Most firefighters have heard of networking and yet most firefighters don’t know how important it can be to their careers. There is an old adage that describes abilities in people. The adage goes, if your only skill is to be a hammer, then every problem is a nail.
Firefighters are comfortable with workflow, the ability to move from the start of a task to the end comfortably. In most fire station areas, the type of structure the apparatus respond to are very similar. Spend a little time in the same station and all your runs start to look alike and your workflow is established.
Consider a station in a residential area. Work enough house fires and everything is a house fire. Then fate sends you to a strip mall or a big box store. The brain remembers the house fire and without much thought, the crew is using residential tactics in a large building. The brain’s muscle memory takes over and you do what you know. Some firefighters are so comfortable with each other, they never speak to one another at emergencies. That can be a good thing and it improves safety when you are working well together. Just keep your head and brain on a swivel so the next surprise doesn’t become a surprise.
Comfort also stops firefighters from looking over the horizon. What will our next challenge be and how will be deal with it? It is beneficial to see the what else the world has to offer as well as what is coming.
At some point, our pandemic restrictions will end and the ability to interact with others will resume, what people are describing as back to normal. It will be an excellent opportunity for firefighters to network again. The benefits are there for the taking.
- Get a new perspective
- See some fresh ideas
- Increase your knowledge
- Raise your personal profile
- Learn from others experience
The ability to attend conferences and expos will return but don’t forget the social aspect of the profession. The celebration of fire events and activities will return and those are great opportunities to sit down with friends, coworkers and former coworkers to see that is happening. It is also an opportunity for you to share what you have learned. We owe that debt too.
It is important to remember that everything doesn’t suck. Try some new things on and see how you like them. You never know what you will find out there, sometimes it’s the next best thing and it will come from networking.
The Third Bugle 