Harry R. Carter, Ph.D., MIFireE, is an internationally known municipal fire protection consultant and contributing editor to Firehouse Magazine. He recently retired as a Battalion Commander with the Newark, New Jersey Fire Department. His widely popular commentary appears regularly and exclusively on Firehouse.Com.
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2000 Carter Commentary's Archives
• December
12-29-00 - Calling All Leaders ... Calling All Leaders
In the world of my youth, radio was a very important part of the Carter family household. For you see,
we did not acquire a television until around 1952. I can remember listening to such classic shows as
The Shadow, Fibber McGee and Mollie, as well as The Lone Ranger.
12-19-00 - Santa Claus is Coming To Town -- Maybe
It is with a swirling mix of many emotions that I sat down at my computer to compose this week’s
missive to the masses. It is the Holiday Season, a traditional time for joy and deep reflection.
12-16-00 - The Danger of "One Way" Leaders
One of my favorite analogies deals with the concept of selfish people. I can recall using the
following analogy on a number of occasions. After dealing with a person who appeared to be
consummately sold on his own personal importance and greatness.
12-08-00 - The State of the Fire Service - One Man's View
A couple of months ago, I was asked to speak on a public service talk show for a Washington,
DC radio station. Thanks to the wonders of modern electronics, I was able to do this without
setting foot out of Adelphia.
12-02-00 - Worcester: One Year Later - Where Do We Stand?
At 1813 hour on Sunday December 3, a solemn ceremony will be held in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Homage will be paid to the memory of the six brave men who fell in a pitched battle with the Red
Devil last year. Those men were:
• November
11-24-00 - What’s In It for Me? - The Correct Answer
Two weeks ago my commentary covered some important thoughts regarding selfless service. In
it I mentioned that we are recruiting too many people from the "What’s in it for me Generation."
11-17-00 - Some Thoughts About Tradition
I want each of you all to know that I consider the impact of my writing upon the world
each time I sit down at the computer in my cluttered, home writing center. Read that
office if you wish.
11-11-00 - Selfless Service: One Mans Call for Fire Service Dedication
I never know on any given day just what choice nuggets of wisdom and information will head my
way. This morning a number of conflicting messages came roaring into my e-mail inbox, and
frankly I am in a quandary as to how to react.
• October
10-20-00 - Death By Heroism
A few months back I wrote a commentary that basically screamed out to you that I had met the enemy,
and that the enemy truly was us. Each week the information that flows back to me over the Internet
and the articles that I read in the trade journals confirms exactly what I said back in May.
10-13-00 - The Package Has Arrived - But It’s Still Empty
A wide variety of notifications on the FIRE Bill came zooming into my e-mail service during this
past week. The tone and tenor of these accolades ranged from merely informative notifications to
the wildly celebratory language usually reserved for the Second Coming.
10-06-00 - Creating Effective Policy -- Your Roadmap To Success!
Every one of us who is reading this commentary belongs to an organization. In some cases we belong
to more than one organization. So that we will not diffuse our focus, let's all concentrate on the
one type of organization where we have a common interest.
10-01-00 - The Presidential Debate You Will Never See
Here we are, less than six weeks out from the November presidential election. You cannot go more
than 22 seconds without someone bombarding your senses with their hollow message of sincere concern.
The amount of confusing and negative commentary is mind-boggling.
• September
09-18-00 - In Learning - Motivation Makes the Difference
I have devoted a great part of my life’s work to the process of learning. I have spent the better part of
my 34 years in the fire service gathering more knowledge about how to do the many aspects of my job.
Perhaps this penchant for learning came about as a result of the emphasis my parents placed on learning.
09-09-00 - Good Decision-Making - It Is Yours To Choose
As I sat down at my computer yesterday morning to begin work on this little session with you, I was
torn in a number of directions. What to do? What could I write about? I had to make a decision and
it was driving me crazy.
• August
08-28-00 - Dumb Bosses: An Epidemic
Last Saturday I had an experience that can only be described as a monumental episode in my life. One day
after delivering the Keynote Address to the Ohio State Firefighter’s Association, I was privileged to
share the stage with one of my favorite people in the whole world:
08-18-00 - All Leaders Need Good Followers
Over past several months, I have issued a number of challenges to the fire service throughout
North America. On a number of occasions, I have also taken some serious shots at Fire Chiefs.
Heck, that is part of my modus operandi.
08-11-00 - No Man Is An Island - Another Look At Mutual Aid
A chance comment during a recent phone conversation with my great friend in the Fire Service,
Harold Richardson of Nova Scotia tickled the think button on the left side of my brain. During
the course of our recent discussions on the future course of fire service training in that lovely Canadian province.
08-04-00 - Municipal Roulette and Other Irresponsible Games
Over the course of the past several weeks it has become exceedingly obvious to me that there is something
evil at work throughout North America. On far too many occasions it has become painfully obvious to me that
the actors on the stage of government are taking pains to insure that the fire service will never achieve its full potential.
• July
07-29-00 - A Lesson For Keokuk - From Air France
Many months ago, we wrote a scathing piece of commentary about a sad situation that took place in
the heartland of this great nation. I am referring to the shabby treatment of the survivors of those
brave firefighters that died serving their community.
07-23-00 - The Feeding of the Multitudes - Baltimore Style
One of my favorite Biblical parables comes from the book of Matthew. It involves the story of the
feeding of the multitudes. This is a simple story involving the incident where Jesus went to an isolated
place to get away from King Herod, after Herod had slain John the Baptist.
