“You young men of the department today will perhaps see fire apparatus propelled or driven by a rocket, and many new evolutions to fight fires. In time to come the lessening of fires by fire resisting material will cut your work down. Yes, we men of 1909 have lived to see rapid advances in fire […]

“Leadership is intangible, and therefore no weapon ever designed can replace it.”  — General Omar Bradley   This is the way I see it over the rim of my cup o’ Joe.  Today’s fire service is faced with countless difficulties including economics, extreme technical leaps, generational differences in values and ethics and now even post […]

Hey Brother,….The Good Book says in Proverbs, that “iron sharpens iron..” meaning that iron in one form can be sharpened by iron in another form (like a file).  It goes on to say that in a similar way,  good friends build each other up. Sometimes by being brutally honest with each other.  A skilled, attentive […]

Well, Brother.  Glad you could join me for a cup. ..I know, it’s a little strong..the probie made it.  He’ll learn. So I’ve been cogitatin’ on things for a few months now.  The summer came and went and if you remember, I was all fired up about not getting any good fishing in.  But little did I […]

The following diatribe is written poorly at a late hour.  My sincere apologies.  But I would like to take the time to dedicate this declaration to the five highly dedicated firemen that have helped me this far acting out the foriegn roles of drill instructors.  They have followed my lead, endeavored to meet it and have […]

Did you know who the procession was for last Friday?  Did you hear the drums beat, the pipes calling, take note or shroud your badge?  No?  Not the usual coverage, I agree.  A slightly more subdued affair.  Still I would have liked to have known. This past Friday, the New York Fire Department members gathered […]

Well, fill the cup….its been a while. I’ve been on a leave of absence, learning more about life. Its that time for me I think. I’ve been all grown up for a bit now, but still feel young at heart and life has its way of dragging you into reality. I returned to duty just […]

They’re a good crew. But they won’t always be yours. At their next assignment or department, will your department’s reputation be known for creating steadfast micro-managers or for making future leaders? Where are you in developing the next generation? Time will tell.

Often when I think about my attitudes about a given subject and the core beliefs I have, I go back to my young life in the Marines. It was there that the foundation was laid that makes me the fireman that I am today. Here’s a few thoughts about the finest officer I ever knew.

Its not easy to lead firemen on the scene or in the firehouse. It is also not easy to be good at followership when you are confronted with poor leadership. You can make a difference in this age old struggle by putting your own self interest aside for another time. Remember, the love of the job.