The Brotherhood

The Brotherhood.  The term is thrown around the fire service all the time, but what does it mean?  I like to think of “the brotherhood” as a puzzle and sometimes we, as a fire service, are missing pieces of the puzzle.  However, when all of the pieces are present, it’s an amazing thing.  The reality is “the brotherhood” probably means twenty different things to twenty different people and it would be difficult to pinpoint an exact meaning, or definition, of it.  However, there are probably some consistencies within the different interpretations of “the brotherhood” that we can use to identify key pieces of the puzzle that we call “the brotherhood”.  This post will identify six pieces of the puzzle that I consider to be essential to “the brotherhood”.

The first piece of this puzzle pertains to the fact we will not always agree or get along.  No family does.  However, when an alarm is transmitted, the BS must be put to the side.  You are, literally, your brother’s keeper.  If you don’t think so, you should probably find another “calling” because the fire service isn’t for you nor will you ever be a part of the brotherhood.  I am willing to do whatever it takes to help any fellow firefighter who is in trouble on the fireground and I’d like to be surrounded by folks who feel the same way.  Regardless of what nonsense has transpired between members outside of the fireground, we all need to come together with common goals, purposes, and values on the fireground.

The second piece of the puzzle deals with taking care of members and their families.  Outside of the firehouse or fireground, we still have an obligation to help members and their families in times of need.  Regardless if it inconveniences us or causes us to alter our schedules, fire service members owe it to their brother to go the extra mile and provide support 24/7/365.   Many of our brothers are strong-willed and reluctant to ask for help, however we need to step up and offer the support and assistance of the brotherhood.

The third piece of the puzzle involves honoring and remembering fallen brothers.  When a brother is killed, regardless of where they hang their hat, we owe it to them to send them off in a respectable and traditional fashion.  There are brothers that travel across the country on their own dime to attend the funeral of a fallen brother, these brothers truly get “it” and exemplify what the brotherhood is about.  The brotherhood extends to the fire service as a whole, not just within your department.  We also owe it to our fallen brothers to learn lessons from their deaths and assure they didn’t die in vain.  The fire service also needs to ensure future generations are aware of fallen members and the incidents in which they perished.

The fourth piece of the puzzle is ensuring you are as prepared to do your job as possible.  This means physically, mentally, emotionally, and technically.  The fire service is dependant on folks who can successfully carry out the tasks we are asked to do.  We need to ensure we are staying physically fit enough to carry out any task on the fireground.  Everyone has things going on in their personal lives, however when you report to duty, you need to be focused on the fire service.  If you aren’t “in the game” mentally or emotionally, it will eventually show itself in your job performance.  Many fire departments offer a support network or employee assistance programs that may be of assistance in managing your mental or emotional health needs.  Firefighters need to be in to the job and should constantly strive to better themselves and their fellow firefighters.  Staying engaged in the happenings of the fire service and training will help immensely in one’s quest to remain technically proficient.  Performing self evaluation and evaluation of your company will improve performance and should be viewed as constructive, rather than negative in nature.

The fifth piece of the puzzle is sharing knowledge and experience for the betterment of the fire service.  Good and bad experiences should be shared so that others can learn from them.  We owe it to the fire service to leave it a better place than we found it.  Failing to share knowledge and skills is selfish and is not a trait of someone within the brotherhood.  Mentoring new members of the fire service and leading them down the right path is more important than ever.  Like it or not, the folks who join the fire service today are not the same as the previous generation.  It is incumbent upon us to motivate these folks and keep the spirit of the fire service alive.

The sixth piece of the puzzle is understanding that any member of the fire service can be a member of the brotherhood.  It doesn’t matter what race you are, whether you’re paid or volunteer, whether you’re female or male, what sexual orientation you are, what religious beliefs you have, or what economic class you fall in to.  None of that matters!  It’s solely based on being a productive member of the fire service and caring about your brothers.  Too many times people get hung up on cliques and the “in crowd”.  At the end of the day, the brotherhood is one big clique and we should have each other’s backs.

We are the 21^st century fire service and if we want “the brotherhood” to continue to thrive, we must exhibit the traits listed above.  It is up to us to keep the fire service moving forward, while not losing sight of where we came from.  If anyone has other pieces of the puzzle they feel should be listed, please leave them in the comments area.  This will be my last post for the next couple days as I’m going to enjoy some much needed time away from the computer.  Until next time, keep it real!