3 Questions
Sometimes I am not sure where I draw certain parallels from, and most of the time I am glad
about that because I would scare myself!
When we discuss firefighting tactics and size up we ask three questions that we are all very familiar with. What have I got?, Where is it going?, and What do I need to control it?
These are all pretty simple and straightforward and they will generally lead to a successful conclusion if all of the factors are considered thoroughly and correctly.
What if we asked ourselves those same three questions, as firefighters, officers, or instructors regardless of where we are in rank within our organization.
What have I Got?
Where am I going?
What do I need?
Let's take a look at these:
What have I got? - What do you bring to the table? What skill set do you have as a firefighter or whatever rank you are? Are you effective, are you capable of doing your job that is assigned to you? We all think we can do the job but do others know and believe that you can do it? What are your personal values and passions about the job, and what image do you portray to the other members? Maybe you bring a sense of confidence and command presence. Maybe you are the senior firefighter that tries to mentor others. Maybe you just come and do your time and would rather not even be at the station. Do a personal size up of yourself and have others take a look at you to determine "what you got"!
Where am I going? - What are your career aspirations and ambitions? Do you want to rise up to the next rank or are you happy where you are and want to stay at that level to gain further skills. Are you being groomed by a superior so that you can aspire to the next rank? Are you being given additional assignments or are those assignments being given to others? If choice assignments are passing you by, maybe you should figure out why. What new specialty skill will you take on in your fire service career? Confined space, high angle, haz mat, arson investigator, public educator or fire inspector? There are lots of places to go in the fire service, it is really your decision.
What do I need? - This is not a good question to ask yourself, because we tend to under state our own needs. Some of the things needed might be further education, certification, more experience at your present level, more broad exposure to another area or method, and many many other subjects and career paths. Sometimes we proceed down a path that we are convinced we need, but our superiors might see it another way. Have some intestinal fortitude to ask your officer what they feel might be best for you and what you need to make you a better firefighter or fire officer. When you get that opinion, go ask another officer and broaden your view just a bit.
Use these three questions to do a self size-up on you as a firefighter. If you consider all the factors and review them thoroughly you might just have a personal successful outcome.
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