The success of each shift depends on a variety of wide-ranging, seemingly diverse factors. Each of these factors is accompanied by varying degrees of stress. Prevailing wisdom espouses that stress is a natural and unavoidable component of living and is, to some degree, a necessary aspect of a vibrant, thriving life (MacMillan, 2014). How one reacts to stress is the dominant determinant in whether an individual (or team) masters the stress or the stress masters the individual/team. The reaction to stress is called resilience. Resilience is a fascinating combination of internal genetics and externally acquired coping mechanisms accumulated over time. In short, how you react to stress is an amalgam of your physical and psychological make-up coupled with strategies developed during life.
Having a resilient posture can be the most significant vaccine related to dealing with the unknowns a firefighter faces each shift. Part of developing that resilience comes from remaining focused on critical factors of the trade and taking care of yourself (Mind Tools, 2016). While the list of items to focus on is long and varied (and can be a source of stress themselves), here are 10 specific questions to ask yourself at the start of each shift to ensure 1) Your “mind is right” to face the upcoming unknown challenges and 2) Boost your resilience against the rigors of being a firefighter.
1. Why did I come to the firehouse today?
This is the first, and arguably, most important consideration to start with before you walk through the station door. The answer that best sets the stage for managing the wide array of “stuff” that will be thrown at you in the ensuing shift is: “I’m reporting to the firehouse today to serve others.” Framing your presence in this context (and periodically reminding yourself throughout the shift) will orient and put your “mind right” for everything from delivering Day One of recruit training to climbing on a rig for your final shift. The fire service is, beyond all else, a culture of service. The service has, over the last several years, become embroiled in dialogue that seems to have lost sight of that fact (i.e., “culture of extinguishment vs. culture of safety”, protectors of the aggressive interior attack vs. proponents of transitional attack, leather helmets vs. composite, keeping PPE clean vs. maintaining the salty, seasoned appearance, getting an annual physical vs. skipping the trip to the doctor, training for success vs. why bother, we never use it, etc.). Regardless of which side of the aforementioned debate societies you may be on, the discussion often degenerates into self-satisfying, self-righteous and self-serving postures that overshadow the fire service’s core goal, “Serve others before self”. Fixating on the fundamental purpose for which fire departments were formed goes a long way in remaining focused on the proper reason we do what we do.
2. How can I make someone else’s day better?
Second only to number one, working for the betterment of someone else’s existence allows one to remain focused on the attitude of service that is critical to what we do. The impact realized from making even the smallest difference in someone else’s day far exceeds anything that can be accomplished for personal gain. The most mundane call we respond to should be looked at as an opportunity to make a difference (as opposed to the “personal intrusion” it often gives rise to). Our predecessors laid some lofty groundwork for what the public has come to expect from us. Characterize it in any manner you like, but the public has been promised that when they call, we come and will do our best to make things better. Thousands of firefighters have given their lives in the performance of this job over the last 250 years. We uphold their sacrifice by making anyone’s day better who calls for our service.
3. What am I going to do to improve myself today?
A significant mentor of mine told me, “The day you think you know everything you need to know about this job is the day you need to get out. That is the day you become a liability.” That observation resonated on several levels. First, it set the tone for being a student of the trade in addition to being a capable practitioner. It came from a much admired officer who at the time seemed ancient by my standards (I was 18 and enrolled in Firefighter II and he was somewhere on the other side of 35, at least). Second, his observation cued me to begin watching him. I never knew him to sit idly by and believe he had acquired all the knowledge he needed. He read trade journals, memorized equipment manuals, drilled regularly on a wide range of topics, attended seminars, was attentive when leaders spoke, could be found in the engine room studying and handling various pieces of equipment; basically staying on top of his game. Third, his actions and mannerisms were contagious. If he is that good, then mimicking what he is doing must be the right way to get as good as he is.
So, the third element in our list boils down to conducting some level of self-improvement each and every day. You can respond to thousands of calls, but if you never get off the truck, what good are you to the legacy of serving others? There is no script to study in advance of each shift, so engaging in some form of self-improvement each tour best prepares you for the unexpected.
4. What are we going to do to improve as a team today?
Anyone who has worked alone on the fireground can attest to the value of just one additional set of hands. Those hands come with a caveat. If they are trained, competent and attached to someone who knows the job and how to work together, all labor becomes play. On the other hand, a group of people who don’t pull together, don’t know how to pull together, or don’t want to pull together make for mountains of frustration.
Success in the fire service is entrenched in the team concept. We work in pairs for more than just safety. It’s more laborsaving to throw a ladder with two members, more efficient to have more than one person on a truck, better for all if we send more than one truck to a working fire. In order for all of these scenarios to work, everyone in the mix has to be trained to a standard level, refined to excel in their unique arrangement (crew, company, station, box alarm, etc.), and practiced repeatedly to effectively perform as part of a larger whole.
This concept drives the answer to Question 4. Companies, stations, battalions, and departments all need to report for duty with an interest in improving overall team efficiency. Officers are especially challenged in today’s “cellular isolationism” to extract the human interaction necessary for groups of disparate people to perform effectively. Setting an expectation for team improvement each and every time ensures the entire crew is ready to perform.
