Leading in a Majority Movement in the Fire Service
The fire service is full of strong, assertive individuals. When a majority builds up an opinion, it makes headway downstream leaving only a few untouched in its wake. A majority movement in the fire service needs effective leadership from its fire chiefs.
Arizona does not get a lot of rain, but when it does, it can pour. When it pours, it leads to flash floods. Arizona is notorious for its flash floods. In a flash flood area, within minutes a small creek could be feet deep and you better hope you are in a safe place above the water.
Flash Flood on Our Ranch
Last summer, our ranch experienced a flash flood that showed off God’s power. This flash flood picked up an old massive tree that had been laying on the banks of our creek for years and moved it downstream 100 feet. I never thought the water could rise high enough to touch the tree, let alone move the tree. It was then I realized how powerful flash floods are. A couple of days later, we had another flash flood and it completely took the tree off our land.
Water has many functions. The power to move items is one of them, especially with a rapid accumulation of water. When a dried-up creek gets a rush of water to produce a flood, it generates movement and power challenging the heaviest or strongest of things. The more water, the faster and stronger the water becomes, producing a powerful force threatening survival.
Fire Service Flash Floods
The speed of the fire service is quick, sudden, and final. Firefighters are trained to function in a sprinting mindset with finality and efficiency. They are called into action to isolate their focus on the emergency to which they are responding. The fire service operates like a flash flood.
Firefighters can spring into action in an instant, like a flash flood. They are strong and quick. When grouped with others, they become stronger and quicker, like a flash flood. If obstacles get in the way, firefighters band together to remove obstacles, like a flash flood. The fire service demonstrates the great things about flash floods, most of the time.
A Majority is Powerful
Firefighters are all trained the same in each department. The intention is to get everyone on the same page and working as a synchronized unit. This leads to units moving faster, more efficiently, and consistently. Successful units are united in command, responsibility, and operation. United crews synchronized are powerful.
And for all the good a united crew, unit, battalion, or agency can accomplish, there can also be a bad side. In the same way crews, units, and battalions succeed, they also can challenge, disrupt, and even damage an agency or department.
Unity has blindspots. Leaders in the fire service need to be aware that united efforts can pose a threat to the organization, especially when they happen away from the calls. Not all united efforts are bad in the fire service, but they can turn bad. This is why the fire chief and chief officers must always be attuned to the united efforts forming within their organizations.
When united efforts can pick up momentum, they draw in more firefighters to their movement, creating a majority. In addition, when a majority is formed, it can do pretty much anything it wants to do, good or bad. Be cautious of the ones that get louder, bolder, and quicker. These majority movements in the fire service will act like flash floods and may attempt to take out anything that stands in opposition to the movement or majority. Never underestimate the power of the majority.
Fire Chief’s Flash Floods Standing Orders
When a fire department flashes (as in a flash flood), fire chiefs are called to take appropriate action. Most of the time, this will result in getting out of the way of the mass moving and allowing the creek to settle. Then there are other times when the flash causes danger to life and property. Fire chiefs must recognize the outliers that are dangerous and respond effectively.
Below are 8 standing orders for a fire chief in an agency flash flood:
- Chunk Up. Get to high ground, away from the danger. When the majority of fire service starts to move fast, go high. If you get sucked into the majority in the fire service, you will not be able to lead on mission, with vision, and on value. Always go high and above the frey, chatter, complaints, gossip, groupthink, and alternative motives.
- Harness Emotions. Take a deep breath. Collect your thoughts. Evaluate the stories running in your head that are triggering you, are they real or construed? Allow yourself to get to a place that provides you with clarity and courage. Emotions are not bad, sometimes they just need to get organized and corralled. Tame that stallion.
- Evaluate Mission, Vision, Values. Check on your mission, vision, and values once you are above the danger. Everything must run through this filter of mission, vision, and value for all decisions. It is much easier to operate through these elements when you are out of the chaos.
- Check Your Biases. Now that you are running the situation through the mission, vision, and values filter correctly, check your biases. They may be twisting or altering your perspective. You are at the top of the organization and leading many people. You have biases, we all have biases. Don’t allow your biases to negatively impact your leadership.
- Help Others to Chunk Up. Once you have clear thought and are on high grounds of thinking, get others there. All of the previous things must happen before you can help others to get to a healthy place. Once you are able, help the most influential leaders first. They can and will help others once they are in a good place. Remember, you cannot help others until you are in a strong and healthy spot.
- Control Your Speed. The powerful majority can suck you right back in if you are not staying aware. Know your internal speed. After that, pace yourself out and stay consistent. Once you feel yourself speeding back up, slow it down. Make decisions at in the right manner and right time. Keep your eyes on your speed.
- Be Selective. Flash floods are not all made the same. Your engagement and involvement must be selective. Evaluate the risk/reward of engagement. If the danger necessitates your engagement, then jump in where needed. Be careful to not get sucked into the powerful majority and their ways. Not all situations need the same level of engagement as well. Measure your contribution to the flash flood. Also, you could wait it out a little longer too. If you need the water level to decrease before engaging, that is an option as well.
- Learn and Utilize. Every situation possesses the opportunity to be leveraged for future success. Learn the trends to which way and how the majority moves with your personnel. Who and when do those flash floods happen? Are they predictable? Are there people that have more weight to the power of the movement? The more you learn from every flash flood, the better you will lead, serve, and assist in the moments a powerful majority hits.
Lead a Majority Movement in the Fire Service Well
Industry behaviors of unity are powerful. They have many benefits, but also dangers as well. When majority movements birth in your organization, led well. Check your “Fire Chief’s Flash Floods Standing Orders.” This will position your organization to succeed through all varying types of flash floods or movements, the good and bad. Your organization needs your effective leadership in these crucial times.
