During the five decades of his career as a firefighter, Paul Gleason worked tirelessly in many roles, ranging from hotshot crew member to specialist in the science of fire behavior. He influenced and inspired countless firefighters, many of whom name him as the one person who had the biggest impact on their lives and careers.
In a February 2003 interview, the day before he succumbed to a battle with cancer, Gleason talked about leadership. Gleason believed that effective leaders must have the ability to instill confidence; their followers must know with certainty that the leader regards their safety as a first priority. A good leader inspires their people to have a sense of confidence in themselves and their abilities. His depiction of effective leaders describes the essence of mentoring.
Gleason went on to say, “If you choose to lead others, you will have a legacy. But that legacy will be determined by those that follow you. I suppose I would want my legacy to be that firefighters begin to realize the importance of being a student of fire and that I was able to help make that happen.”
Gleason walked the talk. His life epitomizes a leader who made a difference in developing people for the future.
His accomplishments have had enormous effect on the wildland fire service. He developed the LCES system, distilling the operational components of the Standard Firefighting Orders into the now familiar Lookouts, Communications, Escape Routes, and Safety Zones.
He helped translate complex research on the characteristics of extreme fire behavior into usable training for field practitioners. He reached out to academia to help the wildland fire service better understand how people make decisions in complex high-risk environments.
And most telling, many young firefighters who came to work for Gleason during his 15 years as a Hotshot Crew Superintendent chose to stay in the wildland fire service, going on to become leaders in various fire organizations, a ripple effect with profound influence on the future of the wildland fire service.
[Click here to download a copy of Leading in the Wildland Fire Service.]
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