Stepping into the role of fire chief is a complete shift in responsibility that affects every part of an organization. You no longer are responsible for a crew, a station or a shift. You’re responsible for the entire system. Your decisions affect personnel, operations, budgets, training, morale, and, ultimately, the safety of your firefighters and the community that you serve.

The first 100 days matter, not because every problem must be solved during that time but because that’s when your personnel, officers, governing body and community begin to form their opinion of who you are as a leader. Those first few months establish your credibility, priorities and direction.

At the start of the journey

I started in the fire service as a volunteer in a county fire department system in central Florida, serving in a structure that was made up of multiple volunteer stations that were spread across the county. Like many young firefighters, I came in motivated, eager and convinced that I had something to prove. Over time, I transitioned to the career side of the fire service, worked through the ranks and eventually became fire chief.

Looking back now, one thing stands out more than anything else: I didn’t get where I was on my own. Senior firefighters, officers and mentors invested their time in me. They taught me the right way to do the job, corrected me when I needed correcting and, at times, humbled me when I believed that I had all of the answers. Some of the most important lessons that I learned in the fire service didn’t come from a classroom or a certification program. They came from sitting in stations, listening to experienced firefighters, watching how they handled people and paying attention to how they carried themselves under pressure.

If I’m to be honest, there were times early in my career when I probably didn’t listen the way that I should have. That’s common with younger firefighters, particularly in volunteer systems. It’s easy to feel as though you must prove yourself. It’s easy to talk too much, try too hard to stand out and believe that having certifications automatically means that you understand the job.

The best thing that a new firefighter can do is become a sponge: keep their ears open and absorb everything possible. Every station has knowledge in it. Every apparatus has lessons attached to it. Every senior firefighter who spent years doing this job has experience that can’t be learned from a PowerPoint presentation.

If you’re fortunate enough to have people who are willing to invest in you, pay attention to them and appreciate it. Those individuals help to shape not only your skill set but also your mindset, professionalism and leadership style.

Establish your presence early

One of the biggest mistakes that a new fire chief can make is disappearing behind a desk. Yes, the position comes with an office, meetings and administrative responsibilities, but leadership still happens in the stations, in the bays, during training and on emergency scenes. Your personnel need to see you. More importantly, they need to know that you’re paying attention.

Being visible doesn’t mean showing up simply to give speeches or announce changes. It means walking through stations without an agenda. It means riding along occasionally, observing operations and having honest conversations with your people.

One of the most crucial things that I learned early on is that firefighters rarely tell a new fire chief the truth immediately. Particularly in organizations that have experienced instability, inconsistent leadership or years of unresolved problems, personnel tend to wait and see who you really are before they open up.

If every conversation feels formal or disciplinary, personnel never speak honestly. You must create an environment in which they can communicate openly without feeling as though every concern will be held against them.

Some of the most valuable information that you will receive during your first 100 days won’t come from reports or meetings. It will come from casual conversations at the kitchen table, in apparatus bays or after training. That’s where you begin to learn what the real issues are.

You also learn very quickly who your informal leaders are. Every department has firefighters who influence the culture, regardless of rank. Some positively influence others, while some negatively affect morale and accountability. Identifying those individuals early is critical, because they either help to move the organization forward or quietly resist every change that you make.

Learn the system before trying to fix it

Many new fire chiefs walk into a department believing that they immediately must make major changes to prove leadership. That approach usually creates unnecessary resistance. Before you can improve a system, you must understand it. That means taking a hard look at staffing, response models, apparatus conditions, certifications, training records, operational readiness and organizational culture. More importantly, you must evaluate what exists beyond paper records. Paperwork doesn’t match reality always.

A volunteer or combination department staffing roster might show adequate personnel assigned to stations, but are those personnel actually responding consistently? Overall, certification records might show members meeting minimum requirements, but are they truly able and confident on emergency scenes? Apparatus maintenance logs might look complete, but are the rigs operationally dependable?

One of the most important things that I did was evaluate the system physically myself. I want through apparatus compartments. I looked at hose loads, equipment conditions, expired medical supplies, SCBA maintenance records and accountability systems. I observed training. I watched scene operations. I paid attention to radio discipline, command presence and firefighter performance under stress.

What proved crucial during that process was remaining objective. It’s easy to walk into an organization and immediately criticize everything that’s wrong. That approach damages credibility quickly. Instead, I found it more effective to identify operational strengths while honestly acknowledging weaknesses that needed improvement.

