Brian Bastinelli's Posts - Fire Engineering Training Community2024-03-19T13:28:30ZBrian Bastinellihttps://community.fireengineering.com/profile/BrianBastinellihttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1534603995?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://community.fireengineering.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=18fx2xn1xag39&xn_auth=noIntegrity And The Cultural Declinetag:community.fireengineering.com,2015-12-22:1219672:BlogPost:6245012015-12-22T14:20:47.000ZBrian Bastinellihttps://community.fireengineering.com/profile/BrianBastinelli
<p>Integrity and personal accountability are two individual level traits that challenge not only interpersonal relationships and the brotherhood but the overall trust in departments as a whole. </p>
<p>These certainly are not new issues to us. Any time you have human beings involved in making choices of any kind there will be some who make decisions that offer no legitimate benefit to them selves, their relationships or the larger works of their organizations.</p>
<p>So why then is this…</p>
<p>Integrity and personal accountability are two individual level traits that challenge not only interpersonal relationships and the brotherhood but the overall trust in departments as a whole. </p>
<p>These certainly are not new issues to us. Any time you have human beings involved in making choices of any kind there will be some who make decisions that offer no legitimate benefit to them selves, their relationships or the larger works of their organizations.</p>
<p>So why then is this becoming such a big issue for us? </p>
<p>I believe it’s because of cultural and technological changes that allow everyone to find out about individual actions so quickly. </p>
<p>As a society our attention span on average has become less than that of a gold fish. Literally. </p>
<p>That fact coupled with an increasing level of need for personal public acknowledgement, a need for instant gratification and a culture that feels it’s ok to publically ‘attack without fact’ and borrow or steel the works of others puts us on a fast track to making poor choices. </p>
<p>Our brains are slowly being rewired to act without considering the potential consequences. </p>
<p>There is a constant pounding of material into our brains through reality TV, social media, the news and pop culture that reinforces these negative behaviors. There are shows that pit people against people, internet posts that attack or attempt to delegitimize individuals or organizations, and public pundits who comment without thought, all consumed by a culture that feeds off it like it’s sugar. </p>
<p>Inevitably this ridiculous behavior has seeped into the fire service. </p>
<p>We have personnel, who I will not call firefighter’s or firemen because they do not live up to the core values of our service, who down individual firefighters, officers and organizations without knowing them or the first thing about their departments. </p>
<p>We have personnel who are stealing other instructor’s materials and passing it off as their own. </p>
<p>We have people launching fire and forget comments on social media about short video clips or photographs of incidents with no context at all of what was really happening. </p>
<p>We have personnel commenting on incident strategy and tactics employed by department’s who’ve never been to similar incidents in their whole career. </p>
<p>There are individuals or organizations who attempt do discredit or delegitimize the efforts of others for their own personal gain. </p>
<p>So I ask you how does this live up to the standards set forth by those who’ve gone before us? Those who worked so hard to build up our service? Those who have paid with their lives in the name of what we do?</p>
<p>How does this live up to the expectations of the people we are here for? How can they continue to support us, hand off their children to us and let us into their homes if we stray from the principles that make up the foundation of the fire service? </p>
<p>How can we look at each other and have the trust, trust that is so vital to what we do, if in the times outside of incident response we’re cutting each others throats, stabbing each other in the back, trying to bring others down and representing the fire service with very poor decision making and then posting it all on social media?</p>
<p>How does that trust develop between brothers? How can we feel that you’ll be there for us in our time of need when you spend all of your other time tearing us down? </p>
<p>How does the public support and trust you when they are hit with news of firefighters fighting with each other, committing crimes and acting like fools on social media?</p>
<p>At the foundation level we need to operate with strong core values and we need integrity to be at the heart of that value system. </p>
<p>Those values must be the blood that runs through and gives life to everything we do. </p>
<p>It must be the basis for the trust that we build with everyone we interact with from our brothers and sisters to other departments to the public which we serve. </p>
<p>Samuel Johnson, a British scholar and writer, wrote back in the 1700’s that “There can be no friendship without confidence, and no confidence without integrity.”</p>
<p>I think that can be updated for the fire service to say “There can be no brotherhood without confidence, and no confidence without integrity.”</p>
