HARRY R. CARTER, Ph.D., MIFireE

This is the time of the year when a great many among us pause to share in the miracle of the Christmas Season. Regardless of the manner in which you choose to worship the Supreme Architect of the Universe, please accept my most sincere blessings to your and yours.

While this may seem like the worst year that our nation has endured in at least a generation, I say that hope exists for a better world. Out of the depths of our current despair will spring the seeds of our rebirth: our rebirth as a society, and our rebirth as a fire service.

How, you might ask, can I be so upbeat? Let me share my thoughts with you at this time. As you have probably heard many times, life is a journey. It seems to me that we begin life bathed in a darkness of ignorance as regards the manner in which the world works. As we move through the stations of life we are constantly pursuing the light of knowledge. We seek to maintain a continual upward curve throughout our lives.

It does not always work this way. However, we must not give up hope. Many times the world seems to regress backward toward the darkness of eternal ignorance. It is during times like this that we must call upon a power greater than our own for guidance. We must ask for light to shine upon the proper path for our future improvement.

This seems to be the nature of the times we are living through at this instant in history. The light of life, for literally thousands of Americans, was seemingly extinguished in an instant on September 11. There are those who see this as the end of life as we knew it in America. I disagree.

To the naysayers and purveyors of doom and gloom I say quite simply, Bull. Ours is a nation borne out of the crucible of revolution. We have faced terror and destruction many times over the past 225 years of history.

Sometimes the danger came from within, and at other times it was of foreign origin. Those persons who would have the world live within the darkness of ignorance and oppression have been shown the door by brave Americans, time and again. That is the way it shall be this time too.

There is a difference this time though. We are not Your Father’s America. Today we are a society that has evolved away from the concept of patience and forbearance. We have been called the "me generation". We have been accused of raising our young to expect instant gratification. The time has come to understand that we cannot always have what we want right now.

It seems to me that there are people out there around the world that want someone to snap their fingers and make the pain from September 11 go away. We want our healing to be instantaneous and our joy to be immediate. Just like we would replace a burned out light bulb in our homes with a fresh one from the closet. Sorry folks, it just does not work that way in real life.

Those of you across North America, at least those who really know me, are aware of the fact that patience has not always been one of my strong suits. Like many people, I have recognized the lack of sufficient patience as a stumbling block in my life. My journey toward a more patient outlook has been on going for the past five decades. I am a better, more patient person than I once was, but I still need to get a lot better in order to reach my goal.

Many throughout our fire service are impatient for change. But since change takes money, where are we really headed. What about the fiscal stability of our fire service today? We want new and we want now. These are two of the creeds that I hear chanted time and again as I travel through the fire service world. In some places it can be that way. In others it cannot.

The fiscal stability in many locales is such that the Jolly Old Santa Claus of our youth remains a constant visitor to the hearth and those lucky fire departments. My fire district is one where the resources are readily available, thanks to a growing tax base. In other places, this is not the case.

There are so very many places across our country where both the heart and soul of Charles Dickens character, Ebenezer Scrooge live and prosper. The fiscal wherewithal is there, but the will to share with the people doing the job is not. This is a truly sad state of affairs. Selfish people who refuse to share just make my blood boil (Oh, there’s that lack of patience again).

Of course there are also those places where insufficient funding is a way of life. There are impoverished areas that simply do not have the wherewithal to provide the basics of public safety services. These are the smaller communities where there are just not enough people or dollars to get the job done.

A few of these were able to benefit from the Fire Bill funding earlier this year. These are the people who really need the money, not those places that can craft a slick grant proposal, thanks to their ability to pay for the services of people who are well versed in grant writing. This is truly a situation that cries out for compassion and wisdom on the part of those in the system.

There are some really dedicated people at work out there in this world of government regulations and requirements. They have looked at the grant program as it was and crafted a new approach to how the fire service can apply for aid. Perhaps it will not be as good as it could be, but let me assure you that it will be better than it was in the past. The FIRE Bill grant program is truly something that can define the concept of a work in progress. It does look like there will be more in the fiscal pot when the grant program kicks off again in 2002. We can hope that it reaches the truly needy.

Those of us who are blessed to live in areas that provide sufficient funding for our daily wants and needs should not look to the great Santa Claus in Washington for an extravagant outpouring his opulent largess. Rather than asking for diamonds and emeralds to go along with all of the new toys we will find under our tree, let us stand aside and in the true spirit of the holiday season seek ways to help the needy amongst us.

One of my hopes for the Holiday Season, and the new year that will follow, involves a call for patience among those who would want to see the fire and emergency services change on January 1, 2002. Like the journey from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge I mentioned earlier, the journey to a better fire service will take a great deal of time and patience.

Why, you might ask, do I have such great hopes for the future? I feel good because there are a lot of really great younger people warming up in the bullpen. Many of the emails coming my way are from younger fire people, as well as middle managers. They speak of their plans for the future. They speak of acting differently from the people who are now running their fire departments.

I do all that I do in the world of education and training for this group of people. They know what is wrong, and they are actively seeking to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to correct what they see as serious errors.

I believe in people like Tim Sendelbach, the Training Officer for the Missouri City, Texas Fire Department. He is working hard to make training the heart of that agency’s operational posture. He is a solid team player.

I believe in people like Rolf Peterson of the Hastings, Minnesota. He is constantly on the lookout for training opportunities. He is constantly writing and challenging me to create better commentary and training opportunities. He looks to the future success of his fire department.

I believe in people like Captain Doug Cline of the Chapel Hill, North Carolina Fire Department. Doug is a hard charger who is working hard to improve himself and his fire department. Doug has the distinct benefit of being a member of fire department headed by my dear friend Chief Dan Jones. Dan expects a great deal from his people, but in turn, he provides an outstanding workplace environment.

Above all, I believe in people who have the grace to recognize the error of their ways. Like the fire chief down south who has seen that a better way exists to treat the troops. When a reader tells me that one of the people I have highlighted in my commentary has seen the light, I take that as a sign from above that my mission has had a glimmer of success. That is why I write in the manner that I use. Some people do respond to a written kick in the pants. And that is why I keep working, and keeping hoping.

There are many reasons to have hope. Every day when we get up, we have a fresh opportunity to make up for the mistakes that we have made in the past. Far too many people forget this fact and just continue to shuffle through life without ever having any of the thrills of victory. They live as though the agony of defeat is a constant in their lives.

Remember, life is a journey from darkness to light. In this Holiday Season, take this opportunity to do things differently. Rather than hiding in the darkness of ignorance, stride boldly towards the light of knowledge. As Lao Tzu, a great philosopher and the Father of Taoism stated, "Even the journey of 10,000 miles begins with but a single step." You must be brave and take that step.

May you and your family and friends accept my best wishes for a Joyous and Most Happy Holiday Season.

The commentary in this column does not necessarily reflect those of Firehouse.Com, Firehouse Magazine, their employees or parent company Cygnus Business Media. 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 commentary appears regularly on Firehouse.Com. For more commentary and information, visit Carter's web site at www.harrycarter.com Harry has published several books available for online ordering, including Firefighting Strategy and Tactics and Management in the Fire Service