Firefighter's Duty, Honor and Courage

The Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) is the premiere event for the nation’s fire services, bringing together the best of the best in fire training events and instructors. This year there was over thirty thousand firefighters from the United States and 52 countries. One of the striking and noteworthy observations was the number of families who were accompanying their firefighter parents and there were many young firefighters also in attendance; representing the future of our fire services.

The opening comments by Chief Bobby Halton are always inspirational especially this year in his presentation of Duty, Honor, Courage brought me back to the days reflecting upon my time in uniform as a young Navy Corpsman (1969-1973) serving with the Marines and my 32 years as a uniformed firefighter. Looking back, I spent 36 years in uniform serving my country and my community and continue to do so as a retired firefighter as an attorney and educator continuing my service to the fire services in yet another capacity.

It is important that young and old firefighters understand the terms Duty, Honor, Courage as those terms are hard earned and easily lost and all come from hard work as a student in the school of experience and hard knocks.

Duty as defined in Webster’s is a moral or legal obligation; a responsibility or a task or action that someone is required to perform. To me the term Duty has more of a moral obligation than that of a legal or task completed as I believe your moral obligation begins with your examples set by a strong family or religious background. As you gain your life’s experiences as a young child, a teenager and young adult, every experience gained and dedication to some project, person or obligation formulates those basic foundations of duty to your country, community and family. My father, a child of the depression was a WWII Navy veteran surviving the most ferocious battles in the Pacific theater taught me and my brothers the basics of duty to self, family, community and country as well as our religion and to others less fortunate. My brothers and I all served our time in the military: three sons who served during the Vietnam era and I believe we are better individuals for it: with their own family and community. We are the ones who can be trusted to get the job done when asked; dependable and gaining the respect of the remaining community. Duty to self and others is an obligation to do the very best you can performing in an honorable and respectful manner every day.  

Likewise, the term Honor as defined is: respect that is given to someone who is admired; a good reputation: good quality or character as judged by other people or a high moral standards of behavior. Where does this trait originate? It is created in the upbringing and experiences you have had with family, friends, your church, your high school teachers and coaches and from examples promoted by great leaders of government locally and nationally. We hear the term, ‘serve with honor’ and in our profession it is to hold yourself to a high standard, treat people as you want to be treated, go the extra mile with self and others and above all take the ‘high road’ in all of your issues dealing family, coworkers and the public. This is also an earned trait based on your actions on a day to day basis. It would only take a momentary lapse of judgment to destroy this hard earned honor.

The term Courage as defined is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery. Certainly as firefighters we face fear every day. Responding to a fire, entrapment, welfare check to confronting someone with a weapon intending to harm you or your co-workers creates those scenarios that define ‘courage’ under fire. How does one develop courage? As we all know, it is developed through real life experiences facing those harms or threats with confidence in your training and your co-workers. Do we run away some times?  Yes, for the sake of self preservation, we will move out of harm’s way to ‘fight another day’ but some of us are not as lucky when we remain too long in a hazardous situation, we disregard orders, or we get into a building too far to safely leave. Is this courage?  That is only determined by others reviewing your actions during or after these events or by those affected by your “courageous” actions. General Norman Schwarzkopf stated, “True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job anyhow. That’s what courage is.”

The Challenge coin received this year by FDIC instructors comes with the inscription, Duty Honor, Country with the picture of General George Patton: one tough leader who stated, “Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.”

As uniformed firefighters you must remember where you came from, where you are going and who are you going to mentor along the way while providing the very best example of what it takes to be a firefighter with those three attributes of Duty, Honor, Courage and how fragile those terms are when there is a momentary lapsed of judgment or common sense.