<p>We are our brothers keeper. That is not s sentiment we just drag out when the time is right. That is 24/7/365 from the day you sign up to the day you die. If that isn’t you, than you’re nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing and have no place in this service.</p>
<p>“It’s not about me it’s about we and we are here for them.”</p>
<p>I believe in this statement whole heartedly but in reality it is a little about me. I have to have core values, I have to make the choices based on what’s right and I have to be committed to doing that all the time. </p>
<p>If we fail to employ that value system, then there can’t be a collective ‘we’ as we will be only serving our individual needs.</p>
<p>And if there is no ‘we’, then it is ‘them’ who will suffer. And if ‘they’ are suffering then ‘we’ have failed. </p>
<p>Take a look at yourself. A real look. Don’t just look at the person you’ve convinced yourself is you. Look at your actions. Listen to your talk. Evaluate those you associate with. </p>
<p>Is everything there what it should be? Could you be proud of your actions and defend them to the elderly woman who sits on the porch down the street or the little boy who waves as you go by? </p>
<p>If not, then you have some work to do. Don’t get swallowed up by our society and the declining value system it operates on. </p>
<p>Stand up. Be a Fireman. Do what is right. Do what you swore you would. Do your part to keep our service alive and thriving. Live up to the expectation established by those before us and raise the bar for those who will come next.</p>
<p>Be your brother’s keeper and be there for ‘them’ not just when they call, but at all times. Be there for ‘them’ by allowing them to trust we are who we say we are. </p>
<p>Be smart and do you job!</p>
<p>Lt. Bastinelli</p>A Few Thoughts On Leadership…..tag:community.fireengineering.com,2015-09-10:1219672:BlogPost:6210742015-09-10T12:32:03.000ZBrian Bastinellihttps://community.fireengineering.com/profile/BrianBastinelli
<p>In the fire service in a similar way to the military we’re in a very long campaign. Obviously our enemies are vastly different but we still partake in many skirmishes and occasionally some all out battles.</p>
<p>Where our services are quite similar is in the need for effective leaders. </p>
<p>Leaders who can step up and show us the way in an ever evolving environment both on and off our respective battlefields. </p>
<p>Someone that people will look to and believe in and follow with…</p>
<p>In the fire service in a similar way to the military we’re in a very long campaign. Obviously our enemies are vastly different but we still partake in many skirmishes and occasionally some all out battles.</p>
<p>Where our services are quite similar is in the need for effective leaders. </p>
<p>Leaders who can step up and show us the way in an ever evolving environment both on and off our respective battlefields. </p>
<p>Someone that people will look to and believe in and follow with confidence into our worst times.</p>
<p>When those battles and skirmishes occur we need leaders who have effectively established them selves and their relationships with their personnel on a daily basis. </p>
<p>Those in your command need to know that at your heart, you are one of them and that you remember where you came from. </p>
<p>You can’t hold yourself above or separate on a regular basis and then expect the unit to come together cohesively in the hard times or when your being tested. </p>
<p>We don’t need someone who sits in their office and barks orders they’re unwilling to undertake them selves. </p>
<p>We don’t need someone who’s internal need is to remind you of who they are and what their position over you is. </p>
<p>In order to be respected as a person first and eventually as a leader you must respect your personnel as individuals and believe in their abilities. You must be understanding and open to ideas. No matter how much you want to be, you will not always be right. In those times you need to listen and hear what those around you are saying. Often the answers will be right there. </p>
<p>Most importantly you need to realize that the most pivotal moment of the day are those few seconds that you look in the mirror.</p>
<p>If you simply look at yourself and study the brass on your uniform, you’ve already lost the day. </p>
<p>However, if you take that time to reaffirm your core values, challenge yourself to be better and vow to continuously work harder. If you consider the importance and responsibility that you have and realize that each day is a new personal battle to be successful, then you’re more likely to be effective in your position and your duties. </p>
<p>Being in a leadership position is an ongoing personal evolution. You’ll make mistakes but the key is learn from them. To hopefully step back and evaluate when things don’t go well and then make the needed changes to move forward in a more effective manner. It's something that every leader wrestles with, am I doing the best I can? There's always room to improve and grow as long as your committed, as long as your willing to push your self and get a little uncomfortable now and then. As long as you can take that look in the mirror and really see what needs to be seen, own it and work to do something about it. </p>
<p>Leadership is not bossing. Leadership is not about you. Leadership is not always comfortable. Leaders do not belittle. Leaders do not threaten. Leaders do not hold themselves apart or above.</p>
