BY LANCE C. PEEPLES

You’ve been in the books; you’re on the promotion list. Now it’s just a matter of time until you take command of your very first company. Soon, the day will come when you walk into your new house wearing that brand new, crisp white shirt and those gleaming gold bars, eager to assume the responsibilities of your new office.

It is in these early moments that newly minted officers are tested as they begin the task of leading their team. Unfortunately, many new officers are largely forced to rely on the positional (or legitimate) authority their rank provides. Overreliance on this formal authority ensures that novice officers will need to devote nearly every waking moment to controlling the behavior of their members. Clearly, new officers must quickly develop authority to influence their firefighters independently of the formal power vested in them by the fire department. These other sources of power include reward and coercive power, referent power (employees want to be like the boss), and expert power (the boss knows what he’s doing, so I had better listen to him if I want to do a good job).

F.I.R.E. L.E.A.D.E.R.S.

The mnemonic FIRE LEADERS serves as a reminder of the characteristics new fire officers must demonstrate as they attempt to develop the power to motivate their firefighters regardless of rank.

F-First In, Last Out

Battalion Chief John Salka of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) enunciates this principle eloquently in his book First In, Last Out. When a friend asked him why so many of the firefighters’ names carved into a memorial for those killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center were those of officers, Salka replied: “In FDNY, officers lead their men into battle and then stand and fight alongside them. And we all leave together-or we don’t leave at all.”

(1) First in, last out. Officers must be willing to stand alongside
their firefighters and place themselves in harm?s way to protect their
members.

This principle is critical in developing fire service leaders. If you
are unwilling to be “first in and last out,” you will forever be
identified by those under your command as unworthy of their respect.
Leaders lead! That means from out in front, even when it’s hot and
dirty.

I-Inspirational

Company (and chief) officers must inspire those they lead. Consider
these words of World War II General George S. Patton: “We are the best,
and don’t ever forget it! Don’t let anybody forget that we are the
best.”2

If in fact, if your company is not the best fire company in the world, might I suggest you get busy making it so?

R-Responsible

President Harry Truman knew “The buck stops here!” Rudy Giuliani kept a
sign on his desk that said, “I’m responsible.”3 Both these leaders knew
that at the end of the day, THEY were responsible. You should, too!

2) Officers set the example. If your men are freezing, you had better be, too!

If a ladder company cannot properly force a door, the failure is yours,
not theirs. If an ambulance crew gets lost going to an EMS call, you
are at fault. And if an engineer can’t get water, it is your
responsibility. You can delegate authority, but you can NEVER delegate
responsibility. In the end, YOU are responsible. No excuses. Do the
work.

E-Example

During the brutal winter fighting at the Battle of the Bulge, General
Patton ordered: “In cold weather, General Officers must be careful not
to appear to dress more warmly than the men.”4 Imagine the outcome if
George Washington had headed back to Philadelphia instead of hanging
out with the boys when things got a little chilly at a place called
Valley Forge. Fire officers must understand that their members are
constantly scrutinizing their every action. If your words are
inconsistent with your actions (even once) the members will never
forget. You must AT ALL TIMES set the example. Firefighters may forgive
human frailty, but they will never forgive hypocrisy.

L-Loyal

Company officers must remain loyal to the organizational mission.
Usually, this means remaining loyal to superiors and those the officer
leads. Difficult decisions must be made when the organizational mission
diverges from the self-serving interests of illegitimate superiors who
misuse their authority to further their own agenda. In the public
sector, true leaders must remember that they owe their ultimate loyalty
to the citizens. This is not to say that we are free to disregard the
instructions of our superiors whenever the spirit moves us. No, indeed
(except in rare cases of illegal or illegitimate orders), we must
remain steadfastly loyal in executing superiors’ orders. To do
otherwise subverts the democratic principles we are sworn to uphold.
Once the order is formulated, it is the officer’s responsibility to
ensure that it is executed.

However, prior to the actual issuance of an order, junior officers have
a duty to inform their superiors of any concerns they might have
regarding that order. In my estimation, it is entirely disloyal not to
express one’s reservations to the boss when less than stellar ideas are
being kicked around. During my career, I’ve seen many a boss drive over
the cliff with a henchman in one ear and a “yes man” in the other
whispering, “Faster, boss, faster.” A loyal subordinate would have
yelled, “Watch out for the cliff!” Certainly, telling the boss he’s
wrong is difficult, but if you don’t like difficult work, maybe you
ought not be a fire officer. Once the decision is made, however, the
subordinate officer is duty bound to execute it as though it were his
own.

(3) The buck stops here. Officers can delegate authority but never responsibility.

The other side of the loyalty coin deals with the officer’s commitment
to his crew. If you are ever disloyal to those whom you are supposed to
be protecting, if you betray those under your command for personal
gain, or if you fail to take the heat when the heat is yours to take,
don’t act surprised when the troops aren’t loyal to you when you need
their help.

E-Empathetic

Remember their kids’ names. Listen when they talk about their families.
Take an interest in their hobbies. If they have problems, help them. If
you can’t help, try harder. If you still can’t help, find somebody who
can. If you don’t care about them, why should they care about you?

A-Absolute Honesty

If you need this one explained to you, you shouldn’t even be a probie, much less an officer. Don’t lie!

D-Driven

The best fire service leaders live, breathe, and eat “the job.” If you
got into the job because you like the hours or if you work harder at
getting transferred to a slow house than you do at working or if your
biggest project all day is cooking the meal, well maybe carrying all
the responsibility a leader totes around all day might be just a little
too much weight for you to carry.

E-Educators

From sun up until sundown, you had better be teaching or learning. Any less? See “D-Driven.”

R-Respectful

A lot of fire officers fail miserably here. They think, “I passed the
test.” “I’ve got time on them.” “I’m the lieutenant; I must be smarter
than they are.” Fortunately, these officers are usually easily
identified by the rather peculiar angle at which their helmet sits
perched atop their humongous heads. Leaders are respectful toward
everyone-yes, even the probie. The officer’s job is to teach, not to
show everybody how much he knows. In fact, if officers keep an open
mind, it is possible that they might even learn a thing or two.

S-Selfless

In August 2004, Philadelphia Fire Captain John Taylor lost his life
when he selflessly remained at the side of firefighter Rey Rubio, who
was trapped in a basement fire. St. Louis Firefighter Derek Martin
selflessly reentered a burning warehouse to search for a firefighter
even though he knew he was low on air. His heroism cost him his life.
And on June 3, 1999, Captain Vincent Fowler of the FDNY lost his life
while selflessly ensuring the safety of his firefighters. Each of these
men knew the meaning of the concept selflessness. Do you? These men
were FIRE LEADERS. Are you?

References

1. Salka, John. First In, Last Out: Leadership Lessons from the New York Fire Department. (NY: Penguin Group, 2004) 209-210.

2. Axlerod, Alan. Patton on Leadership-Strategic Lessons for Corporate Warfare. (Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall Press, 1999) 190.

3. Giuliani, Rudolph. Leadership. (NY: Miramax Books, 2002) 69.

4. Axlerod, 40.

■ LANCE C. PEEPLES is an instructor at the St. Louis County (MO) Fire
Academy. He formerly served as a shift supervisor with the City of St.
Louis EMS. He has an associate’s degree in fire protection technology
and emergency medical technology and a bachelor’s degree in public
administration. He is a Fire Officer II, a Fire Instructor II, and a
certified rescue technician and hazardous materials technician. He is
pursuing a graduate degree in fire and emergency management at Oklahoma
State University.
Fire Engineering August, 2005
Author(s) :   Lance Peeples

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