Perspective Is Your Reality

 Author: Christopher Ayer, Corona De Tucson Fire Department

Do the stories we tell ourselves about interactions with fellow firefighters or supervisors shape our beliefs about our agency?

I joined the fire service after a long career in professional basketball. In that world, everything revolved around my ability to produce results: points scored, rebounds, blocked shots, and my plus/minus stats while I was on the court. (The plus/minus stat is a topic for another time; probably a future post.) These stats dictated my pay, my career trajectory, and where I would go next. Naturally, I brought this performance-driven mentality into my first wildfire season.

I approached every day as though I were in a game: I had to produce. If we weren’t on the fire line, I treated it like practice. I pushed myself to do more, work harder, and absorb everything immediately. In my mind, producing results was the key to keeping my job, earning more money, or getting my task book opened. This mindset had been ingrained in me throughout my adult life—and even before.

This drive to constantly "produce" eventually led to a blow-up with my first engine boss. We had an epic argument about how I felt he was holding me back, not teaching me enough, and preventing me from gaining valuable experience. I was doing everything I could—stocking the cooler, cleaning the cab, digging line, knowing where every piece of equipment was. To me, it was like building a stat line, and I viewed my boss as just another bad coach.

But years later, with more experience and a few more wildfire seasons under my belt, I realized I had misunderstood the situation completely. I was the problem. My mentality, shaped by years of competitive sports, was at the root of the issue—and I didn’t even realize it. My boss was teaching, and I was learning, but I was focused on the wrong things. There was no "stat line" to track. A pre-position is not the same as a roll catching initial attacks or working a hotline with firing operations every day.

At the time, I convinced myself that my boss was holding me back intentionally, possibly because training me would eventually cost him more money. I was working on a contract truck, and he would have to pay more for certifications and classes. In my mind, gaining experience and knowledge meant he'd have to pay me more, so I told myself he didn’t want me to grow. This belief came from the business I had left—where rookies don’t get paid much, and experience costs money. I clung to this narrative for years, unable to see that I was just an inexperienced firefighter fresh out of S-130, S-190, and L-180, focused on the wrong things. This false perspective led to that eventual blow-up.

Which brings us back to the question: Do the stories we tell ourselves affect our interactions and beliefs about our situation and agency?

I believe the answer is a resounding YES. Our personal perspective shapes how we interpret situations and interactions with individuals and agencies. If we keep telling ourselves negative stories—believing we were wronged by a person or our agency—eventually, all our interactions will be tainted by that narrative. This negative outlook becomes our reality.

Personally, I created a negative perspective of my first engine boss due to my own lack of experience and understanding. Over time, I convinced myself that he didn’t want me to grow or improve. As a leader, I now realize that we often have to manage subordinates or coworkers who are stuck in a negative mindset, which affects how they perceive every interaction. If someone’s view of reality is skewed by negativity, everything will take on a pessimistic slant: They’re against me. They don’t want me to succeed. They’re out to get me. Simple interactions with a leader or agency that’s trying to foster growth become negative because of that warped perspective.

This attitude not only affects the individual, but it can also influence their coworkers and new employees who don’t yet have enough experience to see the bigger picture. Ultimately, it can shape the culture of the entire agency.

Which leads to the broader question: Does a change in operations take on a different meaning when viewed through the lens of negativity? If negative stories dominate the narrative, how does that affect the way we see our agency and the changes it implements?

Christopher Ayer is a Firefighter/ Paramedic/ Engine Boss Trainee/ Wildland Coordinator for Corona De Tucson Fire Department in Tucson, Arizona. The expressions and views are those of the author.

How is Your Fitness for Change?

Author: Nick Terrell, Bureau of Land Management Fire

Wildland fire is a highly dynamic work environment. We all know that. Because of this, I believe most of our workforce handles change on the fireline exceptionally well. Line gets burned over. Fine, we got Plan B, C, and D. But how do we handle change off the fireline? And what happens to our fitness for change over time? As wildland firefighters, are we taught to manage change well? Honestly assess your workplace culture and attitudes. How do you, your peers, your supervisors, and your subordinates react when posed with changes in the workplace?

What do you feel when you are told you have to learn a new process for timekeeping? How do you react when you are told that you need to take another yearly recurrency training? Think about it. Do you meet change with acceptance or resistance? As leaders, our behaviors are always on display and people are always watching. Your reactions and attitudes in response to change will send ripples through out your organization. 100 percent. Whether that ripple be witnessed by a large audience or a single individual – maybe the “greenest” rookie firefighter that doesn’t know any better – the way you handle yourself will have an influence.

