Leadership in the fire service often is framed around strength, decisiveness and command presence. These traits are undeniably important when lives are on the line and chaos must be brought under control. However, one of the most powerful tools that the best leaders possess is the ability to lead through failure. It’s something that’s rarely discussed and isn’t seen as important because a simple “My bad” fixes everything, right?

Whether serving as a company officer on the apparatus floor or as a fire chief who shapes department culture, how leaders respond to their own mistakes has a profound effect on accountability, humility and trust within the organization. Do it wrong and it can ruin leaders.

Officers must set the tone

Failure in the fire service is inevitable at every rank. It might come in the form of a misjudged tactical decision, a communication breakdown on the fireground, a training oversight, a personnel conflict that’s handled poorly or a decision that has profound effects not even considered. Given the high-risk environment, even small missteps can carry significant consequences. The difference between a toxic culture and a resilient one often lies not in the absence of failure but in how leaders confront failure and grow from it.

Company officers are the golden ticket to the success of a department. On a daily basis, firefighters observe their officer’s behavior—how the officer makes decisions, communicates under pressure and, crucially, handles being wrong. An officer who refuses to acknowledge mistakes or shifts blame onto subordinates quickly erodes credibility and starts down a path that ruins careers. Firefighters know when accountability is absent. Over time, this breeds resentment, disengagement and a reluctance to take initiative. This is when you see firefighters hold their officers accountable without fear of repercussions, because they know that there won’t be any.

Conversely, officers who openly acknowledge their mistakes send a powerful message. Admitting “I made the wrong call” or “I should have handled that differently” demonstrates confidence rather than weakness. It shows that the officer values truth and improvement over ego. This behavior creates psychological safety within the crew; firefighters understand that they, too, can speak up, admit errors, and learn without fear of unfair punishment or ridicule.

Officers must set the tone. They are the standard. Everyone is watching them.

Accountability, balanced with fairness and growth

Safety is critical in the fire service. We hear it all of the time: Be safe, stay safe, make safe choices, take this class so that you can be safe, etc.

On the fireground, hesitation or silence can cost the lives of citizens and members. Have you considered what hesitation and silence does in the firehouse? With poor leadership, lives and careers in the firehouse can be lost quickly. Firefighters must feel empowered to communicate concerns, challenge decisions when necessary and share observations. When leaders model accountability through their own failures, they lower the barrier for others to do the same.

At the chief officer level, the scope broadens, but the principle remains the same. Chiefs set the tone for the entire organization. Their response to failure shapes departmental culture. If a chief responds to mistakes with punishment and blame, members will become risk-averse and guarded. The self-preservation button is smashed every hour of the shift. “You see that glow flashing in the corner of your eye?” Firefighter Brian McCaffrey asks Alderman Martin Swayzak near the end of “Backdraft.” “That’s your career dissipation light; it just went into high gear.” Sound familiar? When this occurs, innovation stalls, reporting becomes less transparent and near-misses might go unspoken. The organization becomes brittle, hiding its weaknesses rather than addressing them. This is a problem. It’s a red flag moment that requires change sooner rather than later.

In contrast, chiefs who treat failure as a learning opportunity build a culture of continual improvement. This doesn’t mean ignoring negligence or abandoning standards. Accountability still exists, but it’s balanced with fairness and a focus on growth. When chiefs openly discuss their own missteps—for example, a strategic decision that didn’t yield the desired outcome or a decision that failed in practice—they signal that learning is valued at every level of the organization. Perfection isn’t the expectation. If it is, chiefs will fail every day.

Humble leaders are secure enough in their role to admit that they don’t have all of the answers. Humility reinforces accountability. When leaders hold themselves to the same or higher standards as that to which they hold their personnel, they eliminate perceptions of double standards. Firefighters are far more likely to accept discipline or corrective action when they see that their leaders operate with integrity and self-awareness. A culture of “do as I say, not as I do” quickly collapses under scrutiny, but a culture in which leaders embody the expectations becomes self-sustaining.

