A Letter to America's Fire Officers

A Letter to America's Fire Officers

Dear America's Fire Officers,

We the American firefighter need you. 

We need you to set the example.

We need you to be competent.

We need you to be ready.

We need you to set the example.

We need you to be in shape.

We need you to not shirk responsibility.

We need you to put your gear on...always.

We need you to have a positive attitude.

We need you to care not only about us but the citizens, the department and ultimately the job.

What we see..

We see when you are lazy.

We see when you spend all your time on the computer.

We see when you complain all the time.

We see you belittle other officers.

We see you complain about others when you are no different or worse.

We see when you don't put your gear on.

We see when you are ignorant.

We see your sins of omission and we also see your sins of commission.

We see you when you use your power to get out of work.

We see when you are selfish.

We see when you hide due to your incompetence.

We are always watching.

What happens..

We become lazy.

We complain.

We don't care.

We don't check off the rigs.

We don't train.

We shirk responsibility.

We don't put our gear on.

We aren't prepared.

We look like fools on incident scenes.

We don't take action.

We spend more time on the couch than the bay floor.

We call out sick.

We are angry.

We hurt others.

We aren't good at our jobs

We suffer. The citizens suffer. The fire service bruises. 

You are the front lines of leadership in our profession. You set the tone. You have the power to create an effective and efficient fire company or a group of individuals who work for the fire department. 

We are watching. We model your behavior. The good, bad and ugly of your company starts with you. Be good. Be strong. Be there for the citizens first. Be there for us. 

We're watching. Get to work and we will follow. 

Sincerely,

America's Firefighters