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Brotherhood
Just a few thoughts that I wrote down a few moths ago, I am sorry it is so long but please think about this.
”Where’s The Brotherhood”
Most of us have seen the television commercial with the elderly lady who says, “Where’s the beef?” Well, I am not that woman, but I am asking, “Where’s the Brotherhood?”
You hear a lot about the Brotherhood in the fire service, including about and how strong it is. Most of us believe in it, even though some only pay lip service to the idea.
Have you ever been in a position in which you needed the support of the Brotherhood but been left wondering where it is? Where does it go? In your own fire district, have you experienced the camaraderie that can stem from it?
It seems that firefighters in larger districts practice what they preach when it comes to the Brotherhood. They understand what it is and why it is so important to us. In my experience, however, this often is not the case in some smaller departments.
I have worked at several smaller departments in Ohio, and I have seen many of us speak of the Brotherhood but not act in ways that support it—and in turn each other.
Why is it so hard to act upon? Why can’t we all just believe in the Brotherhood and do what it takes to make our common bond stronger?
The Brotherhood is something you feel on the inside, not something can be taught in a classroom. It doesn’t go away when we leave the station at the end of a shift.
We depend on each other every duty day, but what about when we are off work? Is the brotherhood still there? Yes, it should be! Is it really always there? No.
The fire service programs are producing recruits every day who are younger and younger, it seems. These additions to our family often show up for their first day of work and treat firefighters with 30 years’ experience like they are obsolete pieces of equipment.
Why is this, and what can we do about it? Times have changed in smaller districts especially, and these new recruits know it.
Today, if a senior member tries to discipline a younger colleague, he is often called into his supervisor’s office and reprimanded. The superior officer tells the senior member to back off because he or she is afraid the new firefighter will file a lawsuit of some sort against the department.
We live in a lawsuit-happy society, and articles in firefighter magazines bear this out.
What can we do about this dynamic? In the fire service, we have gotten away from mentoring the younger generations. As soon as a new firefighter arrives for duty, he or she often gets teased, even harassed. They really are not welcomed; therefore they feel the need to respond inappropriately.
If those of us who have been around for a while would take charge and mentor the younger firefighter and show him or her how things are done in the fire service, it would change the younger person’s attitude.
I believe that it would help create a bond—let them in the family on Day 1—and show them what Brotherhood is really all about.
Instead of teasing a new firefighter about, teach him or her. Help show them the way. Who knows, the new person might end up saving your life on the job or help you in a time of great personal crisis. Lead them by example, and maybe the new member of your department will become the personification of what the Brotherhood means to you.
After all, we are all family, no matter whether we have one day or 20 years on the job. Let’s do our part to keep the great tradition of the Brotherhood alive.
Remember be safe and train, as training will save lives!
Written by: Todd C. McKee
College Township Fire Gambier Ohio
”Where’s The Brotherhood”
Most of us have seen the television commercial with the elderly lady who says, “Where’s the beef?” Well, I am not that woman, but I am asking, “Where’s the Brotherhood?”
You hear a lot about the Brotherhood in the fire service, including about and how strong it is. Most of us believe in it, even though some only pay lip service to the idea.
Have you ever been in a position in which you needed the support of the Brotherhood but been left wondering where it is? Where does it go? In your own fire district, have you experienced the camaraderie that can stem from it?
It seems that firefighters in larger districts practice what they preach when it comes to the Brotherhood. They understand what it is and why it is so important to us. In my experience, however, this often is not the case in some smaller departments.
I have worked at several smaller departments in Ohio, and I have seen many of us speak of the Brotherhood but not act in ways that support it—and in turn each other.
Why is it so hard to act upon? Why can’t we all just believe in the Brotherhood and do what it takes to make our common bond stronger?
The Brotherhood is something you feel on the inside, not something can be taught in a classroom. It doesn’t go away when we leave the station at the end of a shift.
We depend on each other every duty day, but what about when we are off work? Is the brotherhood still there? Yes, it should be! Is it really always there? No.
The fire service programs are producing recruits every day who are younger and younger, it seems. These additions to our family often show up for their first day of work and treat firefighters with 30 years’ experience like they are obsolete pieces of equipment.
