Total readiness starts at the top. No matter what the issue or incident, a fire chief sets the tone for the department, showing the chief and company officers below them what to prioritize and how to manage their leadership roles. It’s essential that chiefs send clear messages about a variety of operational priorities, but firefighter safety — and the culture around safety — is particularly vital to establish across the membership.
A chief who consistently emphasizes safety sets the expectation that every operational decision, every training exercise and every station conversation is framed through the lens of preventing harm. When safety becomes a value rather than a checkbox, it influences everything from staffing decisions to apparatus maintenance, from training realism to post-incident review.
Remember, culture does not evolve by accident. It is established when leaders model behavior, reinforce norms and ensure that frontline voices are heard and respected. Departments that succeed in embedding safety culture treat leadership not as a role reserved for the command staff but as a shared responsibility — one that the chief fosters by being visible, accessible and accountable for how safe practices are lived in the field.
Practical application
Survey data from the What Firefighters Want 2025 survey reveals that a high percentage of firefighters (97%) view themselves as safe; however, the data suggests a disconnect between reporting and real-world behaviors based on the number of respondents who report witnessing unsafe behaviors on scene. Additionally, 34% of respondents strongly agree that their department demonstrates a commitment to safety while 57% generally agree and 8% disagree with the statement. And 38% strongly agree that their department provides the necessary training to be safe, while 43% generally agree and 12% disagree.
What this means for leaders:
- Leaders must regularly assess how safety is lived day-to-day, not only how it’s written into policy. The fact that many firefighters say they consider themselves safe does not change the need for leaders to monitor observed unsafe behaviors and intervene when safety is undermined.
- Visibility matters. A chief officer riding a shift, attending training, engaging in station discussions or debriefing after calls sends a tangible signal that safety is more than an annual lecture — it is integrated into operations.
When a department’s members feel their chief and officers consistently act in line with safety messaging — investing in training, providing equipment, enforcing standards and acknowledging when the system fails — then culture moves from words to action.
Action items
To support cultivating leadership readiness, particularly as it relates to organizational safety culture, fire service leaders should take the following steps:
- Conduct a safety culture audit by surveying personnel anonymously about perceptions of leadership commitment to safety, training quality, equipment adequacy and observed unsafe behaviors. These insights provide a baseline for identifying gaps between leadership intent and frontline experience.
- Embed regular leader visibility through monthly station visits, ride-alongs or shift-end debriefs led by senior officers that include safety themes, open dialogue and feedback solicitation. Consistent presence reinforces that safety is more than a policy; it is a leadership priority.
- Create and enforce observable safety behaviors by defining key expectations such as proper PPE use, standardized briefings and accountability for near-miss reporting. Leaders must model these behaviors and ensure all ranks are held to the same standards.
- Align training and resources to culture by reviewing programs to confirm they address real-world hazards, behavioral expectations and leader-led discussions of safety decisions. Invest in equipment, maintenance and staffing that demonstrate safety is prioritized in both word and action.
- Communicate the rationale behind leadership decisions. When implementing changes to schedules, staffing, equipment or policy, explain how each adjustment supports safety priorities rather than simply improving efficiency or cutting costs.
- Monitor and respond to behavioral data by tracking near-miss reports, safety brief participation, training completion rates and informal feedback. Use these indicators to identify emerging risks and direct corrective action before problems escalate.
- Promote two-way leadership communication by encouraging personnel to share concerns, suggest improvements and provide honest feedback about safety practices. Leaders must respond to input, follow up on outcomes and acknowledge employee contributions to maintain trust.
- Reinforce cultural consistency across all levels by ensuring company officers, training staff and field supervisors mirror the chief’s message and demonstrate safe behavior in daily operations.
- Celebrate safe performance and improvement by recognizing individuals or crews who exemplify safety leadership, report near misses or innovate safety practices. Public acknowledgment reinforces the department’s collective commitment to safety culture.
- Review safety leadership annually using survey data, audit results and post-incident analyses. Evaluate progress on safety culture metrics, identify areas for improvement, and reset goals to keep leadership accountable and readiness advancing.
Mission Ready: Every responder, every time
What is the safety culture at your department? How does it compare to other departments?
Don’t miss the webinar “Safety Culture: How Are We Doing? What the Data Tells Us,” presented by Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones, Lexipol Media Group Editorial Director Greg Friese, Virginia Office of EMS Director Maria Beermann-Foat, and FBI-LEEDA Instructor Matthew Fagiana, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 11:45 a.m. PST. The session will highlight the recent What Firefighters Want survey results and similar public safety report data, revealing how safety first responders feel on duty, how their training prepares them to meet the rigors of their jobs, and how much they trust their leaders to keep them safe. It’s part of Lexipol Connect 2025, a virtual conference delivering insights, tools and strategies to achieve Total Readiness across people, operations and leadership.
Register now for Connect 2025 — and move your personnel from reactive to ready.
FireRescue1 is using generative AI to create some content that is edited and fact-checked by our editors.