<p>Leaders are confident. Leaders are compassionate. Leaders are understanding. Leaders empower. Leaders have courage. Leaders motivate. Leaders teach. Leaders continue to learn. Leaders communicate. Leaders are collaborative. Leaders are honest. Leaders have humility. Leaders are committed. Leaders care. And if they do all of that, they inspire. </p>
<p></p>
<p>~Be as safe as you can be, but do your job.</p>
<p></p>1/250th Of A Secondtag:community.fireengineering.com,2015-03-19:1219672:BlogPost:6145322015-03-19T19:25:05.000ZBrian Bastinellihttps://community.fireengineering.com/profile/BrianBastinelli
<p>A photograph is a technological wonder, a moment in time captured, frozen and recorded so that it can be viewed again and again. A viewable memory.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To me this is one of society’s most amazing accomplishments. The advent of this capability has lead to countless advances in everything known to man.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For example, movies and video. The rapid capture of many photographs then played back in series to imply movement and action.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s incredible to think…</p>
<p>A photograph is a technological wonder, a moment in time captured, frozen and recorded so that it can be viewed again and again. A viewable memory.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To me this is one of society’s most amazing accomplishments. The advent of this capability has lead to countless advances in everything known to man.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For example, movies and video. The rapid capture of many photographs then played back in series to imply movement and action.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s incredible to think that there is a device that can take what you see and in one-way or another save it so that it can be seen again at a later time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Photography and video have a long and storied relationship with the fire service, from they days of men such as Albert G. Dreyfous making photographs of the FDNY in the early 1900’s to more modern photographers like Bill Noonan of the Boston Fire Department.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Their images have told the story of the development and progression of America’s greatest public service.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Over time images have evolved from a once mainly historical documentation purpose to having become integral parts of our training, planning and marketing endeavors.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Little that we do is not in some way effected by or documented through photography. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>We’re able to use images to market our departments to the public and potential recruits.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We’re able to tell the stories of the services we provide to our communities.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We’re able to document for investigative and historical purposes events and incidents that we’ve been a part of.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We’re able to go back and review the actions we’ve taken and evaluate their effectiveness so that we can continue to hone and develop our trade.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All of these things have a positive impact on what we do. But like anything in life, if utilized improperly they can be a detriment to everyone involved.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Conversely, if not viewed in the proper way a similar fate could be had.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>One serious issue that seems to be slowly making its way through our society as a whole let alone just our service is the perceived ability of the viewer to extrapolate the facts of an entire event based on the evaluation of one image or short video clip.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The average photograph is made in about 1/250<sup>th</sup> of a second. That’s about the time it takes you to blink your eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yet we have a subculture within our great service that feels that the brief moment of time that is frozen and made into an image is enough time to effectively evaluate everything that has occurred at that incident. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>That includes but is certainly not limited to all fire ground decisions, the strategies and tactics employed, the individual actions of firefighters on the fire ground, the make up of the department and the overall capabilities of a department or region.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I wonder how this could even be possible, yet we’ve all seen post after post on social media and fire service blogs where this is taking place.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What I find most comical in this otherwise sad situation is that many of the same persons who think nothing of denigrating an individual or department in this way will complain about the public and their often-uninformed commentary on cell phone videos shot by them at our various incidents.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Is it possible to know everything that has occurred before and after the capture of a 250<sup>th</sup> of a second of time?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I think we all know the answer to that question. Yet day after day we see our ‘brothers and sisters’ attacking departments across the land and around the world in just this way.