At Nashville Station 9, Battalion Chief Travis Ford said there’s a sign that is in sight for every firefighter to read on every call. It says, “Is tonight your night?”
“How do you think everybody felt about the sign,” Ford asked several recruits who participated in the Firehouse Expo Future Firefighter Experience, coordinated by Fire Alumni.
“They didn’t like it.”
Ford said to the group of job-seeking firefighters they didn’t like it because it served as a reminder that they needed to be ready for anything.
“This is no game you’re getting into,” Ford said. “It’s the full-fledge deal. It’s the for real deal…You’ve got to be safe and do your job safely so you can get home safe.”
A lot has changed since Ford joined the department in 1985. He started the job, where his father was also a firefighter, with little or no training. He simply showed up for his shift and on the very first day at Station 5 he got 17 calls. Ford said his station continues to be one of the top 10 busiest in the nation with about 24,000 calls annually out of the one house.
Because he worked at a busy house, Ford said he learned quickly that there’s book knowledge and experiential knowledge and to be good at the job and to be safe it takes both.
“If you spend enough time and money at getting a degree, you will eventually walk away with a piece of paper,” Ford said. “That does not mean you can do the job.”
He knows from his 30-plus years’ experience that there are some officers who “don’t know diddly” about firefighting and the fire service and there’s a price to be paid for that ignorance.
Conversely, Ford said he knows firefighters with no book knowledge who run into burning buildings without really understanding what’s going on.
“That just means you got a lot of guts, or nobody is going to miss you if you get killed and that’s not good either,” Ford said.
Ford said he also knows people with all the book knowledge available, “but can’t do the job.” That’s why he thinks there needs to be a balance.
Ford advised the recruits on the importance of being in charge of their own professional development and not letting anyone dictate a career path. He said there are some officers who will hold firefighter advancement down if they could.
“Don’t let anyone decide your career path,” Ford said. “…You only get one chance in the fire service. If you’ve decided this is the career for you, and it’s all you’ve ever wished for, it will give you back everything you give. The journey is one hell of a ride. You are about to get into a crazy profession and it’s not for everyone. …There are a whole lot of people who don’t know diddly, don’t be that person.”