Chiefs, show your expectations and help your crew to meet them through mentoring, teaching, rapport and being unapologetic.

This human element often is overlooked in paramilitary organizations, including the fire service. Although structure and discipline are essential, firefighters aren’t automatons. They are individuals who value respect and fairness. Seeing leaders own their failures reminds them that leadership isn’t about perfection but about responsibility. It narrows the perceived gap between rank and file, which makes leaders more approachable and relatable.

After-action reviews

Another critical aspect of leading through failure is the after-action review (AAR) process. Whether it’s formal critiques that follow a working fire or informal kitchen table discussions, these moments are opportunities to reinforce accountability and learning.

Leaders who dominate these conversations or deflect criticism miss the point. Effective leaders facilitate honest dialogue, encourage participation and include their own performance in the evaluation. As noted above, failure is inevitable, even on the fireground. Chiefs and officers must own it there as well as in the firehouse. The goal isn’t to assign blame but to extract lessons that improve future performance. Over time, this practice builds a culture in which continual improvement is ingrained rather than forced.

At the organizational level, chiefs can institutionalize this approach by promoting nonpunitive reporting systems, encouraging documentation of near-misses and supporting training that emphasizes decision-making under uncertainty. When failures are analyzed constructively rather than buried, the entire department benefits from shared learning. AARs are meant to be tough and blunt and to provide learning. Don’t believe that the fireground is the only AAR that must be done. AARs can be done after subpar decisions in the firehouse, on the training ground, handling personnel issues and more. It’s a time to learn, not degrade.

Authority built on credibility and trust

It’s important to recognize that not all failures are equal. There’s a distinction between an honest mistake that’s made in a complex, high-pressure situation and negligence or willful disregard for policy. Leading through failure doesn’t mean excusing poor behavior. Instead, it means applying appropriate accountability while still maintaining dignity and focusing on growth. This balance is what separates effective leadership from either extreme of authoritarianism or permissiveness.

One of the challenges that leaders face is the fear that admitting failure will undermine their authority. In reality, the opposite often is true. Authority that’s based solely on rank is fragile; it depends on compliance rather than respect. Authority that’s built on credibility and trust is far more durable. When firefighters see that their leader is competent, honest and willing to take responsibility, their respect deepens. They are more likely to follow that leader, not because they must but because they want to.

Firefighters who observe this behavior internalize it and carry it forward as they promote. This creates a ripple effect throughout the organization, to gradually shape a culture in which accountability and humility are the norm rather than the exception. Over time, this culture becomes a defining characteristic of the department.

Mental resilience

Another dimension to consider is the effect on mental resilience. The fire service exposes its members to intense stress, both physically and emotionally. A culture that stigmatizes failure can exacerbate this stress, which can lead to burnout, anxiety and decreased performance. In contrast, a culture that normalizes learning from mistakes supports resilience. Firefighters understand that setbacks are part of the job, not a reflection of their worth or ability. Any good firefighter, the one who you want to work for your department, wants to be held accountable and wants to learn. We all were there at one point. We all wanted the same thing. Why do we make it such a difficult aspect of the job today?

Leadership in moments of failure

Ultimately, leadership through failure is about integrity. It’s about aligning words with actions and demonstrating that accountability begins at the top. It requires the courage to be vulnerable, to accept criticism and to change. The payoff is significant: a stronger, more cohesive organization in which trust, respect and continual improvement are embedded in the culture.

In the fire service, where the margin for error can be razor thin, this kind of leadership isn’t optional; it’s essential. Officers and chiefs who embrace their own fallibility set the standard for their members.

Leadership often is tested in moments of success, but it’s defined in moments of failure. How leaders respond in those moments echoes throughout the organization, to shape attitudes, behaviors and outcomes. By leading through failure with honesty and humility, fire service leaders build a culture that isn’t only effective but enduring. Fire service officers are the golden ticket to this job. They have an obligation to be great at their job. They must not let down their members.