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I say, those comments say volumes more about the writers than they do about the involved departments.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The proliferation of Internet trolls is an unfortunate development for the fire service. Especially when they come from within our own ranks.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As a firefighter and photographer for over 20 years I have seen the unfortunate transition of images from historical documentation to training aids to fodder for these Internet trolls.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For sure there is still significant value to images and video created on the fire ground and in our departments. And not everyone who comments on them can be labeled as a troll or mutt.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There are many fine examples of people who get it and create and provide imagery for the benefit of the fire service and the communities they serve.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What’s interesting to me though is that these trolls or mutts seem to represent a microcosm of what is happening to our society as a whole.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What’s troubling to me is that we’ve been successful in the past in keeping our head, as a fire service, above the murky waters of the less admirable parts of our society.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And now there seems to be an underbelly developing that doesn’t always live up to our core values or portray us in a way that is truly representative of whom we are and strive to be.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Many of these shady individuals prey on Internet postings, whether they are images, articles or videos. In days gone by some of these people existed but they didn’t have a viable voice outside of their firehouse.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Occasionally, however, you’d see one get a letter past an editor and have it published in a trade journal attacking a previous month’s cover image. They’d question and second-guess everything going on in the image, even though it was on average 1/250<sup>th</sup> of a seconds worth of time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was no possible way for them to know or extrapolate what was occurring in that image, yet they did.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Today similar characters use the Internet as their feeding grounds, constantly on the hunt for their next victim.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As one might expect many of these knuckleheads hide behind cute names that they feel represent their ‘right’ to go on the attack.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In reality though we don’t know who they are or what they have accomplished. But we can certainly deduce that it isn’t much to be proud of or they would have no problem taking on fire service issues in a more professional manner.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The fire service needs open and vigorous debate rooted in a desire for continual improvement. It doesn’t need debate for entertainment sake carried out by individuals who sole purpose is to feed an unsuspecting firefighter or department to the wolves.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We all know that some days we are the dog, and some days we’re the hydrant. But I don’t believe that any one department intends to go out and fail a their mission.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Occasionally, there are departments that might need a bit of a kick in the pants to get on track, but it certainly is not the job of a firefighter fresh out of training who knows nothing about the intricacies of a department a thousand miles away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That type of public berating will do nothing to improve the operations of a department and usually just serves to drive a wedge between the individuals involved and in the fire service as a whole.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And we know it does nothing to foster the brotherhood that everyone loves to talk about.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s something to think about before you fire and forget your next Internet zinger.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Consider the benefit of what you’re about to post. Is it in context? Is it relevant? Does it make sense? Do you have credible proven intelligence to add to the conversation?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Or are you looking at the images or video simply for entertainment purposes? Is you’re comment designed to lob out a match and see what catches? Or are you simply adding fuel to a fire for the sake of keeping a bad thing going?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I’d venture to say if your doing any of the last three then you should really be spending some time looking in the mirror and evaluating why you’re really involved with the fire service at all. But that is a topic for another time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Speaking of which, in my next post, we’ll talk about how some of the negatives that were discussed here combined with outside forces from society are impacting the fire service and some likely reasons why we’re seeing this crap make it’s way in to our lives.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Until then, use your head and be as safe as you can.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>General McAuliffe And The Siege Of Bastognetag:community.fireengineering.com,2015-03-11:1219672:BlogPost:6141622015-03-11T00:30:00.000ZBrian Bastinellihttps://community.fireengineering.com/profile/BrianBastinelli
