Put that shit in check

When will we get over ourselves?  The need to protect our egos seems to be outweighing the need to protect ourselves and our brothers.  It seems to be beyond our own wit to realize that we need this thought process.  We need to get beyond our own egos and spend our time solving the real problems. Not spinning our wheels on the same old stuff over and over.  3 times in recent months we nearly lost someone from over aggressive tactics.  A firefighter attempts to enter a burning front door.  Into an environment so hot his radio starts on fire and he sustains burns.  A Lieutenant at a defensive fire over an hour into it chainsaws a door open to better attack the fire and has a wall fall on him.  A fire fighter 15 minutes after the call to defensive enters 9 feet into a building and falls through the floor.  All for what?  If an environment is so hot your radio starts on fire how tenable is it for the residents?  What are you risking your safety for exactly?  If you are at a defensive fire the decision has already been made that no risk is to be taken.  None, what-so-ever. 

 “Where is the blame to be laid?” is the likely question the administration is now asking.  Leadership, or the lack thereof I say and of course egos.  It’s the leadership that trains our people on a day to day basis.  It is the leadership that guides on the fire ground.  It is our job to show the way and instill confidence in the firefighters that the decisions we make are the right ones.  We cannot watch our people every minute of every day but we can arm our people with confidence and the knowledge to make the right decisions on their own.  The only way to do this is through training every day in any way possible. 

 Now don’t get me wrong.  I will never beat or train the ego out of a fire fighter. Never happen.   What I can do is overpower it with logic and sound decision making.  We need to find the dial.  The one that can turn up and down our level of aggression.  We need it at times, shit, our job requires it really.  But we cannot forget when we need to turn it up and when to turn it down.  When life is at risk we risk a lot to save a savable life.  Dial at ten.  Flames out every window?...Dial at 0.   Teach that deep breath.  Think about what you are about to do and who will be at risk when it goes cow shit and you need saving.