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Use training time wisely

Keeping the crew busy with work of any kind might look like a good strategy, but be careful. Firefighters know when they are being given busy work and will rebel against it, making a morale problem even worse. A better approach is to focus on the mission at hand, and demonstrate commitment to the service you provide as well as keeping the crew safe.

Focus on real hazards when you train and pre-plan. If there is a railroad track in the district, train for a potential derailment or hazardous materials incident. If there is a warehouse, go find out what they store there and how you would access a fire in the furthest corner of the building. Experiment with new hose loads. Get to know the teachers at the school down the street. Doing something every day to prepare for eventual real emergencies will make the time at work meaningful, enhance teamwork, and build confidence among the crew.

Leadership and the stages of team development

By Linda F. Willing
Real World Training & Consulting

The way groups of people develop into teams can be characterized by the model "Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing." In each phase, groups have different competencies and needs, and leadership responsibilities change.


Forming

In this initial phase of team development, members are selected and begin to explore what is expected of them.  They want to know the rules and how they fit in. During this phase, it is critical that leaders establish clear ground rules and demonstrate a genuine concern for those they are working with. Conflict is less likely at this point because everyone is new and trying hard to be on their best behavior.


Storming

In the second phase, interpersonal differences emerge and conflict becomes more frequent.  his can be a creative as well as a difficult time. It is critical that the leader do nothing to violate the trust of the team during this phase. This is the most important time for good leadership, and small things count.  Anticipating the difficulties and preparing to handle the inevitable conflicts will help the transition to the next phase.


Norming

If a team makes it through the storming phase, things settle down into focusing on the task at hand.  Standard ways of doing things are developed and accepted. Team members may downplay conflict because they fear it will make them revert to the uncomfortable storming phase of development. Leaders must continue to lead by example and avoid being arbitrary in decision making. The team itself takes on more of a decision making role.


Performing

In this phase, a team operates smoothly and effectively handles conflict as it comes up. There is a high level of mutual trust among all members and productivity and morale are high. At this point, leaders can step back and let the team members be largely self-directing. In fact, one of the dangers of this phase is over-management by leaders, which can lead to resentment or apathy among team members.

Storming can be the most challenging aspect of team leadership. It is easy to assign blame for the conflict to a so-called problem employee, and try to resolve the conflict by transferring that employee to another work group. This action may seem effective in the short run, because by reconfiguring the teams, everyone reverts to the forming phase of development, where conflict is less likely. But if the root cause of the problem is not recognized and dealt with, chances are the problem will reoccur, only now in two groups instead of just one.

Leadership is about solving problems and doing what is necessary for the situation. Understand leadership roles at different stages of team development, and experience the satisfaction that goes with developing a group of people into a truly high performing team.

Linda F. Willing is a retired career fire officer with more than 20 years experience in the emergency services. She currently works with Real World Training & Consulting, a company that specializes in providing customized solutions for organizations in the areas of leadership development, conflict resolution, diversity and change management, and team building. She is also an adjunct instructor and curriculum developer for the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer program. Linda has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MS in management science from Regis University in Denver.

Chainsaw Training

John Young
Learning & Development Officer, Technical Skills
New South Wales State Emergency Service,

For the New South Wales State Emergency Service in Australia, it is sometimes hard to find a tree in a desert.

To practice falling trees, we dig a hole and put up a fence post instead. We use fence posts up to 30cm around and of various lengths. We place them into the hole with wedges for support and fell the post to a preset direction to hone chainsaw skills.

For cross-cutting, we use the same posts once they have been felled and place them on a saw horse to hone the cross-cutting skills.

Be prepared for the unexpected before the battle begins

Billy Schmidt, FireRescue1 Columnist

Firefighting is like combat. We’re fighting to save lives, control the incident, and conserve property. We try to do this as safely and as efficiently as possible. To accomplish that, we need a team that works as one; a team working toward the same objectives; one with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to apply the tactics needed.

Company officers should prepare their teams for combat before the battle begins. They should stress the basics and ensure that every firefighter in their team is comfortable with the operation of their own personal protective equipment and the tools and equipment carried on their apparatus. Everyone should understand the potential strategies that can be utilized on the fire ground (rescue, exposure protection, confining the fire, extinguishing the fire, overhaul, ventilation, and salvage) and practice the various tactics to accomplish them (forcible entry, hose line deployment, search and rescue, ventilation). The scene of an emergency is not the place to learn or practice a skill; Be prepared for the unexpected before the battle begins.

Billy Schmidt is a District Chief assigned to the 5th Battalion with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue (Florida). He's an adjunct instructor for the department’s Training and Safety Division and has a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management and an associate’s degree in Fire Science.

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