<div class="column"><p><span>On December 18, 1944, US Army General and acting Division Commander of the 101st Airborne, Anthony Clement McAuliffe was faced with a decision placed upon him by opposing forces.</span></p>
<p><span>He and his troops were defending the town of Bastogne, Belgium surrounded by German forces during what would later be known as the Battle of the Bulge.</span></p>
<p><span>The Germans who surrounded this pivotal town wanted the General and his men to surrender and allow…</span></p>
</div>
<div class="column"><p><span>On December 18, 1944, US Army General and acting Division Commander of the 101st Airborne, Anthony Clement McAuliffe was faced with a decision placed upon him by opposing forces.</span></p>
<p><span>He and his troops were defending the town of Bastogne, Belgium surrounded by German forces during what would later be known as the Battle of the Bulge.</span></p>
<p><span>The Germans who surrounded this pivotal town wanted the General and his men to surrender and allow them to overtake and control Bastogne.</span></p>
<p><span>This put the General in the position of having to make the choice between standing up for what he knew what right or to caving to the forces who had a completely divergent belief system.</span></p>
<p><span>He chose the former by sending back a one-‐word reply to the Germans. Nuts!! When the German soldiers saw this message they were a bit confused as to it’s meaning and asked for a plain English explanation. The American soldiers obliged and explained it basically meant, “Go to Hell”.</span></p>
<p><span>In making the decision to stand up to the opposing forces the General knew that he may be outgunned at this point but he knew that what he was standing up for was right.</span></p>
<p><span>He didn’t let intimidation or fear mongering, disrespect or taunting fog his values or mission.</span></p>
<p><span>He simply heard them out and continued on the course he believed was right.</span></p>
<p><span>He didn’t do this simply to satisfy his ego however. He did it because he knew through his experience, his education and his military upbringing that it was the right things to do.</span></p>
<p><span>He knew if he used the knowledge that was passed down to him, the knowledge he’d gained by his personal experiences and the intelligence he gained through his preparation to meet this enemy that there was a high likelihood that he would be met with success.</span></p>
<p><span>So he forged on in spite of what others might say or think. He believed in what he was doing and he believed in the mission and most importantly he believed in his men.</span></p>
<p><span>Recently I read an article and an unrelated post on a social media site that I think have some correlation to this story and to how all of this applies to the fire service.</span></p>
</div>
<div class="page" title="Page 2"><div class="section"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Chief Dave Cline a correspondent for Hooks and Hooligans wrote an article entitled A Fireman! No More? In it he discusses the fact that in order to remain effective as you move through your career in the fire service that you must always remain a fireman.</span></p>
<p><span>So what does that mean? Of course I am a fireman. Well are you? In my estimation and I believe in Chief Clines as well we can train anyone to be a firefighter, but it takes a little bit more to be a fireman.</span></p>
<p><span>In the article he talks about desire and core values. Do you still have the desires to do the job the way you wanted to do it when you started? Are you willing to live up to the value system that should be at the core of everything the fire service does?</span></p>
<p><span>He asks, “Do you think of service before self?”, “Do you think of brothers before self?” He goes on to ask, “If not, then why are you still here?”</span></p>
<p><span>So lets look at General McAuliffe. If he weren’t still a soldier, if he didn’t still live the seven core values of the US Army would he have made the same choices?</span></p>
<p><span>If he didn’t still believe in the mission and the operational mindset of his service would he have placed himself and his personnel in harms way for the good of the whole?</span></p>
<p><span>If his life wasn’t centered on those values and ethos would he maybe have allowed more personal agenda to seep into his decision making process?</span></p>
<p><span>What would the outcome have been then? And what could the outcome be for you if you don’t conduct yourself in a similar manor?</span></p>
<p><span>Much like the US Military’s mission to protect our citizens from our enemies or those who wish to do us harm, the fire service has sold it’s self as the thin line of protection between fire and the American public.</span></p>
<p><span>We’ve said we will be the ones who will be here when you need us most and we will do our very best to protect you and rescue you from danger.</span></p>
<p><span>But we cannot do that if we don’t believe in the mission. We cannot effectively do it if we are not fully engaged in being prepared for the day the battle arrives.</span></p>