5. Am I in the right shape, mentally and physically, to face the challenges I will face today?
Anyone who doubts the stresses of firefighting has not worked a day in our boots. That is not a statement of blustery bravado or self-aggrandizement, but an observation of more than 40 years in the trade. The great unknown is a major stressor, both conscious and subconscious. Some members are worn out from running too many calls in a shift while others stress themselves out because there haven’t been any calls. It is easy to shift into a mindset of denial on both ends of the spectrum (i.e., “I don’t need to work out because we are doing the job every day” and “Why bother drilling on that horizontal standpipe, we never go anywhere.”). Anything can happen to any crew on any given day. Therefore, it is critical that members get adequate rest between shifts, maintain a balanced exercise regimen to ensure stamina, ward off injuries and manage stress. Also, make sure the family and home are in order (or at least ok for the period you will be away at the station). “Tonight could be the night” isn’t a promise or a lie. It’s a statement of fact. Being alert to that fact is essential for adapting to stress.
And what if you are not in peak condition? The answer to that question is fodder for a series of articles. It’s never too late to get in shape physically or mentally. Be honest with yourself. Seek out someone you trust to help you. Take it one day at a time.
6. Does my crew believe they can count on me today?
Firefighting is a team sport. We have high expectations for those around us, but we also need to ensure we are holding ourselves to the same lofty standards. Is your preparation sufficient and are you projecting the confident competence needed to accomplish today’s missions, or are you a shallow braggart using false bravado to cover your shortcomings? Only you hold the true answer to that question and you alone are responsible managing the keys to personal readiness.
7. What can I expect from my crew today?
Taking the social temperature of the crew as they assemble is a solid first step in assessing where they are in their readiness and resilience. Conducting a “size-up” of those you will be interacting with to deliver service is paramount to promoting crew continuity, smooth sailing and a roundtrip ticket after each endeavor.
8. What is the potential for us to be dispatched to a high-frequency/low-risk incident?
Odds are… Study yesterday’s log book entries or call log.
9. What is the potential for us to be dispatched to a low-frequency/high-risk incident?
Odds are…review any LODD. Seemingly “simple” or “routine” incidents that turned tragic provide poignant and hard learned lessons that we must commit to memory to prevent reoccurrence. (NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention, various).
10. How will I prevent tunnel vision when I arrive at the scene?
Off all the factors that attack our senses during emergency response, tunnel vision can be the most crippling. Tunnel vision causes you to miss signs, signals and other sensory imports that can spiral you into misinterpreting, misunderstanding, and misjudging your environment. These three “Ms of Mishap” lead to improper mental processing. Improper mental processing leads to poor decision-making. Poor decision-making leads to calamity. Calamities of all magnitude generally boil down to poor decision-making.
Fighting tunnel vision is a challenge. The sensory restrictions placed on us by the confines of our protective equipment, the sensory overload that can occur at a dynamic, escalating emergency scene, the additional stress heaped on by people needing help and people we rely on either not performing well, or demanding more from you than you are prepared to give creates an environment where physical and mental shut down occurs. Avoiding tunnel vision involves ensuring all members of the crew, whether that crew is two or 20, maintains constant contact and critical information exchange throughout the incident.
Stress is an inescapable aspect of the world. The firefighting world is no exception. Managing stress is a critical component of survival. Developing a resilient mind and body are the surest ways to make your way through each and every shift. Regardless of whether it is a no run day, 20-run day, or day of relentless blows from all sides, ensuring you’ve addressed having your “mind is right” to serve, you are prepared to the best of your ability, you and your crew can count on each other, and everyone is on guard to avoid tunnel vision will provide the mental and physical elasticity to survive the shift.
References
- MacMillan, A. 5 Weird Ways Stress Can Be Good For You. Health News & Views. August 18, 2014. http://news.health.com/2014/08/18/5-weird-ways-stress-can-actually-be-good-for-you/
- Mind Tools. Developing Resilience: Overcoming and Growing from Setbacks. September 16, 2016. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/resilience.htm
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Career fire apparatus operator dies after falling down an unsecured elevator shaft at a 5-story residential structure – Ohio (F2015-6). July 19, 2016. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face201506.html
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Career Fire Lieutenant Dies in Cluttered Apartment Fire on 19th Floor of High-Rise Residential Apartment Building – New York (F2014-14). July 7, 2016. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face201414.html
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Career Probationary Fire Fighter Runs Out of Air and Dies in Commercial Structure Fire—Michigan (F2013-14). April 15, 2016. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face201314.html
JOHN B. TIPPETT, JR., CFO, FIFireE, has been the deputy chief of operations for the Charleston, SC, Fire Department since 2009. Prior to Charleston, John spent 33 years with Montgomery County, MD, Fire and Rescue Service where he retired as the safety battalion chief. John has a broad background in fire service organization, operations, safety, leadership, training, strategy and tactics, and urban search and rescue. He holds a bachelor’s degree in fire science and a master’s degree in emergency services management. Tippett has also worked extensively on national firefighter safety initiatives including introducing Crew Resource Management to the fire service and the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System. He writes and lectures frequently on the topics of leadership, decision-making, fire fighter safety and strategy and tactics. John is an at-large board member on the International Association of Fire Chief’s Safety, Health and Survival Section, holds a certified health and safety officer credential through the Fire Department Safety Officers’ Association and has earned a Chief Fire Officer Designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He was the 2006 recipient of the George D. Post Instructor of the Year from the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.
