HARRY R. CARTER, Ph.D., MIFireE

I want to take a look at the part of firefighting that far too many people seem to overlook. As we move through our lives in the fire service, we seem to constantly be hung up on the matter of technical excellence. Bigger is better, faster is better, and technical change is the order of the day. To many in the fire service, it is all about smoke, flames, and fire trucks. But are we missing something in our drive for technological excellence?

A recent email from Division Chief Andrew Shapiro brought this thought to the fore in my mind. I met Andy last November at the National Fire Academy, and we seemed to hit it off well. He is deeply committed to training, as am I. Recently, Chief Shapiro asked for a bit of help in crafting a speech for his department’s annual memorial service for their departed, retired members. He was looking for an insight into how to set the proper tone for this solemn annual affair.

I sent him the following paragraphs, as a sort of starting point for his ruminations:

"We are what we are in life because of a series of gifts that we have been given. This is the starting point. What allows us to broaden and deepen the quality of our life deals with how much we give back to others in the way of our gifts to others.

The people we honor here this day gave us the gift of their lives, their souls and their bodies. They got up each morning, went to work, did their job and then returned home at night. Each had the satisfaction of being part of a living entity: the Stockton Fire Department.

We are gathered here today to honor the memory of a number of fine dedicated men. In their day, they were the torchbearers for our fire department. They took up the torch from the people who preceded them. And when the time came, they handed it off to those of our generation.

Ours is a calling with a long and illustrious history. Each of us owes a debt of gratitude to those we come to honor here today. They served proudly, during good time and bad. We can do no less."

I felt pretty good about these words, given the fact that they came from my fingertips at about 2350 hrs, after a particularly busy day. But a brother had asked for a bit of transcontinental mutual aid writing. His response to me started me thinking. Here is what he said to me: You know, I like the fact that you are a proponent of that vital "soul" of the fire service. The spiritual side of this job is the one that I like the most. Sure, fighting fire is exciting, but serving is better. A wise man once said, "all that is not given, is lost." Thanks for giving so much to someone remote. It'll all come back to you someday. Thanks again.

As I sat staring at my screen, I paused and I pondered. Was Chief Shapiro chosen as a messenger to share an important thought with me? Is that the essence of my writing for the fire service? Have I been chosen to share some sort of basic truths with my fellow travelers in the Fire Service? It seems to me that those things that made me feel good during my career in the Newark Fire Department came from two distinct areas.

I always received a tremendous rush from my work as a suppression firefighter and officer in a big-city fire department. The challenges that my troops and I faced, the battles we fought together, and the triumphs we shared made me feel great. But that was a transient thing. There were days with fires, but there were more days where there were no fires.

It came to me a while ago that it was the people I worked with that made my life so pleasing. Many weeks ago I wrote a thank you to some of those people. But Chief Shapiro brought the underlying thought to the surface again. There is a certain soul to the fire service that we must recognize, nurture and prepare to pass on to the next generation of fire people.

Have we gotten so caught up with the toys and the tools that we have forgotten that it is our people who really do the job? We spend a great deal of time teaching our troops how to stretch hose, wear SCBA, raise ladders and fight fire. Do we spend enough time on teaching our officers and our firefighters how to take care of themselves and their people? Have we forgotten what it is that drives the "soul" of the fire service?

Whilst clicking channels recently, I paused to listen to the words of yet another TV psychologist. The difference with this encounter was the simple reality of her words. She was discussing the changes between the generations of a family. Her words ran along the following line. She said something on the order of "… like it or not, each generation has two distinct impacts on the next generation. They can affect them, or they can infect them."

Let me pose a simple question. I ask you, which of these options is for you and your fire department? Are you creating a good future? Or are you perpetuating a poor past?

Think about it. Has this kind lady not encapsulated the same thoughts that I have been trying to share with you over the past several years? I am firmly of the opinion that we are what we are today because of the people who preceded us. And when you look at it, we have an unbroken string of service dating back, in many cases, well over a century. The good things we enjoy, and bad things we endure are here today because of the people who went before us.