<p><span>Never have we had more opportunity to learn, to share knowledge and support each other than now.</span></p>
<p><span>As well, never before have those who don’t fully support the mission or who care more for their personal agendas than our overall well being , had the ability to so quickly attack or degrade those around them for being fully engaged in the mission.</span></p>
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</div>
</div>
<div class="page" title="Page 3"><div class="section"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>General McAuliffe, could have chosen to surrender against seemingly overwhelming odds. He could have said we gave it our best, but there are to many of them. He could have caved to the opposing forces.</span></p>
<p><span>But he didn’t. He believed in his mission and he believed his job was to carry that mission out because he knew so many and so much depended upon him and his men and their actions.</span></p>
<p><span>“If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” John E. Lewis</span></p>
<p><span>The second article or post that I read recently is from Aaron Fields. In it he wrote, “The truth that many folks prefer not to say aloud, because it is deemed ‘aggressive’, is that there is two choices, solution or problem.”</span></p>
<p><span>He goes on to say that because of our vocational choice that we must be the solution.</span></p>
<p><span>This couldn’t be more correct.</span></p>
<p><span>When the public calls upon us for help there is no one else. When you’re at a fire and its not going well whom do you call? You call more of us. There is no magic department that you can call to bail you out.</span></p>
<p><span>Sure you can bring in the assistance of other types of agencies but the responsibility never transfers elsewhere.</span></p>
<p><span>Could General McAuliffe have called for help? I am sure he did, but it wasn’t available, or it wasn’t going to be there in a timely fashion. The burden was his.</span></p>
<p><span>He didn’t complain about it because he knew it was his when he took the job.</span></p>
<p><span>Actually, it was somewhat thrust upon him because he was placed in command of the 101st while his commanding officer, General Maxwell D. Taylor was back in the United States at a conference.</span></p>
<p><span>So when the Germans launched their surprise offensive Gen. McAuliffe had no option but to act. His actions, however, were solid because he was prepared to step up when the time came.</span></p>
<p><span>He had studied, he had been engaged and again he believed in the mission. He didn’t sit around saying, that will never happen, or that that is someone else’s job.</span></p>
<p><span>He knew his responsibilities, and he knew his obligations having signed up to be in the military. And he honored those.</span></p>
<p><span>Did he know on which day the responsibility would become his? No. Would it have been easy to say, let’s just hold the fort down till the boss gets back?</span></p>
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<div class="page" title="Page 4"><div class="section"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Sure. But he didn’t and the world is quite possibly a different place because of it. He honored his obligations and was prepared to rise up when the time came.</span></p>
<p><span>Is it easy for us to sit in the station and not be fully engaged in our job? Sure. Is it easy to say that we don’t have to put that much time into training because that just doesn’t happen here or that we already know how to do that? Sure.</span></p>
<p><span>Is it right? No. Not if you are honoring your obligations to the community and to the brotherhood and your family.</span></p>
<p><span>Not if you are doing the things you that you have told the public and the municipal officials over and over that you are the only people able to carry them out.</span></p>
<p><span>You can not sell yourself as the only solution if you are not fully prepared to be the only solution.</span></p>
<p><span>You can not sit back, disengage and expect that when the Battle of the Bulge arrives at your front door that you will be prepared for and effective in the mission thrust upon you.</span></p>
<p><span>So when Chief Cline asks, “When did you quit being a fireman?” And you can answer that question, then you need to ask yourself his next question, “Why am I still here?”</span></p>
<p><span>If you feel the need to be “wheels up” all day, you should ask yourself that question.</span></p>
<p><span>If you can’t get yourself to check your rig and equipment, you should ask yourself that question.</span></p>
<p><span>If you feel the need to bring others back down to that level so you feel good about yourself, you should ask yourself that question.</span></p>
<p><span>If the highlight of your day is to comment negatively on what everyone else is doing when you haven’t really done anything yourself in a long time, then you should ask yourself that question.</span></p>
<p><span>The true judge of your character will come when you answer that question and what you chose to do about your answer.</span></p>
<p><span>If you answer and say I never quit being a fireman, then your challenge is to keep it up and to continue to improve, learning and doing every day.</span></p>
<p><span>If you can identify with any of those questions then you need to look deep within yourself and say, is this for me? Have I become a product of my environment? Am I surrounded by people who are holding me back or building me up?</span></p>
