By Rick Lasky
For years it has been said that when you take an honest look at how it all works and how it all really gets done, the following is more than obvious. First, our most important asset is our firefighters. Second, our battalion chiefs or shift commanders are the coaches. Third, it is the company officer—that lieutenant, sergeant, or captain—who gets things done and sets the tempo for the shift. Chief officers know that if they want to get things done they have to go to the company officer. This is definitely true and obvious when everything is going well, but it is also true and accurate when things are not going well. It all comes down to leadership and the company officer's ability to lead the troops in a good direction. But that also means taking on responsibility—for yourself and your actions and for those you are going to lead.
The fire service has always been an extremely proud profession. But over the past so many years, we've seen this begin to slip and in some cases erode. Today we hear some of our officers and firefighters saying things like, "Why don't these guys care? They don't care about how the firehouse looks. They don't care about their uniforms. They don't take care of the rig. And they don't care about the job." And often they say, "There's nothing you can do about it. It's that damn generation X or Y. You know, the dotcom firefighters." You hear them blame their parents. And that's partially true.
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