Paul M. Rank's Blog (6)

Professionalism is a very common adjective used in the sphere of the modern fire service.  It is a word that is taken in a myriad of contexts and used to describe (or sometimes denounce) much of what we do as firefighters.  As the emphasis of service shifts in importance to all aspects of our modern-day society, the fire service is no different.  Many fire departments and organizations,…

                Whether career or volunteer, municipal or private, urban or rural, firefighters are the cornerstone of the fire service, and have been since the Vigiles of Ancient Rome.  Without firefighters, a fire department has nothing and can do nothing.  A fire station won’t provide maintenance to its own apparatus and equipment.  Apparatus can’t drive to fires and pump themselves.  A…

                The modern day fire service is a world different than the fire service of 20 years ago.  Hell, it’s a world different than 10 years, 5 years, or even 1 year ago.  We live and work in an ever-changing, ever-evolving industry.…

                As firefighters spend more time in the fire service and grow as professionals, they inevitably gain new interests and take on new knowledge to meet the challenges of an ever-growing industry.  They can develop many different, often specialized skill sets along the way.  Advanced rescue skills such as urban search and rescue, collapse, high-angle, trench,…

I recently had the privilege of interviewing for a Fire Department I greatly admire and deeply respect.  One of the main reasons that I feel so strongly about this organization, is my perception of the outstanding culture they've developed.  Perception being reality, as I have been told, got me thinking about culture, and it's importance in the Fire Service.

Culture is a subject that is…

I was sent this picture by a colleague of mine the other day, and after nearly ten years in the Fire Service, it still amazes me to hear the phrase "that's how we've always done it."  At the same time, I hear people talk about how tradition needs to go away.  When did "tradition" become such a loaded word?  Why can we not have tradition, but we must continue…