AT THE NAIL

AT THE NAIL

We begin and end our every shift day at the nail.

Our protective gear hangs on the wall and we remove and replace our gear with little thought or attention given to the nail. From the perspective of pride and tradition in the Fire Service we may all need to start and end our shift with a moment of pause and reflection at the nail.

What brought you to this place today, to the fire house, to the nail?

The nail is where morale, teamwork, brotherhood, cohesiveness and unit pride begin. We traditionally relieve early out of respect for our teammate who has pulled a long shift, been away from home and family, and encountered who knows what during their shift. It’s where we sent our teammate home on Christmas Eve, because they had children and we did not. The nail is where we help them start to move back to their normal, until it is their time to relieve us at the nail.

Make certain, every time, what you take off of the nail and what you hang on the nail is ready for service. I never came to work and put on wet gear and nor did my relief. We were solid partners at the nail.

In past fire house days, an empty thread spool covered the nail to keep rust off of the gear. This simple, common sense solution is the kind of problems, solutions and opportunities that we talk about each morning at the nail.

Great teams consist of players and informal leaders with a common thread, a common bond, common wants, needs and desires. They share good communications, determination, a will and they refuse negativity. They feed off of each other, they look out for each other and they embrace initiative, unit pride and service. They are the chief morale officers.

Which little fire house pride thing will you fix today? What team pride thing tomorrow?

How is the unit pride in your fire house? Who are you hoping will fix it for you?

Excuses are reasons not to try, not to excel, not to strive, not to improve and rust on the nail.

Whose back do you have? Who has yours?

Remember your first day at the nail. Who allowed you to rust? It’s still your nail, right?

Don’t fail at the nail.

Have a great day – it’s a GREAT day for it.