By Engineer Johnathon Fulkerson
Within the fire service, we tend to celebrate several promotional milestones: becoming a company officer, advancing to battalion chief and entering the chief officer ranks. Within the ranks, however, one promotion is frequently underestimated, despite the fact that it’s possibly the most technical transition in a given firefighter’s career: moving from firefighter to driver-operator.
For many personnel, taking the wheel is viewed as a technical progression — memorizing where equipment is stored and understanding fireground pump operations and apparatus capabilities. These skills are essential, but becoming a driver requires a fundamental shift in mindset and identity. The driver is not simply an apparatus operator but an operational leader within the department.
It is at this shift that you assume an entirely new level of responsibility and become the heart of the fireground. When you sit in that seat, you are embracing a role with a foundation built on safety and efficiency. Treating this position as anything less could be detrimental to the fireground and to those who are actively working on it.
Accepting the role
When riding tailboard, your responsibilities are generally limited when compared with the other ranks. You are typically responsible for your own gear and maintaining an understanding of your assigned role(s). When the tones drop, your attention is focused on how to complete the assigned task.
When sitting behind the wheel, your world expands drastically. You have achieved a new level of responsibility and are no longer just responsible for your own actions. You bring together both the goal-oriented intent of the incident commander and the operational reality on the fireground. It is — and should be — a leadership position at both the station and operational levels.
The responsibility
As a driver, an “own your inch” mentality takes on an entirely new meaning. Your “inch” is now personnel, operational readiness and a 40,000 to 50,000-pound apparatus.
Many newer drivers fall into a trap of complacency. This complacency often taints their view of thorough daily apparatus checks. A dependable driver and department leader views these checks as an essential assessment of operational readiness. If the pump fails or an important piece of equipment is missing, any operational advantage of the company diminishes.
No one is expected to be perfect, but as a driver, you should eliminate variables. When a tool is needed, it should be where it belongs. Holding yourself to a high standard builds a form of leadership that is based on reliability and trust.
This informal leadership style is also known as “leadership by demonstration.” Taking the driver’s role seriously builds trust within the crew and models the standard for less-experienced firefighters.
Being the officer’s right hand
One of the most unorthodox aspects of the transition is the relationship shift with your direct supervisor. As a driver, you are now the middle ground. You are no longer “one of the guys” on the tailboard, but you are also not calling the shots for your crew.
You are your officer’s right hand. During fireground operations, the officer’s role knows no end. They need someone they can depend on to manage assets on the technical side of operations without being asked.
This requires an elevated level of situational awareness. Listen to the radio not only for your assignment but also to anticipate the operation’s needs. After securing a water supply, take time to “set up shop” by laying out overhaul tools. If your crew is inside and you’ve set up your truck, throw a ladder to set up another point of egress in case conditions get worse. Take your exterior safety role seriously by monitoring the structure and noting changes in its integrity throughout the incident.
This is “leading from the panel.” You are managing the scene from the outside and actively providing a layer of safety, efficiency and overall operational support that allows your crew to do their job without worrying about what is going on outside.
Crew influence
As a driver, you lead “downward” to the firefighters within your crew. You have an immense influence over how your crew operates at both the station and operational levels.
This provides an important opportunity to mentor less-experienced members. You are in the perfect position to explain the “why” of on-scene pump operations to your firefighters. During downtime, take a moment to gather your firefighters and give a brief walkthrough of the pump panel. Show them how the pump panel directly affects their hoseline — knowledge that will make them better nozzlemen. By teaching them the mechanics of the pump panel, you are building a more educated and skilled team one interaction at a time.
Maintain your drive
At some point in a driver’s career, the novelty of driving the rig will wear off. At this point, complacency starts to make its way in, and this breeds failure.
To maintain efficiency and success, you must remain a student. The fire service produces a constant flow of new information. The equipment on our rigs and the techniques we learned — and now teach our crews — continue to evolve. If you aren’t reading articles or listening to podcasts to keep up with new information, you are falling behind.
In addition, you must also maintain physical and mental readiness. The driver’s role and responsibilities can become mentally taxing if they are not managed properly. Failing to manage fatigue and stress can make you a liability to your crew and at the incident scene. As a driver, leadership means taking responsibility and ensuring you are ready for whatever presents itself during your shift.
The core of reliability
The promotion from firefighter to driver is the most defining rank pivot in a firefighter’s career. The role forces you to grow up, to expand your circle of responsibility and to understand that the success of the operation relies on you and your actions on the fireground.
Don’t just drive the rig — master it. Don’t just run the pump — understand how it works from front to back and teach less-experienced members. Don’t just be a driver, become a leader for your crew.
When you look back on your time as a driver, you won’t remember every mile you drove or every fire you pumped. You will remember the times you set the standard and provided a reliable foundation for safe operations. That is the true meaning of becoming a driver.
Own your seat, perfect your craft and uphold that standard every time you get behind the wheel.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Johnathon Fulkerson is a career engineer/driver operator for the Whitfield County (Georgia) Fire Department with experience in leading single- and multi-company training sessions centered on tactical leadership and operational readiness. Fulkerson’s article “Leading from the back: the power of influence” was recently published in FIRE Magazine.