07-16-00 - If It Was A Fair World
I read with great pleasure the words on the front page of Firehouse.com that spoke of the 3.1 billion
dollars that the Senate attached to the defense-funding bill that they approved during this week.
Being a realist, my joy was tempered for a number of reasons.
07-10-00 - Forward March America - Into Deeper Trouble
As I stated a few weeks ago it is sometimes difficult to come up with a topic for my weekly column.
However, at other times, the ideas flow like water at Niagara Falls. Over the past two days, I have
received e-mails that have set the wheels of my brain a rolling.
07-07-00 - Trouble Across America
Let me reach back into the world of the 1950’s for inspiration. A lyric from Meredith Wilson’s
classic musical, The Music Man, sets the tone for this week’s visit with you. "There’s trouble
in River City." And trust me folks, the trouble I am talking about starts with a "Capital T."
• June
06-30-00 - LEADERSHIP - and Other Self Inflicted Wounds
My friend and readers, is there no end to it? Each day as I peruse my growing list of e-mail messages,
my heart begins to sink. With each passing day, new examples of bad leadership pour into my e-mail store
from around the world. Some are so strange you might think that they’re from another world.
06-23-00 - We’ve Always Done It This Way - The Early Years
By now you have probably heard me go one and on ranting and raving about those people who to use one of
my least favorite phrases, "…. but, we have always done it this way." Or they might have used the mirror
image phrase, "… but, we have never done it that way."
06-16-00 - It's the People -- Not the Fire Trucks
It seems like a number of events have come together this week that lead me back to a real simple
premise. In last week’s commentary we discussed capital funding problems. During a telephone
conversation with a good buddy of mine in Florida.
06-11-00 - Worcester - Back to Business as Usual
Many times I sit staring at my computer screen wondering what if I will ever be able to write my
commentary column, and what it might look like. My brain is on vapor lock, and my stomach is in knots.
I am drinking coffee and popping Advil.
06-05-00 - Honor the Dead - Save the Living
A recent e-mail comment to my website ignited a thought within my soul that has long sat dormant.
This is a commentary that will generate some really strong feelings among the many varied groups
in the fire service. But I only write about those things in which I really believe strongly.
• May
05-26-00 - Why Did He Have to Die?
Many times during my years as a firefighter and officer, I saw the face of death. Sometimes it
bore the face of a stranger, and sometimes it was a friend or fellow firefighter. Sometimes the
death occurred as a result of fire in a blazing building.
05-21-00 - We Have Met The Enemy and He Is Us
A great deal of time has been spent by my webmaster, Bruce Lukaszewicz, and I discussing the current
state of affairs within the Volunteer Fire Service of the United States. While there are no pat answers
to the problem of declining membership.
05-16-00 - A Man of Honor: Former D.C. Fire Chief Tom Tippett
Many times in life, I have heard the story of Diogenes the Cynic. He lived from 400 BC to 325 BC. We
most remember him for the quotation attributed to him in Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, on page 77,
wherein he states, "… I am looking for an honest man."
05-07-00 - Beware the Mutual Aid Mooch
I am a strong advocate of mutual aid, automatic aid, and regional dispatching. I see it as
an effective way to create a regional firefighting force capable of coming together in a
rapid manner for the common good.
• April
04-28-00 - Are We That Different From The Police?
Over the past several years, I have noted a striking difference in the way fire departments are
treated, at least as they compare to police departments. As I wrote just a few days ago, the fire
service is waxing euphoric over a partial victory.
04-23-00 - Communications - Three Ways of Talking
Just the other day, as I was sitting in church listening to the Pastor’s sermon, a thought began
to develop in the innermost recesses of my psyche. The Pastor was discussing the ways in which we
should introduce the Church, and its teaching’s to the youth of today’s world.
04-18-00 - Have We Lost Our Way As Leaders?
The other evening I accidentally got to spend some quality time listening to one of my personal
heroes. While I was searching for one of my Saturday night favorites on Delaware Public Television,
The Lawrence Welk Show, I stumbled across a very great person, doing what he does best.
04-08-00 - Mutual Aid ... If Only We Were All Reading The Same Sheet of Music
If there is one topic that keeps recycling to the top of our research in-basket it is the matter of
mutual aid. We have been writing about the sharing of resources for a great many years. The more that
I write about it, the more astounded I am at the negative comments I receive about it.
• March
03-30-00 - Another Meatless Bone for the Red-headed Stepchild
I have spent the past several hours reading about the great victory won by Curt Weldon. Before I go any
further, I want to praise the dedicated efforts of this true son of the fire service. I have met Mr. Weldon
on a number of occasions, and he never fails to impress me.
03-29-00 - Hepatitis C: The Tip of The Iceberg
Over the past few months, we have been following the case of the Hepatitis C controversy in the
Philadelphia Fire department. The manner in which this whole matter has unfolded seems to be quite
akin to a walk through a minefield. Just when you think you are safe, there is another explosion.
03-27-00 - The Fire Service - America's Red Carpet
As an observer of the national fire service scene, I am always on the look out for topics that
deserve to be placed into the spotlight of public scrutiny. When my work in this field began, I
was concerned that sufficient fodder for my use would be hard to come by.
03-23-00 - The Fireground as a Training Ground
Over the past thirty years, I have attended literally thousands of fires. These incidents have
occurred on three different continents and in a wide range of climatic zones. Each of these
fires has one thing in common with all of the others.
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