Hey Chiefs… You are the safety net for your Firefighters. Who is your safety net?

We've all said it, "this show makes me nuts about how it portrays the fire service and firefighters". Tell us you favorite Firefighter Show and the one that makes you crazy! Here are mine: The one I like?? this is hard because I really don't like any very much but the one I felt reflected a lot of what it was like in the fire house was Rescue Me with Dennis Leary. The runner up is Rescue 911 Nashville! It is by far the worst representation of what we do, how we live and how you become a firefighter. and I got that all from watching one show. The one I hate the most is Fire Country! Nepitism, drugs in the fire house, shutting down a station for over a month because someone is sad, ARE YOU KIDDING ME! Picking where you want to work just because you feel like it, disobeying your Chief, everyday, living in a camper in the fire house, ok I've see this in real life, lol. And shave the damn beard!!! OK i'm going to check my blood pressure!

If you’re already on the job, you’re in the right room. Drop a quick intro so the right people can find you: - Rank / assignment: (FF, Eng, LT, etc.) - Type of department: (career, combo, big city, small town) - One thing you’re working on right now: (fitness, skills, leadership, promotion, balance, etc.) - One thing you’d love input on from other career firefighters: - You don’t have to write a novel — just enough to start real conversations.And if you see someone in a similar spot as you… reach out in the comments. That’s how the strong network gets built. We need to eastablish more engagement to make this group with having for all of us! Roger

Last night’s residential structure fire gave me a moment of reflection. Several years ago, I felt I needed to respond to every significant incident because I needed to be there to make decisions… take command. I also knew our people were hoping I was coming. I still remember hearing comments like, “I was so glad when I saw you enroute on the MDT.” Last night was different. I arrived on scene and just stood there. The incident ran smoothly. People were confidently performing their roles. Decisions were being made. The transition from suppression to investigation happened seamlessly. When the incident moved into the investigation phase, our Deputy Fire Marshal and a Shift Fire Prevention Specialist stepped in, took ownership, planned, and executed exactly what needed to be done. I was not needed. Just as meaningful was seeing the strength of our relationships beyond our organization. Our neighboring agencies showed up without hesitation to assist, integrated seamlessly into the operation, and worked alongside our people as trusted partners. When the next call came in, another neighboring agency immediately picked it up for us without hesitation. No questions. No delay. That is what strong relationships look like. And while a small part of me might miss being needed in that way, what a powerful feeling it is to see how far we have come. This is what intentional leadership development looks like. This is what investing in people looks like. This is what trust, both internally and regionally, produces. Skilled. Confident. Competent professionals… supported by equally committed partners. Proud does not even begin to cover it.