and even years to react, or move forward.
I had also learned the value of legal agreements, partnerships, networking, trusting and empowering others, and stepping back to look at the big picture, all tools that would come in very handy, at one point or another.
Now, as a new fire chief, I have opened yet another chapter in my life. While it won’t be me standing on that debris pile anymore, or out in that boat during the flood, or crawling into that overturned car, or down in that trench, I will be there in spirit and, more importantly, standing behind those who will need me most.
I’ve watched other fire chief’s destroy organizations by blowing up good people, minimizing expectations, and marginalizing important programs and initiatives, and I don’t plan on falling into that trap.
My belief is that I’m not doing my job unless I fully support our people, programs and agency by letting them know that I care, value what they do, and have their back. It pays to remember where you came from.
On a broader level, I have been given a rare opportunity as a fire chief to influence issues unlike any other position I have ever had. To that end, my commitment to the fire rescue community is to engage the issues. It is my belief that the fire rescue service has been both marginalized and minimized over the last several years, and that needs to change.
We need to fully embrace and engage in the new National Mutual Aid System, and National Incident Management Systems’ (NIMS) Resource Typing System. Changes to the National Response Plan (NRP), specifically the change from Emergency Support Function (ESF) 9 annex, formerly Urban Search and Rescue (US&R), to Search and Rescue to better coordinate with the United States Search and Rescue (SAR) Plan all have broad implications.
At a time where we need better communications and coordination, there are many competing interests and priorities. But, like before, I hope to use this column to engage the issues, share my experiences, and promote and propel the important field of technical rescue ahead.