By: Chris Johnson, originally posted at www.fireservicewarrior.com
Let me start with an admission of guilt: I’ve never consideremyself a “warrior.” I could eat better and I could be in the gym more. I enjoy the sport of verbally sparring with those who enjoy “the new sport of fitness,” but it’s all in good fun—burpee on, brothers! I work with guys who have recently seen combat in the Middle East and others who compete in Spartan races… I’m sure you do, too. I do consider them to be warriors, but that’s not me. Now that I’ve been up front about that, here’s what I am about:
I will never back down from making a good push at a job. If you need me to hold the stairs while you go above to bang out a quick search, I’ll be there when you come back. If you need the roof opened, I will get it done for you. And if it’s your family that needs me to VES their bedrooms at two o’clock in the morning, I’ll be there for them, too.
Before any of that happens, I will do everything I can to make sure the guys I’m going to battle with are as ready as they can possibly be. We will train together with purpose, not just to fill an empty checkbox. We will all be on the same page, and we will function as one, regardless of the situation.
Our equipment will be as equally ready for battle, even when it is inconvenient to make it so. In our house, “full” means 4,500 p.s.i., not 4,000; our water tank will always be topped off; if our hose load is askew it will be corrected, even on a Sunday-night shift; the hand tools will be tuned; and the ground ladders will be serviced. We will not be the company that leans on an “equipment failure” as an excuse for our own failure.
When we turn on to the block we will expect to see fire, even if that’s not what we were dispatched for. When there’s nothing showing, we will still be prepared for the worst-case scenario. We will consider every routine run a chance to learn something about our response district while we help someone who has requested our assistance because they believe they need it. We will definitely not allow ourselves to be the company that can be accused of being negligent, complacent, or lazy.
Not if, but when I mess up, you will hear about it from me. I want to hear your shortcomings from you. If I can do something better, please tell me. Likewise, if I can offer you constructive suggestions I’ll do that for you, not to you. That’s how we learn from each other. I will act with integrity and do the right thing whether you’re watching or not. I will never bring dishonor to the fire service through my own intentional actions.
I will share my knowledge and ideas, and I will listen when you do the same. I’ll teach the junior guys (and maybe even some senior to me) not only how, but why as well. My why will seldom include the phrase, “Because that’s how we’ve always done it.” When I do use those seemingly empty words, it will be because we are discussing a matter of actual historical fire service tradition, not how the hose is laid or the ladders are thrown.
Speaking of which, there’s a reason that certain things have become traditions. You know which ones I mean. A well-respected chief once told me, “We keep the antiques, we surplus the junk.” If we are overlooking the “good” traditions, I’ll call attention to that. If we are missing a tradition we should be embracing, I’ll help generate and perpetuate it.
I will honor those who have gone before us, even when that means sacrificing personal comfort to present arms in the cold or rain. I will make sure we learn all we can from the situations that have taken our brethren from us. I’ll make sure we truly never forget those we have said we’ll always remember.
I’m not sure if that makes me a warrior by default, or just committed to the Brothers, the sanctity of the fire service, and the people who count on us to stand vigil every day and every night.
I am sure, however, that there are other firefighters who don’t call themselves a warrior either, but our like minds believe in the same basic principles of personal integrity and accountability, company preparedness, aggressive incident control, and honoring tradition and Brotherhood.
