Mental fitness is a key component to operational readiness. That readiness includes numerous tasks that must be accomplished at the beginning of each shift. Riding assignments, apparatus checks and station chores, to name a few, keep even the most organized leader busy. Add in emergency incidents, training and workouts, and you sometimes wonder where the shift went. So when during the shift activities do you find time to check on your personnel?
Checking in
Checking on your personnel doesn’t have to be formal, documented in triplicate or uploaded to the cloud. In fact, this process should be inconspicuous yet known to be occurring by those under your watch. It can be accomplished by simply paying attention to your crew’s routines, habits, demeanor, etc., during your time with them. Their actions will generally tell you when something is wrong. Changes in attendance, uniform appearance, crew interaction and eating habits are just a few clues to recognize that something may be wrong. And remember, this check goes both ways. Your crew should be performing the same check on you, their leader, as well.
These checks don’t just happen by chance. Rather, the right environment needs to be set to allow them to occur. When one of your crew arrives and is carrying extra baggage, what happens? Do you leave them be and hope that it gets better or do you take charge and ask the tough question? To reverse the scenario, what happens when you, their leader, come in carrying extra baggage? Does your crew grab some rags and inspect the undercarriage all day or do they take charge and ask the tough question? Sure, sometimes people just need a few minutes to blow off some steam and they come back around. However, other times it is a sign of a bigger problem.
Setting the right environment involves establishing clear goals and expectations. Ask your crews to treat the firehouse like an airport since they are taking an overnight trip away from their friends and family. The goal is for them to check their baggage, including carry-ons, with the free skycap by the bay door prior to boarding the apparatus. Remind them how good it feels to breeze through security and board the plane with nothing weighing them down and nothing to distract them on their flight. Of course, we are all human and this goal may not always be possible. Nevertheless, this should be the high bar set for your crew. We want and need our crew to bring their “A” game every shift to be successful at our mission.
What if the skycap is busy or the baggage is too heavy? That’s where the expectations come in. You should expect crewmembers to be upfront with you and let you know that they have something weighing on them. In return, they should expect the same of you. This information may change the line-up for the day, but it is better to know up front than after an incident occurs. No one is expected to divulge the details unless they choose to do so. We all expect a supportive environment in the place we call our second home. No one is expecting to be ridiculed, laughed at or hazed to make matters worse. We should anticipate, and even appreciate, being pulled to the side and asked the tough question if we are not forthcoming and others perceive that something is wrong. We are expected to be honest enough to say, “You know, maybe I shouldn’t be here today.” As with all expectations, these need to be established early and reinforced often.
While we hope our crews will not have to invoke these expectations, the reality is that at some point, they will. When they come to you carrying extra baggage, are you ready to just listen? Our natural tendency will be to offer solutions to help fix the situation or to make it more manageable. However, many times people just need to talk about what is bothering them. When they are finished talking simply ask, “Is there anything I can do to help?” If yes, set the wheels in motion and get them headed in the right direction. If no, respect their wishes and let them know you are there if something changes. Either way, take the opportunity to thank them for their willingness to talk about it, which will quietly reinforce the expectations.
What happens when they don’t come to you voluntarily but rather you sense there is something amiss on your own? We are taught in officer school to nip issues in the bud early and swiftly, and these situations are not any different. When you first perceive there may be a problem, take action. Pull the crewmember to a private setting, explain the reason for you doing so, tell them your observations, let them know you are concerned and ask “Is everything OK?” or “Is there anything you need to talk about?” The common answer will be “I’m fine” or “Nah, everything’s good,” usually accompanied by a story about not sleeping well or being busier than usual. While this may be true, take this time to reinforce your expectations. However, there will also be times when they say that there is something wrong, that they are thankful you asked, and that they are ready to openly discuss their situation.
In either case, if they choose to discuss the details, be prepared for just about anything. Do not be surprised if one day you are caught flat-footed and are not sure what to do or say. Regardless of the issue, hopefully you are well aware of the resources available to your personnel and how to access them. Official resources, with which we are often most familiar, can include peer support teams, chaplains, critical incident stress management (CISM) teams and employee assistance programs (EAPs). These are all great options designed to work in their own way toward a positive outcome.
However, sometimes our unofficial resources are what is needed and work just as well. The fire service is comprised of subject-matter experts when it comes to emergency incident and training operations. It is also comprised of those who have experience with difficult off-duty matters as well. Most departments have someone who has been divorced, dealt with child custody issues, battled addiction, or fell on financial hard times, and came out on the positive side of things. While these are often the most common, there will be the occasional new issue that may require “mutual aid.” Times like these reinforce the need for networking and exchanging contact information at conferences.
Worth the work
Seems easy, right? It is if you embrace the need for this responsibility and hold yourself and those in your house accountable. However, all it takes is a scan of the headlines to see that we still have room for improvement. We must do better at all levels to make sure our personnel are properly trained and ready to handle these situations. We must be willing to respond to an in-station (personal) mayday with the same vigor, preparedness and resources as we do for one on the fireground. Both require hard work and continuous training, and can sometimes be avoided with preventative measures. The reward for your hard work is simple, yet priceless. It comes in the form of a mentally fit crew of fire and EMS professionals ready to handle the next alarm and be nice to Mrs. Smith.
