I stumbled onto an advertisement recently for a large city fire department that was preparing to conduct an entry exam for their firefighter position. After a short paragraph that listed examples of duties that a firefighter might be expected to perform, there was a long list of conditions and tasks that a firefighter might be required to experience or perform, including:
- Operating both as a member of a team and independently at incidents of uncertain duration.
- Tolerating extreme fluctuations in temperature while performing duties. Performing physically demanding work in hot (up to 400 degrees F), humid (up to 100 percent humidity) atmospheres while wearing equipment that significantly impairs body-cooling mechanisms.
- Experiencing frequent transition from hot to cold and from humid to dry atmospheres.
- Performing a variety of tasks on slippery, hazardous surfaces such as on rooftops or from ladders.
- Working in areas where sustained traumatic or thermal injuries is possible.
- Facing exposure to carcinogenic dusts such as asbestos, toxic substances such as hydrogen cyanide, acids, carbon monoxide or organic solvents either through inhalation or skin contact.
- Facing exposure to infectious agents such as hepatitis B or HIV.
- Wearing personal protective equipment that weighs approximately 60 pounds while performing firefighting tasks.
- Performing physically demanding work while wearing positive pressure breathing equipment with 1½ inches of water column resistance to exhalation at a flow of 40 liters per minute.
- Performing complex tasks during life-threatening emergencies.
- Facing life or death decisions during emergency conditions.
- Being exposed to grotesque sights and smells associated with major trauma and burn victims.
There are even more points that can be added to this list. After reading some of these descriptions, though, it is hard to believe that anyone even submits an application for the position. But they do! And all of us have. Now I know that every firefighter application does not contain these warnings, but we all know that what we do is dangerous. But they keep filing in for the job.
The lesson here is that what we do can often be described with the words: uncertain, exposed, extreme, demanding, hot, hazardous, traumatic, toxic, injury, infectious, complex, life-threatening, intense, life or death, grotesque, confused and chaotic.
Yet the folks that we are responding to and for are frequently experiencing some of the same conditions. As firefighters, you will learn to deal with these many challenges. Some of them will be handled on a regular basis and you will begin to feel like or think that they are “routine.” Others will only rear their ugly head occasionally and we will take notice. We may even start to describe these experiences as a “close call.” Still others may only occur once in your entire fire service career and they can be life-changing events for us and our department and our families. All of us are different. There are firefighters who can effectively deal with many of these events without suffering harm. Other firefighters may not be as resilient and may need some attention. Still others can require to be dealt with specifically and individually.
Officers must be aware of the challenges and hazards and events that they and their firefighters are exposed to. At the scene of fires and emergencies it is company officers who, along with the strategic and tactical responsibilities, must stay aware of every threat or danger that their people may be experiencing. The company officer is responsible to the incident commander for the operational assignment that they have been asked to perform. At the same time, they need to monitor, lead, supervise and watch over their firefighters to assure their safety and survival. This is quite a challenging assignment for any one person. When you choose to assume the role of company officer, you have taken on a significant, multi-dimensional responsibility.
There are numerous other supervisory challenges and pitfalls for company officers. There are difficult leadership situations and uncomfortable disciplinary events that will be experienced. But the primary duties and responsibilities of the company officer are to protect and serve their firefighters while satisfying their supervisor’s expectations.
