Someone has to be first...

I recently ran a 5k obstacle course race that was an administrative mess. We were told to be there at 7 am. Parking was unclear, there was no race map, the start/finish was not labeled and the obstacle portion of the course was not evident. I can usually overcome a bit of confusion, but there was no communication and we didn’t start our race until after 9am. I ran frustrated.

Emergency Services

That race was a mess because it was their first year to do it. They will no doubt improve for next year because they saw their failures and made notes. In my family, I am a first generation firefighter. No one in my family ever considered becoming a firefighter. They never heard my calling to become a firefighter and they never understood it. I went through a lot of trial and error within my education about the fire service. I joined my first department in 1989 when I was 20 years old. I took my oath to defend my Community and uphold the bylaws of the department, but I never really paid attention to the complete words and meaning. I focused on the adrenaline of every fire, every car wreck, every medical call. The lights and sirens transfixed me in a siren’s song and I stumbled through the messy business of earning my keep, building trust, and gaining older member’s trust. It took years to prove myself worthy.

No one had gone before me. My friends were not firefighters. I was not on a legacy path from my family. There were other firefighters and Officers to guide me, but for the most part, when I made mistakes, they laughed. I went to classes that exposed me to ideas and concepts beyond my imagination. I responded to calls where I was astounded by citizen behaviors. My department lifted the veil on my idyllic community and I saw the worst of human behavior. No one told me emergency services would be so visceral, so challenging and so addictive! The fire service has been compared to a jealous mistress. I have willingly danced with her through many a moonlit night.

Life Application

Do not shy away from new experiences. Do not be afraid to be the first. Someone will appreciate your wisdom and guidance – teach others as you learn. One of the reasons for everything that I have created here on my website is so that others can study my successes and failures. Be the first to raise your hand, even if you don’t completely know what’s going on. If you’re a new firefighter or thinking of joining, remember Chief – “The hardest part of being a firefighter is walking through the door. The rest is On-The-Job Training.” Every day is something new in the Fire Service.

Share this: