Social distancing has put a real challenge in front of battalion fire commanders as well as the rest of society. Unlike many private sector businesses, the fire service has more of a tradition of interacting with commanders on a regular basis. The distancing has challenged this tradition.
With this change comes a need to change how we work. We need to be in front of the issue and make sure we are not reacting. There are a couple of steps for battalion and station commanders to take to make sure we are ready to respond.
First, understand from subject matter experts what is expected in the future. How will their projections affect your job? What steps can you take to meet those needs? After identifying them, fill what you can and ask for help with the rest.
Second, review daily briefings from Federal, State and Local sources. What are they saying and how will that affect our work? Get out in front of what the sources are saying. Assume help isn’t coming and fill the needs you have.
Finally, we are in our regular offices (the stations) when most of America is not. As responders, we will Command from more remote locations across multiple formats. Be clear with your communications and communicate regularly and more often than normal. If you see a need to support your personnel, take the initiative and provide what’s needed. We solve many problems in the field be being creative, this is an excellent time to use those skills to meet the needs we are facing today. If you don’t have a solution, invent one. Being present is more important than ever, even if its through technology and not in person. Your teams need to know you are ready to solve these problems with them as those problems arise.
The Third Bugle 