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Saturday, January 3, 2015

Brotherhood Takes A Beating?-from FF Nation

 

Brotherhood Takes a Beating

Focus on making positive changes at your station—not criticizing your brothers across the country

By Nozzlehead
Published Friday, March 20, 2009 | From the December 2007 Issue of FireRescue
Dear Nozzlehead: I read so much about brotherhood and firefighting “back in the day,” but I’m not sure I get it. Is it about the fun? Treating each other good? What’s the deal, and why do some people think things in the fire service aren’t what they used to be?
—Wondering in Wisconsin

Dear Wondering,
“Oh, mercy, mercy me; oh, things ain’t what they used to be; no, no. Where did all the?open cab apparatus?go? Poison smoke?is the wind that blows from the north and south and east; oh, mercy, mercy me; oh,?bunker gear?ain’t what?it used to be; no no. Oh mercy, mercy me; oh, things ain’t what they used to be. What about the lack of staffing? How much more abuse from the elected man can?we actually?stand? Oh mercy, mercy me.”
Recognize that song? Of course you don’t, punk kid! It’s Marvin Gaye’s “Mercy, Mercy Me.”
Brotherhood is about fun, taking care of each other and TRUST. Brotherhood is UNITY among those in our business who train hard, work hard and understand what it takes to take care of each other. And that means all of us—boys, girls, people of all the colors of the rainbow and everyone with any and all beliefs.
In some places brotherhood is what it used to be ... and some never had it and wouldn’t know it if they ran smack into it. Oh, mercy, mercy me.
To help answer your question, I’d like to share with you an e-mail another reader just sent me; it’s one of the best “brotherhood”-related e-mails?I’ve received. Although I still believe there’s brotherhood out there—and I do see it—it’s not always what it seems to be or what it shouldbe. Let’s take a look at the e-mail:

“I believe the sole contributor to the loss of honor, brotherhood and loyalty is probably the most used instrument in the fire service: the Internet.
“When I first started, you only knew about another department’s fire by either being at the fire or by word of mouth from someone who was there. If there was a problem on the fireground or a problem among personnel, it was usually handled by those immediately involved.
“With the Internet, the fire service has the ability to immediately post photographs and comments about a fire for the viewing public long before units have left the scene. Forum boards allow immediate posting of fireground radio transmissions, along with questions, thoughts and speculation. Thought-provoking comments soon become fiery arguments in which one firefighter wages a faceless battle against another firefighter in an effort to prove the other wrong, that his department is better and that his tactics and strategy are far superior.
“Twenty years ago, if I heard about a fireground problem at a particular station’s fire, and I wasn’t there or didn’t know anyone there, and I wanted to interject myself and my comments, I’d have to call or go to that station. Now, if I read about a firefighter who had to bail out a window, I can make my thoughts known to everyone in the little time it takes to post a comment on the Internet. Mind you, I have never been to ‘that town,’ have no knowledge whatsoever of the fire, fire conditions, fire building, fire department and firefighter, but I can post my comments immediately as if it were a department press release.
“Look at some of the idiocy posted today. ‘Brothers’ not working in Charleston, S.C., New York or Boston, are posting spirited thoughts about how each of these departments should be operating in light of past incidents. I would be sensitive to their words if they were actual members of the departments involved, yet the majority of them are not. Just like nearly every wireless conversation before it, what might have started with good intent and honest questionings has quickly turned into ideology vs. ideology in the manner of a schoolyard bully.
“There is no honor, brotherhood and loyalty anymore in the fire service, in one collective body. One faceless ‘brother’ can immediately e-attack another ‘brother’ based on what he perceives as a fault, with little factual support, and other ‘brothers’ join in on each side, like sharks attracted to chum.
“I’m not saying the Internet is completely at fault (it’s the people who write the words),?but I am saying that some of us remember the adage, ‘If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.’ With the ease of composing and sending messages to anyone and everyone, it’s almost addictive being able to say what you want, even if you have no direct connection to the subject at hand aside from being a so-called?‘brother.’
“We, the fire service in general, look very good at the oddest times. We put on good funerals, and we are good at ‘never forgetting’ and making sure ‘everyone goes home,’ but with not even the slightest hint of disrespect to all and any of the fallen firefighters in the American fire service, we would do well to change those phrases. Change ‘never forget’ to ‘remember why’ and change ‘everyone goes home’ to ‘I will go home.’ Turn the focus away from your ‘brothers’ and toward yourself. Turn the focus from not being a part of the fire service to ‘how do Irepresent the fire service?’
“The Internet is a great tool for learning as much as possible about this trade. There are some very professional Web sites that provide positive feedback when firefighters have close calls and related near-miss events.?However, the World Wide Web is being used too much to define the firefighter. Loyalty, brotherhood and honor are being defined by what social clique you’re identified with in cyberspace. Want proof? Go to almost any firefighter forum and see how ‘wonderfully’ some of us treat each other.
“Again, I reiterate: Focus on the ‘I’—not the selfish ‘I’ but the ‘I’ that you can make the biggest impact on. When I come in for my shift or when at my volunteer firehouse, I don’t care why the FDNY didn’t inspect a building, why Boston wears running pants and why Charleston uses booster lines.
“I am concerned with:
  • Are my?firefighters here? Is everyone OK? 
  • Have the rig and tools been checked? What does the driver need? 
  • What will we drill on tonight? 
  • What rigs in the battalion are out of service? 
  • What are we going to do for dinner? 
  • Do I need to do housework and paperwork? 
“This is what works for me. I think ‘loyalty,’ ‘brotherhood’ and ‘honor’ would be more valuable if we were more concerned with the guy or gal riding across from us than someone in another state. I may sound hypocritical writing this, but I believe that many individuals in the fire service would benefit from being off the computer for a good month or so. Imagine what you could do with the time.”

Thanks for the good words. One part I’d like to expand on is where he wrote, “I don’t care why the FDNY didn’t inspect a building, why Boston wears running pants and why Charleston uses booster lines.” As far as personal opinions? Agreed. Especially with the horrific Charleston fire. When the Charleston Fire Department wants to make applicable change and follow the recommendations of the experts who went in and told them what they need to do to change, they will.
What we can do, however, is learn from those fires and make sure this doesn’t happen again in our firehouses. That’s Step 1.
Perhaps a New Year’s resolution might be for all of us to refocus on what BROTHERHOOD really means. Not someone else’s opinion, but your own. Back in the day? I sometimes think about what BROTHERHOOD is and our wonderful and heart-warming memories of how things used to be.
Happy holidays and all the best to you and yours for a wonderful 2008 from Nozzlehead, Mrs. Nozzlehead and all the little Nozzleheads.

NOZZLEHEAD

  • FireRescue's fearlessly opinionated Nozzlehead has been the fire service's go-to advisor since November 2001. His decades of experience in the fire service make him well qualified to offer up 2,000-psi of free-flowing opinion each month on everything from firehouse hazing to freelancing. If you have a fire service question, concern or comment -- and are looking for an answer with attitude -- send a letter to Nozzlehead c/o FireRescue, 4180 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 260, La Jolla, California 92037-9142, or e-mail him at frm.editor@pennwell.com. Read Full Bio


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