While reading or studying about the important skills for fire department officers, I usually can’t help but notice that inspiration rarely is left out. In the fire service—and in many other fields of work and play—inspiration is a vital element in getting people to enjoy what they are doing, to increase their productivity and to create success.
So, exactly where do you find inspiration? Who can you expect or hope to be inspired by? After working in the fire service for more than 40 years, I believe that I finally might have figured this out.
Beyond officers
So, consider the new probationary firefighters who are working their first shift in a career department or attending their first training drill at the volunteer firehouse. Almost certainly, they will have some exposure to and discussion with the company officer, but they also will spend time with some of the more senior firefighters, who will show them the firehouse, the apparatus and the tools. (I remember my first days at the FDNY and the people who broke me in.)
New young firefighters often experience their first dose of inspiration while they work with and listen to the senior people who are in their company. Senior firefighters will tell new arrivals how it really is. If they love the firehouse/company, they probably will share that with probies. In addition to providing information about the tools and apparatus, senior firefighters often are the first members to get the newest members pumped up about being a firefighter and about being a member of that company.
Another common site of inspiration is the training ground. Whether it’s at the department’s training division, at a neighboring department, or even at a regional or national conference, fire instructors are excellent sources of inspiration. I remember attending classes and seminars where the words, actions, videos and even jokes of the presenter had me imagining that I would make rescues and make history on my very next shift. The work that we do as firefighters lends itself nicely to these thoughts, and the words and actions of instructors are great inspirational tools. I attended such dynamic training programs that not only were new firefighters inspired, but people who had 20 years of service came out with a new attitude and outlook as a result of their experience with the instructor.
Beyond the firehouse
Who else do you believe are people who can inspire you? Where else might you see or hear inspirational words or lessons?
In addition to the time that we spend at the firehouse and at training, most firefighters begin to develop a social network with the firefighters and officers who they work with. We all have experienced the annual company dinner or installation event, a picnic or other summertime gathering for members. All of these serve as means for firefighters to develop strong and lifelong friendships with each other.
I recall sitting at a local watering hole with a couple of other members who I worked with at the firehouse, listening to their stories of how things used to be or about the recently retired captain or the like. These stories are like chapters out of a history book. Some of the events that were discussed simply were incredible: a firefighter describing a “job” that he and the former captain worked, the events that unfolded, the dramatic, almost unbelievable, actions and efforts that resulted in rescues and front-page headlines. As a story was told, I imagined me at that fire. I imagined making the rescue. I can tell you that those stories were with me every minute of my next shift at the firehouse.
Many sources
So, you see, inspiration doesn’t exist in a single dimension. Yes, officers absolutely should be a source of inspiration but not the singular source. You can and should be inspired by everything that’s around you in the fire service. Senior firefighters, fire instructors, shift mates, friends, and even the photographs that are on the walls and the smell of smoke on the apparatus floor. I can smell that right now!
John J. Salka Jr. will present “Fireground Responsibility” and “RIT Gone Wrong” at Firehouse Expo. To register, visit firehouseexpo.com.
John J. Salka Jr. | Battalion Chief
JOHN J. SALKA JR., who is a Firehouse contributing editor, retired as a battalion chief with FDNY, serving as commander of the 18th battalion in the Bronx. Salka has instructed at several FDNY training programs, including the department’s Probationary Firefighters School, Captains Management Program and Battalion Chiefs Command Course. He conducts training programs at national and local conferences and has been recognized for his firefighter survival course, “Get Out Alive.” Salka co-authored the FDNY Engine Company Operations manual and wrote the book "First In, Last Out–Leadership Lessons From the New York Fire Department." He also operates Fire Command Training, which is a New York-based fire service training and consulting firm.
