If you have failed to respond to that person who has been pestering you for your perfect gift idea for the holidays or if you have been trying to figure out what to get the members of your crew as a gift, here’s an easy one: the gift of something to read—or listen to, using today’s various streaming platforms.
I’ve heard the phrase “read something new every day” hundreds of times, and it’s a solid piece of advice for everyone, young and old. By committing five or 10 minutes per day to reading something that’s outside of your norm or that you haven’t thumbed through before, you raise your awareness, open your mind and encounter new perspectives, which sharpens the mind for the what-ifs the next time that the tones drop.
As we encounter more and more noise through social media, 24/7 television and the things that you deal with on a daily basis, that 10 minutes of focused reading time is great for the mind.
The gift doesn’t have to be a first printing of “War and Peace,” with its quick 1,225-page read. It can be a 50-page book on leadership, motivation, goal setting, history or construction or a how-to. The list is endless.
A great gift for the firefighters who have long commute times is an audiobook. I was against this type of “reading” until I took a road trip and listened to the 14-hour “Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds,” by David Goggins. It was tough to pause the audio for phone calls and travel break; the audiobook reader kept me captivated and hanging on minute after minute.
Of course, there always is the gift of Firehouse Magazine, but we know that you’re already sharing your copy with your station. Further, there are the articles and news stories on Firehouse.com and other industry websites and blogs plus the various regional and fire and EMS publications that are packed with local policy, innovations and must-knows.
If you’re an officer, these gifts (or the time that’s spent reading each day) can be turned into discussions, similar to a book-of-the-month club, or can be the focus of the next firehouse kitchen table meal. In too many stations, the kitchen table conversations are being lost, and this is a great way to restore them, sans politics.
If you are stuck looking for a must-read (or must-listen) book, connect with your favorite writers and officers or ask a mentor for suggestions.
Remembering Don Abbott
This year claimed yet another fire service legend. Don Abbott, who is the founder of Mayday Project and the Abbottville incident command village, died Oct. 29. His work impacted the officers of today and the countless future incident commanders of tomorrow. His painstaking research on mayday incidents has provided the fire service with a deeper understanding about the unwanted radio calls and what steps can be taken to prevent them. (See more on page 11.)
My first experience working with Don was Firehouse Expo 1999, when he and his wife, Bev, were unpacking boxes that were filled with small-scale buildings, props, and Matchbox fire and police vehicles, to convert a rather drab conference room into Abbottville. The large diorama included replicas of residential, commercial and industrial buildings as well as roadways that “transported” hazardous materials or were ripe for a mass casualty incident. Don and Bev spent the day putting the village together and fixing anything that broke while in transit.
The next day, Don and Bev showcased their passion and dedication to educate fire, EMS and law personnel. They spent the hours running through bread-and-butter incidents and large-scale disaster exercises. Cotton covered in black paint created a larger header from a tank farm, and a rolled-over school bus on a vinyl road prompted the response of dozens of EMS units, with each attendee taking a role in the command or mitigation of the incident.
The traveling disaster community was ahead of its time and was recreated at training academies across the country.
May Don rest in peace, and may we all remember his commitment and dedication.
Happy Holidays
From the staff of Firehouse, we wish you and your families a healthy, safe and happy holiday season.
