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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadFirefighterToolbox Podcast/ Internet Radio Show Episode #015 Interview with Dave Stachowiak, Ed.D. About this Episode: One of the most frustrating things to learn is how to motivate and lead in the fire station.  Many of us become good...

Throughout my career, I have been exposed to the acronym LDRSHIP over and over.  This is the acronym for the seven core Army values. These seven values were plastered on the walls of every Army firehouse I have ever served in, and I am forever grateful for that.  Seeing these...

I have been involved in leadership training, as both a student and a teacher, for twenty-five years. Every so often I’ll hear someone say something like, “The secret to leadership is ____________”, where you can fill in the blank with any number of leadership theories, quotes,...

In the fire service there are a set of standards that we strive to achieve. Have you read them? We as fire officers should be very familiar with NFPA 1021, also known as the “Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications”. The intent of the standard is to...

The Japanese word of “Kaizen” can be defined simply as seeking continuous improvement. Let’s examine how we can improve upon our level of customer service. Modern demands and expectations of the citizen customers require that we do a better job of planning for the...

Beware! Watch out! Look around, this phenomenon is happening all around us all the time! Are we setting ourselves up for failure? How many times do we as officers allow this to happen? Curious as to what I’m talking about? It’s called “Normalization of...

Being a firefighter we have been made aware numerous times that our job is inherently a team sport. Inside team, outside team, nozzle team, forcible entry team and rapid intervention team are just some of the terms we hear on a regular basis. Being part of a team means we are not...

The Knowledge is There but the Initiative is Gone! How as officers can we instill the knowledge and proficiency into our crews and create an environment where anything less will not be tolerated? One way is to be technically and tactically proficient. Making sure your crew works...

In part 2  of our series I discussed why it is important for a department to develop social media policy. As I discussed the department must make every effort to control the information flow to the public when it comes to their operations. If misinformation or inappropriate...

Congratulations you are now a newly promoted company officer! Now what? How are you going to set the tone of your company? Listed below is what I feel are of the biggest mistakes you can make to ensuring a fundamental breakdown of your crew. Setting Your People Up Towards Failure...