Fire Chief

By Jameson R. Ayotte

Do you want to be promoted? Would you like the satisfaction gained from being given more responsibility? Do you have goals and aspirations beyond your current situation? Career paths should lead somewhere; do you want to climb?

In 1999, I climbed Mount Washington. The peak of the highest mountain in the Northeast is 6,288 feet above sea level. My wife and most of her family also climbed that day. We took the Ammonusic Trail to the Tip Top House and descended Tuckerman’s Ravine to Pinkham. The trip was four hours up and four hours down. We rested at the top for almost an hour.

My fellow hikers will attest to my ability to bellyache and complain about most things. Sore knees, sweat in my eyes and mosquitoes tormented me. I was hot and everyone heard about it. For me, that’s part of the excitement of hiking. Creating new ways to say the same thing is a challenge.

When I reached the top, all of my aches and pains went away. I was able to see for better than 50 miles, which is rare on the site of the “World’s Worst Weather.” The reward for the journey was greater than I could ever imagine.

While the scenery engulfed me, many of my neighbors became engulfed by me, trying to keep a reasonable distance from the odor I had acquired on my journey. I had been sweating for about three hours and 57 minutes of the four-hour hike, and my extra-strength deodorant had given up below the Alpine line.

That day, people literally turned their noses up at me. They still smelled of perfume and laundry detergent and had not a drop of sweat on their brows, as they had arrived at the top via the auto road or on the historic Cog Railway. We occupied the same mountaintop, but not the same quality of experience. I was elated at reaching this height and annoyed at the people experiencing this sight without having put in any effort to get here.

The promotional process follows a similar process — work is required to gain altitude. Promotions should be based on merit. The American Heritage Dictionary defines merit as:

1. Demonstrated ability or achievement.


2. Superior quality or worth; excellence.


3. A quality deserving praise or approval; virtue.

Anything less discredits those who work hard. If you want to be promoted, you should work hard. Hard work should pay off.

You must constantly strive to elevate your position. Have you worked hard enough to deserve a change in status? How much effort have you given to increasing your education? Do you have the qualifications to do the job? Do you demonstrate the ability and willingness to constantly learn? Do you improve yourself everyday?

A great place to start is the certification system set up by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications. Firefighter I & II, Fire Officer I & II, Fire Instructor I & II and all levels of hazmat certifications exist. The International Fire Service Accreditation Congress also allows for testing and certification. College degree programs abound and many can be delivered through distance learning. The National Fire Academy and state fire academies offer countless methods of increasing your knowledge. Resident, direct-delivery and virtual-campus learning opens the door to anyone wishing to expand their education.

Training, education and performance are the stones that you must climb in the workplace. This is where you grunt and sweat. In fact, any less is stealing.

A corollary to this is that a person approving a promotion should not dishonor the act by just giving it away; he or she must feel the promotion is being bestowed on the best candidate. Politics and favoritism should have no place in the process. These remove credibility and cause a potential breach of ethics. Discrimination against people who are qualified should never be tolerated.

Are you a person of merit? Have you earned a promotion? Reflect on the earlier questions. Can you honestly say you’ve done your best? If so, then you deserve the reward. If not, then begin right away. Start working to improve yourself immediately.

Being promoted needs to be seen as a starting off point not an ending. You must constantly work to keep that position. There is a long list of people that are working to get to where you are. There is also a list of people that will pass you by if you do not try.

The climb up Mount Washington was a crucible of sorts. I was tested and tried. I accomplished my goal of reaching the top. I gained a new perspective.

In 2005, I returned to the peak with my family. I drove our minivan to the parking lot at the summit; my small children never could have hiked the mountain. I looked out on the range just as I had done six years earlier. It was another great day and we enjoyed that view.

Next to me was a hiker. I smelled him from six feet away. He looked at me with a small amount of contempt. I felt no ill will. I had that expression when I climbed. We both looked at the scenery. I saw mountains and valleys. He saw miracles. The difference was not in our point of views but in our effort expended to reach our goals. He certainly did merit that reward.

Jameson R. Ayotte is a fire lieutenant/paramedic with the Amesbury (Mass.) Fire Department, where he is a company officer and shift commander. He holds a bachelor’s in exercise physiology and an master’s in physical therapy. Ayotte is a certified Fire Officer I, Fire Officer II and Fire Instructor I. He also instructs anatomy and physiology and medical terminology. He can be reached at jamesonayotte@yahoo.com.