Fire Chief

By Rob Carnahan

“You always get what you always got if you always do what you always did.” That statement is somewhat aligned with the infamous description of fire service culture being 200 years of tradition unhampered by progress. This is an indictment leveled at the fire service’s resistance to implementing techniques, practices and technologies proven in other professions and sectors.

Many reasons and justifications are given for not adapting or adopting the next best idea. Some have merit, as the fire service deals in life and death situations where proven and tested strategies need to be used. However many are just excuses for a risk-adverse nature.

Risk-adverse fire service may seem like an oxymoron, but many who have tried to promote change in this industry have seen bruises from their noble quest. It is often easier to just say no and wait for another to be the first to adopt or adapt.

Chief Ronny Coleman has aptly described U.S. fire service purchasing and operational-cultural habits in a manner that underscores the reluctance to adopt and adapt. Coleman’s thesis is that there are really few early adapter/adopters in the fire service. We tend to wait for sufficient “cover” before adopting/adapting new technology. However once a certain number of fire departments have adopted/adapted the “new” technology, it moves from being a nice to have to a got to have. At this points fire personnel assert that there is simply no way they can do their jobs without the goods or services proposed.

Coleman’s phases of adoption include:

1. 1] This will never work and if it did it will be way to expensive.
   
2. 2] It may work but we can’t afford it.
   
3. 3] It not only works, but we absolutely have to have it to do our jobs.
   

Academia describes this phenomena according to it’s people:

1. 1] Resistors to change.
   
2. 2] Late adopters.
   
3. 3] Mainstream.
   

Coleman’s manner of thinking is illustrated in the way he conducts his personal and professional endeavors which has inspired many in numerous professions. If there is a road less traveled in the fire service, you will find him on it. His influence on the mainstream is profound. His recognition and early exploration of technology enterprises from outside the confines of the fire service have fundamentally changed all of the above categories within the profession.

The enthusiasm of the early adopter/adapters allows them to see beyond the battles on the road to the main stream. For example Coleman’s recognition and early exploration of using virtual reality simulation as an instructional resource led to its use in the fire service. His work at pioneering fire inspection training techniques using simulation, led to development of the software program FIRES.

The FIRES product led to development of “Fully Involved,” which is the company officer critical decision-making training software distributed by Western Fire Chiefs Association. At the time essentially every other profession was using virtual reality simulation technology for certification and training purposes, but not the fire service. This was due in part to the aforementioned thought that it would never work and if it did it would be too expensive.

It is now a no brainer that the current generation comprising most ranks in the fire service, learn differently that the retiring baby boomers, but Coleman did something about it when others were stuck in the “this will never work and if it does we can’t afford it” phases.

In the fire-prevention arena, public education has relied on retiring technology as well. Puppet shows, fire-prevention trailers, the mainstream fire prevention programs, have pretty much stayed the same over the years. Slide Tape shows have been upgraded to computer generated PowerPoint presentation and the use of overhead projectors and transparencies is something that is read about in history books but by-in-large the curriculum available to the fire service public-education professionals is not state of the art in learning technology, either in content of in format. For instance it is unheard of in the fire service for a fire chief to hire professional gamers to spend their work day in a virtual world playing games with children whom they will never meet. Yet in just one kid’s safe virtual world four million kids frequently visit and interact with other avatars, created by kids, exposing themselves to all sorts of life enhancing, social redeeming content, and age relevant safety learning experiences. Just as learning styles of adults have changed in the past few years so has that of children even more dramatically, and the fire service must adopt and adapt to remain competitive if we are to significantly change behavior as it relates to fire safe practices of our most valued resources.

The digital generation, as educational professional call today’s elementary age children, will require a completely new educational paradigm revolution not the just an evolution as we have seen with past generations. The fire service can ill afford to lag behind in adapting learning content to the emerging media or an entire generation will not fully grasp the important fire and life safety survival messages that we have presented in the past. Although it is a few years off the digital generation will soon be those we are recruiting as the nation’s paramedics and firefighters.

The Alaska Department of Public Safety Fire Marshal’s office under former Fire Marshal Gary Powell and his deputy Jodie Hettrick, piloted a multi-year project to develop and implement a virtual world to teach fire and life safety to Alaskan rural children. This is truly revolutionary thinking for fire prevention. With funding from the FIRE Act, Raven Island, was created in the virtual world called Whyville. The technology used by Raven Island makes it possible to reach rural Alaskan’s as easy as it is to reach kids in Anchorage or Alabama with life saving knowledge and skills heretofore taught using the conventional poster, coloring contests and puppet shows. The technology is proven logistically as well educationally, and its ability to change attitudes and behavior is unprecedented. Visiting and learning in Raven Island is free to anyone who can access the Internet.

Alaska was a natural for such an endeavor, since its native children population is up to five times more likely to die or suffer injury from fire related causes than any other U.S. population group. Secondly the rural nature of Alaska’s villages and communities with their Internet access second to none made connecting much easier.

For the most part public educators in the fire service are on the leading edge as early adopter/adapters. They have often pushed the envelope of acceptable practices much to the chagrin of busy fire chiefs. It can be anticipated that fire service public educators will begin approaching chiefs suggesting that their fire prevention personnel not only be allowed to spend time in virtual worlds and other serious gaming environments to reach children to promote fire safety, but be encouraged to do so by their chief. Millions of children, tweens, teens and adults are online in gaming environment as you are reading this article. The digital generation will not only expect but will demand digital technology tools to help them do their jobs. Coleman’s example of early adopting and adaption of digital technologies for the fire service could easily be the justification for fire chiefs to say yes for using the tools new to our industry. At the very least we must remember that if we are to see attitudinal changes to fire injury and deaths in the United States, we need to do things differently than we have done them in the past.

Remember Albert Einstein described insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Rob Carnahan, CFO, is the former president of the National Society of Executive Fire Officers and the retired assistant fire chief of the Clackamas County (Ore.) Fire District. He previously serves as chief of Clackamas County Fire District No. 54. He is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and of Portland State University. He has also chaired the Oregon State Board on Public Safety Standards and Training and served as an adjunct faculty member at Western Oregon University. Carnahan is a founding partner of Compelling Technologies Inc., a software developer. He has also worked as the fire program specialist for the Department of Homeland Security.