It’s YourTurn; Are You Ready?

Many years ago, two senior members in my company looked at me as I walked into the ready room. I had the feeling they were up to something. As I sat down, one of the ex-chiefs leaned over and asked me if I was running for lieutenant. I looked at him and said no! By the time I finished my coffee, I was a candidate for my company elections. Was I ready to do the job? I really couldn’t say. The short version of my story is that over the next few weeks, the senior members tested me at county drills and company drills. I must have past their secret criteria because I was elected to the position of lieutenant in my company.

I am sure your company and department have rules and requirements for upcoming officers. My department has a list of requirements for upcoming officers. They are good requirements, but my experience has shown that there is more to being a good officer than having a few extra classes. If you were responsible for sanctioning a new officer, what would you require?

Can you communicate? I am not talking about transmitting on a radio. I am talking about speaking professionally to a homeowner who has a question for you. Do you know how to speak with a member who isn’t doing their job? Even now, I see members who can’t tie a basic knot to tie up a hose line so it can be pulled to the roof. I see members who have difficulty starting saws, using a rabbit tool or even talking on the radio to relay messages to their officer. When you are an officer, you set the example for others to follow. Yes, unfortunately you must know everything that you expect your members to do. For the experienced officers; how many of you have ever wanted to rip a tool out of the hands of an individual who had no idea what they were doing? Many of us have been there. Agood officer has patience and knows how to instruct and motivate their members to learn the proper techniques when using tools and how to train to stay fluent with its operation.

Most new officers I have seen are good firefighters. However, as an officer, your job changes and now you are responsible for the safety of your crew as well as making sure they are doing a specific job correctly. Now that you are an officer, you are responsible for keeping company records. You now must learn to docu- ment training records, tool maintenance records, along with other computer and writing skills. When PESH visits a department, they ask for your documentation and records. Give this some thought.

My advice to new officers is to ask for guidance from the people whose footsteps you are following. Good luck to our upcoming officers. Riding the front seat is not as easy as it looks, especially when you pull up on a working fire with occupants within. Are you ready for the job? Only you can answer this question.

- Dennis