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 “A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.” -John Maxwell In chemistry a litmus test is a tool used to determine the pH in blood. This test is important because when the blood pH is too acidic, there is a decrease in energy, a...

In Part 1, I shared the first 2 principles which you can click here to read.  Now, I will share with you principles 3-5. EXCELLENCE PRINCIPLE #3-BE THE ROLE MODEL OTHERS WANT TO FOLLOW. This principle is based upon the premise that firefighters that WANT to follow their leader...

Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else-Les Brown Far too often when the word leadership is used in a sentence among firefighters, the tendency is to assume that it is in reference to the firefighters with bars...

The President of the United States – who serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the U. S. Armed Forces – touched off a firestorm of commentary and debate in September 2014 when he rendered a “salute” to his Marine guard while holding a coffee cup in his saluting hand. Some have...

On my back, I struggled to keep my face above the dark, dingy water of the East River and did my best to crank out flutter kicks in unison with my team. Looking right and then left, it dawned on me that everyone “got it”. For the past 12 hours we had been blasted with exercises...

Becoming a Company Officer is not an easy task.  There are many things to learn and many things to do.  For this reason departments often require new officers to have a probationary period during which time they are evaluated by superiors.  If this period describes your...

When I became a Lieutenant I was immediately assigned a mentor to assist me during my probationary period, which has become a standard practice in our department.  My mentor was the Captain of the Training Division.  My mentor asked me to go to lunch one day, and during our...

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. C. S. Lewis Firefighters Are The Embodiment of True Courage From the outside looking in, the general public would say that we as firefighters are the embodiment of true courage. It is...

Regardless of a department’s size or type, the training program for it is the cornerstone of both safety and operational efficiency. Just as how an individual’s success in training can be the difference between life and death, a department’s overall training program can affect...

After being in the fire service for 10 years, I have come to appreciate a very valuable truth: every brother and sister — no matter how new or how tenured — has something to offer that will strengthen the brotherhood. Every firefighter possesses a unique background...