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<div class="column"><p><span>If you had to today, could you look into a mothers eyes and say I did</span> <span>everything</span> <span>I possibly could have to save your child, or could you look at a brothers family and say we did</span> <span>everything</span> <span>we could have and actually mean it?</span></p>
<p><span>When the General made his decision he did so with confidence, he did so knowing the road would be challenging and painful but he did so because he knew it was the right thing to do.</span></p>
<p><span>He didn’t stop where he became uncomfortable, he thrived where he became uncomfortable because he knew that this day could come and he was prepared for it.</span></p>
<p><span>We all get a bit off course form time to time. And those are the times we should look to our brothers and sisters for support and to bring us back in line. But if we alienate them from us because of the effort that they put in, will they still be there to support you? I’m sure they will but they may never truly consider you their brother or sister again.</span></p>
<p><span>When Aaron Fields says, “What</span> <span>makes family is work, those things we have done together. The trials and tribulations create the bond. In order to be brothers and sisters we must be actively involved in the work that creates those bonds. It isn't simply that we work in the same occupation.” He could not have hit the nail more squarely on the head.</span></p>
<p><span>Who will you be when your Siege of Bastogne arrives? Who will you have surrounded yourself with? Will you have done enough to perform at your best?</span></p>
<p><span>Waiting until that day to answer those questions and take action will be entirely too late.</span></p>
<p><span>Your family, the public and your brothers and sisters depend on you to rise up and be prepared every day because much like General McAuliffe you never know when your moment will arrive. </span></p>
<p>Be safe….</p>
</div>Beware Of The Snake Oil Salesmantag:community.fireengineering.com,2014-04-24:1219672:BlogPost:5953892014-04-24T21:26:43.000ZBrian Bastinellihttps://community.fireengineering.com/profile/BrianBastinelli
<p><span>Stories of the the snake oil salesman have throughout history conjured vivid images of nefarious characters who traveled from town to town peddling to anyone who would listen to a wide range of elixirs claiming to cure all that ails you.</span><br></br><br></br><span>These traveling salesmen would often use deception and planted audience members who would attest to their products value. Th</span><span class="text_exposed_show">is tactic often aided in creating a buying frenzy.<br></br><br></br>The…</span></p>
<p><span>Stories of the the snake oil salesman have throughout history conjured vivid images of nefarious characters who traveled from town to town peddling to anyone who would listen to a wide range of elixirs claiming to cure all that ails you.</span><br/><br/><span>These traveling salesmen would often use deception and planted audience members who would attest to their products value. Th</span><span class="text_exposed_show">is tactic often aided in creating a buying frenzy.<br/><br/>The snake oil salesman could never stay long in any one place as the unsuspecting customers would soon learn these panaceas were nothing more than a simple fraud.<br/>Unfortunately, they had already lost their money before coming to this realization.<br/><br/>At the 1893 World’s Exposition in Chicago, entrepreneur Clark Stanley often known as the ‘Rattle Snake King’ actually cut open a live snake and boiled it in front of the gathering fair goers.<br/><br/>He immediately sold many bottles of his ‘Stanley’s Snake Oil’ to the possessed crowd. Unfortunately, the product was very different than the original snake oils that had been brought to the United States by Chinese rail road workers.<br/><br/>The Chinese Snake Oil was made of oils from the Chinese Water Snake and naturally possessed some healing capability, most likely due to the ability of its omega 3 acids to aid in reducing inflammation.<br/><br/>The products that were now being peddled across America however were anything but medicinal.<br/><br/>Eventually the truth caught up to Stanley and it was determined his product actually contained no snake oil at all. He was eventually fined $20.00 by the government for violating the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act.<br/><br/>In his case the government said he ‘misbranded’ his product and ‘falsely and fraudulently represented it as a remedy for all pain.’<br/><br/>By applying the story of Clark Stanley to the modern fire service we can highlight a group of individuals who’s actions serve only to poison it’s members and their mission.<br/><br/>As in most any aspect of life there are those that are the real deal and those who would like you to think they are.<br/><br/>These snake oil salesmen will seek to infiltrate an organization and glean from it anything and everything that will benefit themselves before the truth comes out.<br/><br/>The snake oil salesman is nothing new to the fire service and we’ve seen them manifest at all levels from firefighter to fire officer. And we’re all familiar with those peddling useless products that do little more than make the seller rich.<br/><br/>No matter how the snake oil salesman attempts to infiltrate your organization he or she will at the heart of their efforts do little more than attack the core values of your department and in the end move on leaving a path of destruction and damage to your organization’s reputation.