Fire Chief

This week I visited the largest air show in England. The Farnborough Air Show is held every other year, alternating with the Paris Air Show, and it attracts some 250,000 military members, aviation professionals and enthusiasts who want a look at current and future innovations.

On any given day as United States Fire Administrator, I receive an abundance of information regarding the nation’s fire service. As one can imagine, some of the information is good — and some is tragic.

The International City/County Management Association recently announced an audio conference for city and county managers called, “Asking Your Police and Fire Chief the Right Questions — to Get the Right Answers.”

One of the things I really admire about volunteer fire departments is their spirit and determination to make do with few resources.

The situation at the Charleston furniture store overwhelmed that department and revealed flaws in its incident command, culture, equipment, water supply and communications. It also revealed flaws in how structures are inspected and permits issued. The report is the industry’s leading topic of conversation, and rightly so.

How do you measure success? Can a fire chief be successful without being successful in both personal and professional areas? Certainly a successful fire chief can get firefighters, medics and equipment to an emergency scene safely and quickly. But success is difficult to quantify, and that is where self-satisfaction — knowing you are doing your best — is part of success.

Some of the best Fourth of July celebrations I can remember were when my dad was a member of the volunteer fire department. We would watch the parade, which was led by the Veterans of Foreign Wars color guard, followed by the mayor or other politicians, and included the parade of fire trucks.

One legislative initiative to add to your priority list may be HR 4461, the Community Building Code Administration Grant Act. Talk to your representatives and educate them about this initiative if they are not already co-sponsors. If they already support the bill tell them this is important.

If you were looking for a fire chief position today, could you get your job? Could you get it, that is, if you had to meet the advertised qualifications and experience?

Firefighting often attracts members of the same family. Similarly, many small companies within the fire industry also pass down through families. One of the first families to enter the international market with its pumps and fire trucks was the Darleys and they are proud of their second and third generation members who are actively involved in the business.