Please Suck Less

This month I welcome back RJ (Robert James) we dig into the topic of being a mentor. It is important to take the new firefighters under your wing, guide them and set them on the path to be successful. It is everyone’s job to ensure we are turning out the best firefighters. Remember your rookie is a reflection of you and your shift. 
In the 2nd part of the show, we discuss officer development. The fire service drops the ball when it comes to teaching firefighter to become officers who can make quick decisions with imperfect information. What does the perfect officer development school look like? How long should it last? Sure, it will cost money, but you can put a price on well trained fire service leaders.

This month I sit down with Chief Dave McGlynn. We talk about his new book "The Training Officer" Being a training officer is hard work, but rewarding. We talk about the culture of the fire service. Many say we need to change the culture of the fire service, but I don't believe that. I think we should always try to enhance the culture of the fire service and strive to make it better, but not change it. The fire service has a rich history and the culture is a large part of it.

You need to invest in your people to know when something is wrong. Firefighters are reluctant to ask for help, so you need to spot trouble and get the help members may need.

When you promote to a leadership position you are always on duty for your people. You have to answer the phone when someone reaches out to you. You may be their last call when their whole world is falling apart around them. 

As a leader you are always on, you accept that role when you are in that position. Make sure you know the resources available in your department to get the help your people need.

This episode I speak with Steve Prziborowski. Steve and I talk about the low recruitment numbers in the fire service. Many jurisdictions are struggling with recruiting the number of potential candidates to come to the job. 

Once again I discuss officer development and how to get experience to become a successful officer.

This month I talk with Steve Hamilton. Steve explains the complex incidents the police face and how the fire department fits in to help. There are many hurdles to overcome:

• building trust
• building relations
• training together
• knowing each others limitations
• having each others backs

There is a role for the fire department during active shooter incident, barricade incidents and SWAT/SRT callouts.

This month I go solo with no guest. I took the time to answer some questions from listeners from social media. I touch several subjects 

• Promotion exams
• Dealing with difficult people
• Recognize your shortcomings 
• What made me decide to be a chief
• My advice to the new firefighter
• How do we make training friendly to volunteers

This month I speak with Stephanie White. Stephanie is an 18 year veteran career firefighter in the Washington Metro area. She hosts a podcast on Fire Engineering called "5 after Midnight" Stephanie and I talk about EEO in the fire service and how it falls short in the fire service. Although we follow the laws there are gray areas that EEO does not account for. As firefighters and officers we must navigate the gray areas. Strive to be good human beings and trust that each person on your shift has you back during an emergency.

We discuss moving forward in the fire service and how to attract new firefighters of all sex, race and religions without having politicians change physical entrance requirements to achieve their vision of a diverse fire service.

We close with being a mentor and leader for the next generation.

This month I speak with Jessica Shafer. Jessica talks about her time as a young Coast Guardsmen to being the first female commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment. She navigated many hurdles to become a respected officer in the Coast Guard. Her thought about leadership, self-reflection and desire to be better everyday, made her the strong person she is today.

I welcome back Dr. (Capt.) Shelly Wheeler We talk about risk management, how we approach it on the fire ground and how the business world deals with it. Our fire service has evolved over the years, but the dangers are still there. We have become a smarter service and we still do the job, accept the risk, but now we are armed with the lessons from the past. Our job will always be dangerous and we are still aggressive and will never lose sight of our mission.

On this episode Frank Ricci and I offer advice on dealing with a boss who only has his interests in mind. How can the Sr. firefighter approach the officer to initiate a conversation.
What to do if there is a trust issue with line officers or chief officers and how to have effective conversations.
Frank and I offer advice on starting the conversations in a respectful way and getting the positive results.