Leadership

Chief Dennis Reilly and Jason Hoevelmann discuss leadership for firefighters and fire officers specifically regarding being a consistent leader and officer using the Leadership Triad.

It comes downs to a strong moral compass and the firm foundation based on ethics and doing what’s right.

THE MORAL & ETHICAL OBLIGATIONS OF BEING AN OFFICER:

• Your decisions and actions need to be driven by your own moral compass
• Your compass needs to be in line with that of the organization
• There should be no question where you stand among your subordinates, your

  peers, and your superiors.

• Moral & ethically driven people bring consistency and stability to their work

  place.

  EXPECTATIONS:

• If you do not lay out your expectations there is no guarantee on what you will get
• Expectations need to be in writing, invest the time now to avoid the “Well I didn’t

  know what you wanted” in the future.

• At the task level positions, expectations need to center around tasks, at leadership

  positons expectations need to include attitudes & behaviors.

  MODELING:

• You will get what you display as your normal operating mode
• What you model is the future for your organization. As an officer, you have a Moral

  & Ethical Obligation to leave your organization better than what you found it.

• Chief Lasky once aid “Follow ugly kids home and you will find ugly parents”.
• What you model is what they will do when you are not around.

  ACCOUNTABILITY:

• This can be quite uncomfortable but as an officer you must be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
• You have a Moral & Ethical obligation to correct unsatisfactory or counterproductive behaviors. We didn’t promote you because you look good, we expect you to do your job.
• If you fail to hold your members accountable there is a good chance that your boss will hold you accountable. In some organizations, this is known as “failure to supervise” and can lead to demotion and/or termination.

Link to additional file on Leadership Triad 

Chief Joe Pronesti and Jason Hoevelmann discuss three fires that happened on, or near Father’s Day.  The fires had a huge impact on many families, as all line of duty deaths do and we felt it appropriate to discuss the lessons and stories of these fires.

Chief Pronesti also has a recent article about these fires in Fire Engineering and the link is below.

Article

Here are some additional links for more information about these fires.

Vendome Article from Fire Engineering

Boston Fire History

FDNY Father’s Day Fire

Article on Kids of Father’s Day Fire

Charleston Sofa Fire