Why is this, and what can we do about it? Times have changed in smaller districts especially, and these new recruits know it.
Today, if a senior member tries to discipline a younger colleague, he is often called into his supervisor’s office and reprimanded. The superior officer tells the senior member to back off because he or she is afraid the new firefighter will file a lawsuit of some sort against the department.
We live in a lawsuit-happy society, and articles in firefighter magazines bear this out.
What can we do about this dynamic? In the fire service, we have gotten away from mentoring the younger generations. As soon as a new firefighter arrives for duty, he or she often gets teased, even harassed. They really are not welcomed; therefore they feel the need to respond inappropriately.
If those of us who have been around for a while would take charge and mentor the younger firefighter and show him or her how things are done in the fire service, it would change the younger person’s attitude.
I believe that it would help create a bond—let them in the family on Day 1—and show them what Brotherhood is really all about.
Instead of teasing a new firefighter about, teach him or her. Help show them the way. Who knows, the new person might end up saving your life on the job or help you in a time of great personal crisis. Lead them by example, and maybe the new member of your department will become the personification of what the Brotherhood means to you.
After all, we are all family, no matter whether we have one day or 20 years on the job. Let’s do our part to keep the great tradition of the Brotherhood alive.
Remember be safe and train, as training will save lives!
Written by: Todd C. McKee
College Township Fire Gambier Ohio
Views: 124
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sunshine Lemme on
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We have tried several things to help the brotherhood concept, the most recent addition is to institute a formal mentoring system. We had, in the past, a sponsorship system that was eliminated because some of us thought that it created an inclusive group and restricted diversity. What was missing was mentoring the new member, so we eliminated the process of having two members speak for the new member, then throw her to the wolves.
The new system was actually brought forth as a means to re-institute the old system, but was modified into a mentoring system. The sponsor must sign and notarize a sponsoring agreement that is part of the application process. When the probie doesn't show at a required event, the sponsor gets the call, not the probie.
I was one of those who didn't like the old system, and did not want it reinstated. The Recruitment and Training Committee didn't want it either, but figured out how to make it work.
In my experience, mentoring works if both the mentor and the protege want it to, so selecting the proper recruits then becomes pretty important. (I think I've got a great one.) -
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Permalink Reply by Frozenhosehead on
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I totally agree on the "Where's the Brotherhood"?
IMHO Brotherhood in every sense of the word is a dynamic environment much like a fire in that it travels in many directions by many different routes. Brotherhood is more than a feeling; it's a commitment you make when you become part of something bigger than yourself with a common interest/goal towards a greater good of the whole. The million dollar question is; "why is it so hard that when you call someone a brother or sister and believe in it, it becomes hard to stick to that feeling and not turn your back on them when you are hurt by them. You start to dislike them and then that feeling of saying brother is not a word you feel like saying to them anymore and you start holding a grudge against them. The fire service, the firehouse and especially the fire ground are certainly not the places to harbor hate and anger in your heart against another firefighter...someone could get hurt or seriously die. The problem I see is that people have a hard time letting go of the hurt and pain; if you can't let it go, keep it inside of you or keep from speaking it out to anyone else about how you feel about an individual then your heart is not true to the meaning of the word brotherhood. You just can't go around to fellow firefighters like your playing duck, duck, goose ... it would be like this...brother, brother, brother not my brother, brother, not my brother, you get the hint. A brother or a sister is just that...a brother and a sister through thick and thin for better or worse; mean what you say when you say it and not because you think it's cool.
If you can't let go of the past and forgive what has been done and move on because you dislike a fellow firefighter then you are no better than a mutt! The fire service and the brotherhood hate mutts with a passion. Mutts hate us and oppose all that we stand for and mutts are the brake on the wheel and work very hard to prevent us from executing our goal of better serving those we swore to serve and protect.
Remember the good times and let go of the bad and that we are all in this together. United we stand divided we fall and if we fall we fail our citizens and ourselves. No brother or sister is better than the next and we must feed off each other with positive promotion of brotherhood and who we are and why we do what we do as brothers and sisters in the fire service. We are all equal in God's eyes and that's what will matter in the end when we run our final call.
KTF-RFB-DTRT-EGH-FTM-PTB -
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