I would like to direct your attention to Backstep Firefighter and today’s well-written article “The 2011 Firefighter” by my fellow brother, Dave LeBlanc. Among other things, Dave wrote about being an aggressive firefighter vs. an overly-safety-conscious firefighter as we enter the New Year.
This is a topic that will be revisited on a regular basis- in 2011 and that is a good thing. I’ve heard excellent arguments on both sides of the issue, and Dave is one of the best at articulating his opinions on the issue. In fact, Firefighter Netcast’s Chris Naum recently hosted “Looking Forward through the Rearview Mirror” on his program “Taking it to the Streets” during which this very topic was discussed.
You can download this impressive show to your mp3 player here.
As we continue to debate aggressive vs. safe, I would encourage everyone to consider that the truly successful, efficient, and valued public servant will be the intelligent, well-trained firefighter who neither goes completely aggressive nor ineffectively safe.
If you want to be the best, most efficient savior of lives and property, then you will come to understand there is an inherent value on both ends of the debate.
This will lead you to gain the intelligence and experience to become the 21st century firefighter- one who is BOTH effectively aggressive enough to bravely do what needs to be done to protect lives and property AS WELL AS smart enough to make intelligent decisions on the fireground that will allow us to perform our tasks without making the human mistakes that continue to injure and kill us each year.
Not either/or.
Both.
Are any of these statements untrue?
- Constant training makes us better firefighters
- If we apply the lessons learned from our experiences, we become better at what we do.
- Our job is intrinsically dangerous.
- We will never be able to guarantee we will all go home at the end of the day.
- The success of the 21st century firefighter will depend upon intelligence coupled with bravery, aggressiveness coupled with smarts.
We need to recognize that there is more to the debate than the either/or two polar opposites being bandied about in the recent past.
Thank you for reading Fire Daily. I hope it has helped spur your thinking.
Here’s to a happy, safe, smart, and proud New Year!
-J
Jeff holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling. He is currently a Battalion Chief at Palatine Rural Fire Protection District in Inverness, Illinois. He is a member of the American Counseling Association, Illinois Counseling Association, Illinois Mental Health Counselors Association, Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs and Illinois Professional Firefighter’s Association. Jeff is also an alumni member of International Association of Fire Fighters. He is dedicated to educating firefighters and emergency personnel on the importance of behavioral health and suicide awareness.
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