One thing that proved detrimental was making assumptions too early. Every department has history behind why certain practices exist. Some systems are outdated because of complacency, but others exist because personnel simply were doing the best that they could with limited staffing, funding or leadership support. If you fail to understand that difference, you risk alienating good firefighters who spent years trying to hold the organization together.

Evaluating training, certifications and competency

One area that deserves close attention during the first 100 days is training and certification compliance. Certifications matter and national standards matter, but these alone don’t equal competency automatically.

I have seen firefighters with impressive résumés struggle on emergency scenes and experienced firefighters who have fewer credentials that other members have perform exceptionally because they understood the job operationally. A new fire chief must evaluate both.

Look closely at officers. Are they able to lead incidents? Can they communicate clearly? Can they make decisions under pressure? Do they train their people consistently, or do they simply meet minimum requirements?

Evaluate the department’s overall training culture. Are firefighters engaged during drills, or are they simply attending because they must? Is training realistic and relevant to your response area? Does the organization prioritize operational competency or merely check boxes for compliance?

Further, consistency matters more than occasional large-scale training events. Departments improve when expectations become routine. Small, consistent training sessions build stronger firefighters than sporadic training that’s conducted simply to satisfy documentation requirements does.

On the flip side, allowing inconsistent standards between stations, shifts or divisions can be detrimental. Once firefighters see different expectations being enforced for different people, accountability begins to disappear.

Leading in isolation fails

Internal leadership matters, but external relationships often determine whether an organization receives support, funding and political backing when difficult decisions arise. Administrators and elected officials want honesty and consistency. They don’t expect perfection, but they do expect transparency.

Don’t walk into every meeting presenting only problems. Bring solutions. Bring realistic plans. Explain operational needs in a way that leaders who are outside of the department can understand.

It also is critical to build relationships with neighboring departments, county agencies, EMS partners, dispatch personnel and law enforcement agencies. Emergency services function best when those relationships exist before major incidents happen.

One mistake that some new fire chiefs make is only communicating during conflict or funding requests. Relationships that are built solely around problems rarely become strong partnerships. The strongest relationships are built through communication, professionalism and follow-through over time.

Address culture early

Every department has a culture, whether leadership acknowledges it or not. In combination departments particularly, culture can vary significantly between career personnel, volunteers, shifts and stations. Some stations might operate professionally with strong accountability, while others might have become comfortable with inconsistency and low expectations. A new fire chief can’t ignore those differences.

Culture changes only when expectations become consistent. Personnel watch closely to see whether leadership actually means what it says. If safety standards only are enforced occasionally, firefighters notice. If response expectations apply to some people but not to others, firefighters notice. If poor performance is tolerated because “that’s how it has always been,” firefighters notice.

Culture is shaped by what leadership allows. This doesn’t mean that leadership should become overly disciplinary or heavy-handed. In fact, one of the most detrimental things that a new fire chief can do is walk in trying to “clean house” immediately. That usually creates division and resentment.

Instead, focus on professionalism, accountability and consistency. Make expectations clear and enforce them fairly. Support your personnel but hold them accountable when necessary. Over time, firefighters begin to understand that the standards apply to everyone equally.

Set nonnegotiable standards

PPE compliance, training requirements, response expectations, firefighter safety and professional conduct must be nonnegotiable. These are safety issues.

One lesson that I learned quickly is that personnel pay more attention to what leadership tolerates than what leadership says. If unsafe behavior is ignored once, firefighters begin to assume that the standard is optional. If accountability disappears during difficult conversations, the culture weakens immediately.

At the same time, accountability must remain professional and fair. Discipline never should be emotional or personal. The purpose of accountability is to ensure that firefighters operate safely, professionally and effectively.

Communicate a clear direction

Firefighters want leadership that provides direction. That doesn’t mean that a new fire chief must arrive with a complete five-year strategic plan already written, but personnel must understand what matters moving forward.

Be honest about where the department currently stands. Acknowledge operational strengths while addressing areas that need improvement. Set realistic goals and communicate them consistently.

One of the biggest mistakes that new chiefs make is promising major changes too quickly. Large promises create expectations that might not be financially or operationally realistic. Strong organizations are built through steady improvement, consistency and long-term commitment.

Consistency, professionalism, honesty

The first 100 days aren’t about proving yourself through rapid change or dramatic speeches. They’re about establishing credibility, learning the organization, understanding the people and creating a foundation for long-term success.

Leadership in the fire service isn’t built through rank alone. It’s built through consistency, professionalism, honesty, and the willingness to listen and learn.

Always remember where you came from and the people who helped you. The best fire chiefs usually are the ones who never forget this.