It was 1976, the United States’ 200th anniversary of independence. Jimmy Carter was elected president, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the year out at 1,004, gas was 0.59 cents per gallon, a new house averaged $43,400, the Plymouth Arrow was the hot car at $3,175, a very heavy 25-inch color Zenith TV cost $599, and Apple Computer was formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. In our industry, fire engines cost about $50,000, and America was indeed “burning.” An average of 150 firefighters were dying in the line of duty annually, and more than 4,000 residents died in fires in the United States annually. And, compared to some of my compatriot editors, I was much younger.
Fast-forward 40 years to 2016. A basic fire engine today starts around $500,000, smoke alarms have made a huge dent in fatalities and injuries through early notification, and fire sprinklers have begun to have significant impacts. In Prince George’s County, MD, alone, the documented average fire loss in sprinkler-protected homes dropped by more than 80 percent, as compared to non-protected homes. Mandatory smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and sprinkler legislation today have protected untold thousands of residents and saved millions of dollars in potential losses.
Sharing the story of progressive prevention and aggressive response is a large part of my Firehouse story. Raised the son of a World War II veteran marine and Baptist minister made for a very dynamic “growing up.” I owe my ability to “tell stories” and “speak” to the many sermons (and stories) my dad would give.
I’m a strong believer in building tomorrow’s leaders through succession planning. I am not a believer in the “everyone gets a trophy” approach. Why do I put the two together? Because many would have you believe that the “Y” and millennial generation folks need a “trophy” to succeed. Hogwash. They had/have friends and trophies in school. Now they need pure, unadulterated leadership.
Our mission as leaders (fire/EMS service or otherwise) should be to take people where they didn’t KNOW they could go—or where they didn’t know they WANTED to go to. It really isn’t difficult, and I will NOT give everyone a trophy. Paid or volunteer (I’ve been both), this is a public safety sensitive business, not a daycare center and not a hobby shop (no offense intended to daycare centers or hobby shops). The fire and EMS service has slowly evolved in the United States; however, some would have you believe the way we “did it” in 1976 is still valid today. The fire-problem statistics didn’t improve on its own, and certainly did not benefit from the status quo. We (the fire/EMS service—paid and volunteer) worked with industry allies and partners, took a proactive and professional approach to prevention activities (we now call it community risk reduction), and educated the bevy of schools and elected officials on the fire problem in the United States.
We have a long way to go. Only two states have mandatory statewide residential sprinkler legislation (Maryland and California). Fortunately, most places at least require smoke alarms. Let’s use this magazine and website as an educational track medium, a revolution, to make a difference. Every one of you reading today should be a part of this revolution, make a REAL difference in your community, reduce fires, fire deaths, and be a part of improving the social conditions that cause the real or perceived abuse on our EMS systems.
Firehouse Magazine has been and will be a significant contributor to that educational track. There’s no degree for it, no certificate, no credit hours or license. All you need is the ability to read. All you get is what you make out of it, which I submit has, in part, been a well-documented improvement in the fire condition of the United States.
I am honored to play a small part in the Firehouse educational track through the Chief Concerns column. I trust you will continue to enjoy the work of all of our contributing editors. Please keep reading, writing and making a difference in your community. Stay SMART and stay safe.
