Fire Department Management vs. Leadership: On Which Side of the Challenge Coin Do You Fall?
Challenge coins have a rich history. Starting in World War I as a way to identify a particular squadron, the tradition spread to the fire service, exemplifying comradery and dedication.
Just like any coin, challenge coins have two sides. One side of a fire service challenge coin (front) typically identifies the department, station or fire-service symbol. The other side (back) typically serves as a dedication, using a motto, tribute or remembrance of an event.
The fire service often uses the terms management and leadership interchangeably. However, they are different and distinct, just like the two sides of the same coin. On which side do you fall?
Management
Management within the fire service is synonymous with operational effectiveness and efficiency, accomplishing and delegating tasks with precision and safety, directing others and allocating resources in a tactful manner that gets the knock on the fire, forces entry, executes ventilation and/or extricates the victim—put simply, getting the job done.
Management involves setting an objective to make a plan, structuring resources (people, materials, finances) in a way to execute the plan and monitoring the process with adjustments to ensure that the objective is completed. An officer does this for every box alarm: arrive at the incident; get the assignment (objective); develop a plan of attack that’s based on experience/training/current conditions (plan), direct crewmembers to grab their tools/equipment and to deploy them (resources allocation); monitor their progress, with adjustments that are based on fire conditions; and report back to command (monitoring). This leverages several managerial practices: teamwork, time management, resource allocation, conflict resolution, communication and administrative competency.
The front side of a challenge coin that identifies the department can act as a metaphor to management. Like a department emblem, management represents organization, structure, enforcement of policy and maintaining order. Good fire service managers ensure that their crews follow protocols, standard operating guidelines/standard operating procedures and schedules and utilize resources and keep them equipped and ready to make the push.
Leadership
Fire service leadership promotes motivation and vision through coaching, mentoring, active listening, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and psychological safety. To be a leader is to galvanize a team to push past its limits and achieve excellence. It isn’t about just maintaining the status quo; it’s about pushing the boundaries.
Leadership involves identifying a crew’s strengths and weaknesses and developing and motivating the members of the crew to bolster their strengths while simultaneously fixing a weakness.
Leadership involves thinking strategically and critically about how the department can improve.
Leadership is passing along experience and developing the next generation.
The back side of a challenge coin that depicts dedication can represent leadership. Leadership is about vision, mentorship and inspiration. It’s about cultivating morale, shaping department culture and guiding firefighters through challenges that go beyond just logistical concerns.
One misconception is that a leader must be bold, outspoken and charismatic. You don’t have to be an extrovert to be a leader. Although charisma can help, introverts can lead, too. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the best leaders are soft spoken and lead by example, letting their actions speak for them. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert doesn’t matter; what does matter is that leaders embody and display in some fashion the core values that are mentioned above.
Extroverted leaders and introverted leaders are two sides of the same coin. The front (department) side of the challenge coin is the extroverted leader. Extroverted leaders represent the department and thrive in public-facing roles. They rally teams, foster department pride and ensure that everyone feels connected to the department’s mission. They lead drills, drive enthusiasm and build morale.
The back (dedication) side of the coin is the introverted leader. These leaders focus on deep reflection, build personal mentorships and relationships, and honor the legacy of the profession. Although quieter than extroverted leaders, introverted leaders are just as impactful. They leverage critical thinking, a strategic mindset and one-on-one guidance and ensure recognition is meaningful rather than just ceremonial.
Accountability: the common denominator
A common element that’s within both management and leadership is the practice of accountability, or ensuring that others are held responsible, with both positive and negative consequences. If someone exceeds expectations, you should hold them accountable with positive reinforcement. If someone doesn’t meet expectations, you must hold them accountable for their actions with the appropriate consequence. In either case, officers can improve the organizational culture and likelihood of future positive behavior significantly when they hold others accountable in a way that gets them to want to do it instead of them having to do it. That’s motivation. That’s taking leadership to the next level.
As an example, consider the members of your crew are operating at a motor vehicle accident. They make a mistake or don’t pay attention to detail (e.g., accidently cut through the air-bag cylinder without stripping back plastic, forgot to stretch the line, provide unclear size-up, etc.). One way to handle it is to ream them out when they are back in the apparatus or at station. Another way is to discuss with them their thought process as to why the mistake happened, address the root cause of the issue (confidence, training, fatigue) and outline a plan for them to correct the behavior so that they are ready next time. Both of these approaches are forms of accountability. One chastises, the other motivates. They both articulate that the behavior is unacceptable, but the second way uses positive reinforcement to inspire.
Using the second motivation-based method, we seek to build up members, not tear them down and leave them behind. As a leader, does it take a bit more time? Yes. Does it take extra effort? Sure. However, we preach about how we don’t want our members to skate by/give the bare minimum. Why would we not expect the same of ourselves as a leader or manager? If we expect members to give more than the bare minimum, we as officers and leaders must give more than the bare minimum, too.
Don’t take the easy way out by putting the members of your crew on blast and walking away. Take the time to think about how to approach them, motivate them, leverage psychological safety to have a meaningful conversation, implement emotional intelligence techniques and utilize positive reinforcement.
A challenge coin is a symbol of solidarity among fire service members, which means that it represents the high standards that we hold for one another with respect to conduct and performance. This solidarity for standards aligns with the notion of accountability. Management enforces accountability by using systems, processes and structures. Leadership promotes accountability by creating a sense of ownership, or intrinsic motivation, to foster a drive toward goal-oriented behaviors. If management and leadership are each of a side of the coin, accountability connects them as the edge.
Balance
Management and leadership, although often used synonymously, are actually distinctly separate supervisory practices. Management champions operational precision, structure and readiness; leadership stimulates growth, resilience and unity and harmonizes organizational culture and morale to continuously improve. The best fire service officers incorporate both, a balance of operational efficiency and motivation.
By embracing both sides along with accountability, departments can build a solid foundation to create stronger teams and an enduring legacy of excellence. Challenge yourself to embody both sides of the challenge coin.
About the Author
David Hupp
David Hupp has been in the fire service for 12 years as a volunteer firefighter/EMT and currently is an active member at and a member of the board of directors for the Solomons Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Department, which is in Calvert County, MD. Hupp has a doctorate in business administration-healthcare management, a master's degree in business administration and a bachelor's degree in business administration. He also has improvement certifications as a LEAN Six Sigma Black Belt and a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality. Hupp also has 12 years' experience in the healthcare field and is employed at The Johns Hopkins Hospital as a senior quality improvement team leader, where he focuses on process improvement, hospital efficiencies and patient safety. He is the author of "V.I.P.E.R. Improvement: Fire/EMS Leadership and Management," which uses business improvement tools to drive improved problem-solving and decision-making. The book is the recipient of the Regal Summit Book Award and is an award finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Award in the business and career categories.