Warning Labels
Once again I am going to draw a parallel between what is happening in the military with what should be happening in the fire service. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently made an unprecedented decision earlier this year to request the resignations of both the secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force chief of staff simultaneously, removing both the highest civilian and military officer from the Air Force hierarchy in one swift and decisive move.
In n an article entitled “In Praise of Mavericks” in the July issue of the Armed Forces Journal, retired Marine Col. Michael D. Wyly reported on a recent follow-on speech that Gates made to the students of the Air War College. In it, the Secretary called for a different type of military officer. “The Armed Forces will need principled, creative, reform-minded leaders who want to do something, not be somebody,” Gates said. His speech also praised one of the most controversial leaders in Air Force history Col. John Boyd, who throughout his career was labeled the maverick of the U.S. Air Force.
Boyd is best remembered for his theory of the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide and Act), which is an integral part of fighter pilot tactics and has been adapted within the fire service’s Incident Command System. Boyd‘s unconventional thinking saved countless fighter pilots from the Korean War to the present.
The British Navy has a very concise saying, that “The Best Officers Come with Warning Labels.” The “best” are dedicated to excellence in their chosen profession with a goal to better the service, not necessarily to further their career. In light of the issues we have with firefighter safety, perhaps the fire service can use more of these types of officers to help solve our problems.
Problem-solving and experimentation should be an integral part of any officer‘s development. At the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, students were encouraged to experiment “above the water line” to avoid sinking the department. Above the water line didn‘t mean these students had a blank check, but rather it meant that as long as their experimentation wouldn‘t scuttle the project or deplete too many resources, it could be beneficial in finding new solutions to existing problems. This could include adapting solutions from private industry; combining best practices into a hybrid solution; or pursuing original ideas. It seems logical that given the continuing issues surrounding firefighter safety including “Close Calls”, that perhaps it will take officers using these unconventional methods to break the cycle of firefighter injuries and deaths.
Both peers and firefighters may tag chiefs and officers who perform this type of experimentation with “warning labels” of their own. These “warning labels” may challenge the status quo, but officers allowed the freedom to experiment look at things differently and may adopt methods from other disciplines to solve some of our complex fire service issues.
I believe that the saying “The Best Officers Come with Warning Labels” is true. The bottom line is having a “warning label” may not be such a bad thing and could help provide the cultural breakthrough we need to improve.
September 13th, 2008 at 10:08 am
I could not agree more with this article. Innovative thinking that challenges the norm is what we need in the fire service. Stacking the deck with good leaders who know how to manage change in their organization and in the community can offset some of the pains of change.
September 15th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Bob,
Great article. My son Jason, who isa captin in the USMC and a FF in the FDNY, is teaching this very thing using his experinces as a combat officer in Fallujah, Iraq. He uses Boyd’s OODA Loop in his presentation and he critiques many of the operational principles used by the fire service and how USMC warfighting concepts, applied to firefighting, could improve our planning and operations. You and he should compare notes - I am sending this article to him.
BTW, we recently met at FRI…
Steve Brezler, Senior Program Manager
TriData
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