<br/><br/>Core values are an integral part of any departments mission and reputation. These values are the foundation upon which everything your department does should be built and are second only to the safety of your personnel.<br/><br/>The Business Dictionary defines core values as the principle or principles that guide an organization’s internal conduct as well as it’s relationship with the external world.<br/><br/>Some examples of core values are: Courage, Honor, Trust, Dedication, Commitment, Responsibility, Pride, Respect and Integrity.<br/><br/>So by simply reading those words you can see how the snake oil salesman would not be a person who embodies their true meaning.<br/><br/>In the fire service the snake oil and it’s purveyors are certainly a cancer that we must quickly identify and eradicate with in our organizations.<br/><br/>If given the opportunity to peddle their wares these people will attempt to win favor by dazzling and mesmerizing members of your organization with their traveling medicine show.<br/><br/>The term traveling medicine show works well here because these are often the people we see traveling from organization to organization never lasting very long before they are forced to move on.<br/><br/>It’s fairly easy to spot these shady characters for some. For others it might not be as easy to realize they are being manipulated or used by someone simply seeking some sort of personal benefit or ego feeding satisfaction.<br/><br/>We all seek some level of self actualization or benefit in everything we do and for the vast majority of members the core values run deeply within our very being.<br/><br/>For the snake oil salesman however their pitch is most often used to feed their ever hungry and growing egos.<br/><br/>As with anything in life there are those who will tread on the edge of what is seen as acceptable behavior within our departments as well as within society in general.<br/><br/>Unfortunately, it only takes one of these such characters to tarnish or ruin the reputation of an organization.<br/><br/>In a few moments their actions can ruin the efforts of many and forever change the image of a department.<br/><br/>Now more than ever before, it is of vital importance that departments keep a sharp eye out for such individuals or groups of individuals and prevent them from having the opportunity to do damage to an organization and it’s reputation.<br/><br/>Our society is more litigious than it has been at any time in history. With that being said we should ensure that our departments are functioning at their best at all times.<br/><br/>Creating a solid set of core values on which to base how your department will operate is of vital importance. <br/><br/>Creating this set of values is often much easier than ensuring that everyone will live by them, however.<br/><br/>As our culture evolves the lines of what is acceptable and what is not are sometimes blurred, making them difficult for some members to actually see.<br/><br/>That is where the snake oil salesman will attempt to make their move.<br/><br/>If an organization has groups or factions that are moving in different directions it will be difficult at best for those members to come together as a team to move the department forward.<br/><br/>The group will end up stationary and very often in conflict.<br/>As we know internal conflict and strife will prevent an organization from effectively providing it’s services to the community.<br/><br/>The snake oil salesman will very adeptly exploit these conflicts and create further division within an organization.<br/><br/>They will seize any opportunity to gather power by dazzling members with all the right answers and solutions to the issues they present as ailing the department.<br/><br/>Those issues are very often pointed out to be at the hand of the current leadership and their policies, programs and agendas.<br/><br/>Having a strong, effective and cohesive leadership team in place dilutes the elixir of the snake oil salesman within any organization.<br/><br/>Of course there will always be differences of opinion or philosophy within all organizations including within the ranks of the leadership cadre.<br/><br/>The organizations that will thrive however are the ones whose leaders are able to come to a common ground for the betterment of the department despite their differences.<br/><br/>Realizing that the leaders must function as a cohesive team is vital to the good health of any organization.<br/>Keeping the snake oil salesman at bay in a department will always be a challenge.<br/><br/>However, if the leaders create a solid list of core values and work to instill them at every level of the organization, there will be no place for the salesman to peddle his snake oil.<br/><br/>Core values and team work are the antithesis of the snake oil salesman in the fire service.<br/><br/>It takes everyone in an organization to embrace these values and to instill them within everyone who come through your door.<br/><br/>It is the responsibility of each and every member to embrace the organizations core values and to live by them in everything that they do.<br/><br/>Be strong, put petty differences aside and work together to carry out the department’s mission with integrity and honor.<br/><br/>If you can be successful at this the snake oils salesman will realize their smoke and mirrors show will not work in your organization and will slither on their way.<br/><br/>Stay safe… <br/><br/>Lt. Bastinelli</span></p>