Unite or Die

I'd bet it's the same everywhere. Force a bunch of alpha, type-A, passionate gorillas to live in a box together and things won't be easy. We disagree on a lot. We have strong opinions on the most minute details. If you've ever nearly come to blows over who owns a 99 cent bottle of mustard, you might be a firefighter.

When things pertain to the job it really gets interesting. Should the primary attack line be a 1-1/2", 1-3/4", or 2-1/2"? Should it be pre-connected or connected on scene to the length we need? Flat load or minute man or modified minute man or triple layer? We argue over the type of chainsaw blades, the paint scheme of apparatus, the brand of ladder, the configuration of EVERYTHING. Aesop's golden goose wouldn't have survived 10 minutes in most fire stations then we would have blasted the chief and city hall for providing defective fowl. When things don't go our way (I know you won't believe this) we might, possibly, on rare occasion, overreact. 

When we gather our toys and go to our room, everyone loses. The young guys need old dudes for wisdom and to learn from their experience. They have seen more fire, endured more hardship, and found out a bunch of crap that doesn't work. Old dudes need new guys for creativity and energy. Their isn't a better path to mastery than by teaching. The senior guy who has used his time wisely will always welcome a new recruit to mentor. When we work together, when we use our combined strengths and build on our weaknesses, the people who count on us for protection win.

I appreciate conflict that ends in resolve. "Iron sharpens iron." From the moment there were two men on this planet there was fighting. Despite some politically correct voices of our society, there isn't anything wrong with being a man. Men have carved out a living within the most unforgiving environments on earth. We've settled lands, conquered nature, explored remote wilderness, fought wars, and shed blood and sweat for what we believe in. 

We are made in the image of God and "the LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name." What war are you fighting in the fire service? More importantly WHY are you fighting? The heart of my ethos is to continually improve in order to better save lives and protect property. If that's not your "why" I'd love to know what your about. Sometimes I can be an idiot though. I get way too caught up in the nuts and bolts of things that really don't matter. Dumb and petty things. I'm working hard to change that. I want the big picture to stay the big picture. I don't want some improper sense of ego to stunt my growth. I intend to be an old man in a young man's game and the best possible version of myself until my last shift. 

I won't be the guy that gives up. My wife lives here. My family lives here. People I love and care about count on the service that I'm part of. I believe in what we do and that we do make a difference. We aren't FDNY. I know that. I also know every time someone has called 911 here they expected Superman to show up. We have a mutual enemy and it's time we turned our attention from each other and on to the mission. People are counting on you. They deserve better. They deserve your best.