A healthy dose of fear is good. Too much is debilitating
by Dave LebLanc
from www.backstepfirefighter.com
If you read the magazines, social media or take a class, you can’t help but be bombarded by the messages that proclaim this job is dangerous. So much of it is used today to advocate for us being better at our job is safety. Which is a good thing, or is it?
When we preach from a position of fear are we preparing our firefighters correctly to do the job? “Hundreds of firefighters die each year in fires.” “Firefighter safety comes first.” “Life safety priorities start with the firefighter and then the victim.” If we are training our firefighters correctly, we should be training them in such a way that their safety is inherent with their decisions and actions. The lessons of all those that have gone before us should be incorporated into every rookie school, lesson plan, company drill and kitchen table talk. Certainly specific examples will be used, they hold some critical information, but the sensational headlines of “you can die if you do this job” over and over again, sow seeds of fear and doubt into those charged with protecting the public.
Make no mistake, this job is dangerous and you can be killed and that message needs to be conveyed. But as is often the case it isn’t what you say but how you say it, or even more importantly how the message is received.