Many years ago, I was called upon to deliver a keynote address to the Michigan State Fireman’s Association. The subject of my message was fairly straightforward. I stated to all in attendance that you should move boldly into the future, while keeping one foot firmly planted in the past. Quite the conundrum you might say. How can we move forward, if we are tied to the past? It is simple, if you know what you are doing. You have to mine for the gold and cast away the stones.

The part of the past that I suggest you cling to with all of your spirit, comes from the following important human traits:

• Trust
• Loyalty
• Honor
• Duty
• Integrity
• Teamwork
• Knowledge

These are the human things that allow you to create a soul within a fire department. When people trust one another, great things are possible. Conversely a lack of trust can destroy a team, or a fire department. Where there is no trust, there can be no loyalty. A person’s word must be their bond. No body ever trusts a liar.

I have done a great deal of leadership research in the area of military combat operations. I am of the opinion that the combat infantryman, and the suppression firefighter have a great deal in common. They work in teams. They operate under extremely hazardous circumstances, and they are completely dependent upon their buddies during times of danger. Teamwork is critical. And teamwork flows from trust. No one likes to let a buddy down.

Do you see what I am driving at? All of the things that I have listed above, and many others that we could define, come together to create that "soul" of the fire service that Andy and I seek to perpetuate. It is this close soul relationship that we need to nurture. Rather than growing into armed camps of career versus volunteer, fire versus EMS, and fire versus police, we need to find the common ground we all occupy. And I think that Chief Shapiro has identified it for us and given it a name.

It is my contention that we need to work the spiritual, or soul side of the street for a change. We need create a desire in our people that will motivate them to want to serve. We need fewer people who enter the fire service just for thrills or for money. I am not suggesting that we stop studying the technical side of firefighting. I am just suggesting that we need to step up our emphasis on the attitudes and concerns of the people who are being asked to risk their lives on behalf of their fellow citizens.

Maybe I am just daydreaming. But my greatest personal triumphs have had nothing to do with money. I will admit that part of what enticed me to enter the fire service was the glitz and glamour of the fire trucks, the smoke, and the flames. But those types of motivation sort of evaporate at 0300 hr. on a dark and stormy night.

It is tough to think of glory when you are up to your buttocks in ice, snow and freezing rain, as you battle a blaze in the midst of January storm. You stay put because you are part of a team. Just like the combat infantryman who stays behind to cover the retreat of his buddies, you stay with your buddies, struggling to control the operation of a roaring 2-1/2" play pipe during a snowstorm. You do this because you do not want to disappoint your buddies. You feel that you owe them a debt of service. This is what duty really is all about. This is what devotion is really all about.

I am suggesting that we who have been around for 25-35 years have a duty to shape the next generation of the fire service. But before we can do that we have to get past one of the great roadblocks to knowledge. We have to understand our new recruits as people.

Many times during seminars at the major conferences, I have heard people decry the fact that the new people coming into the fire service are "different". Chiefs have asked me time and again, "how can I deal with this new generation?" They just don’t want to do things the way we have always done them.

The answer to this is quite simple. Treat them like living, breathing, human beings, possessed with a certain level of innate intelligence. Are they different? Why of course they are? But don’t you think that the World War II veterans who broke my generation in felt the same way about us? How could we hope to lay claim to service in "their" Newark Fire Department? We hadn’t been tested in the crucible of a real war. Our war in Vietnam was different. And I imagine that the same analogy would hold true for the people of the World War I generation, who broke in the snot-nosed kids who fought Hitler.

Let me make it simple for you. No one likes to admit that they are approaching the end of their career. Everyone likes to think that they are irreplaceable. And most of all, no one ever thinks that their replacements are as good as they are. But guess what? Life goes on. The torch is passed and the next generation takes over. That’s just how it works. My replacement in the First Battalion of the Newark Fire Department is doing well. And he is doing well in "his" own way. The torch has been passed.

We have to make sure that the next generation of the fire service understands its role in society. We have to ensure that they are not only technically proficient, but are also sensitized to the traditions of the service. These are the same traditions that we learned and loved on our way through the service. If we do this well, the future of our chosen life will pass intact to the next generation of firefighters. If we fail, we condemn that which we love to a future of diminishing importance. Let us not falter as we pass the torch of tradition to the next generation. For the torch will provide the light, that will allow them to see the soul of the fire service. Thanks Andy.

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