The ability to handle change in a productive manner is a Personal Anchor Skill, and an absolute necessity for wildland fire leaders. So now ask yourself this one; as wildland firefighters, are we taught to manage change well? I don’t think we are. I think back through my years on crews, working on local units for leaders that took the “company line” stance and promoted a process change they were handed because it was their duty. But I could always sense when they were not on board with the change. What does it say when you watch a leader do this?

I strongly disagree with the school of thought that leaders are born. This implies that true leaders are not learners, and they start with all the tools they need. Set aside all those individuals that are born with a high fitness for change, this post isn’t for them. The rest of us need to build our fitness for change through experience. But what opportunities exist – in our interagency fire training curriculum, our respective agency training catalogs, or personal lives – to build our fitness for change in our careers off the fireline?

Last question: what happens to our fitness for change over time? Does all the dynamic change that we experience on the fireline impact our ability to embrace change in our day jobs? Or maybe at home? I think it does. I have observed within myself, the development of a strong need to control my environment during times of increased stress and change after years on the fireline. It’s not good or bad, it just is what it is. It’s the behavior I was trained to exhibit as a crew member and leader of handcrews. But is it the appropriate behavior to exhibit when I am not in a dynamic environment but happen to be stressed? Probably not.

We have a Duty to develop our subordinates for the future. We must have Respect for our jobs and build the team within our organizations. We must have the Integrity to always set a positive example no matter the audience. I believe that a high fitness for change is a core skill – a Personal Anchor Skill – that fire leaders must model to fulfill the values of Duty, Respect, and Integrity.

I would like to hear what you think. There is good information out there that can help deepen your understanding of resistance to change. Check out the sources listed at the end of the post and throw some comments back at me with your thoughts on how we could collectively improve this Personal Anchor Skill.

“What Leaders Need to Know About Change.” Taylor Harrell. TED Talk. 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EvkGX_lr1A

“The Real Reason People Don’t Change.” Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey. Harvard Business Review. 2001. https://hbr.org/2001/11/the-real-reason-people-wont-change

Nick Terrell is a career federal wildland firefighter. Following a career altering injury, he left his position on a hand crew for a wildland fire support position. The career change has allowed him to pursue a master’s degree at Boise State University studying Conflict Management and Leadership. He still maintains operational fire qualifications and is a diligent student of fire. 

Leadership: A Bridge to Culture

Author: Christopher Ayer, Corona De Tucson Fire Department

Can one person change an organization? At first, it may seem like an impossible task, akin to Atlas carrying the universe for eternity. But could we be overestimating the weight of this challenge? Perhaps we are all Atlas and just don't realize it yet.

Can two people or a small group influence the direction of an organization? Could they shift the culture of an agency with hundreds of employees toward positivity? I've been on a championship-caliber team that couldn’t win a game. You'd think they were different teams, but it was the same team. Positive culture and key leadership from individuals and a head coach can have a profound impact when building a team. Going from winless to conference championship may sound like a made-for-TV movie, but it's possible—I was part of it.

We study, read, and discuss leadership routinely and constantly as we progress from FFT1 to ENGB. If you are reading this, you are seeking a better understanding of leadership. There are podcasts, books, and TED Talks devoted to the subject. But how do we take these philosophies and apply them to functional change in our workplaces, apparatus, and crews?

Culture is the summation of leadership. All the study, self-growth, and practice aim to create a positive, winning culture. It's hard to define and even harder to put into words. Isn't it what we are all trying to achieve by becoming leaders? A positive culture promotes growth and knowledge, creating a safe and secure environment where people want to work. The work is efficient and smooth, and people enjoy it; they go the extra mile. People reminisce about crews or teams that had this positive culture and tell stories about it. Conversely, a negative culture is easy to spot, with in-fighting, toxic behaviors, and negativity. People talk about it just as much, sharing stories about bad bosses or dysfunctional crews. We've all seen that crew or team and thought, "I'm so glad I don't have to work with them."

Back to my original question: Can one person create that change? Could two people really transform a toxic team into a place where people want to work? Yes, because culture, like leadership, is about relationships and influence. Being positive and motivated is contagious. It is daunting and doesn't happen overnight, but those actions are the catalyst for improvement. My personal experience has shown that a positive culture is paramount to individual success and team achievement. Championship-level teams work at a much higher level and more efficiently than winless teams. The same is true in the fire service—a crew with a great culture will outperform a dysfunctional one every time, and with a smile on their faces. Our mission is to scratch lines and plumb in progressive packs, and eventually, with a lot of work, put out the fire. If our crews are doing this with a smile and enjoying their teammates, the work will go smoother, and more will be accomplished, with the added bonus of fulfillment from being part of the team.

So, can you change your team or your agency? The answer is – yes. Leadership is the role that initiates the process of creating a positive culture. Communication, respect, personal and professional growth are the building blocks of leadership and culture. Many of us undertake the journey of leadership to change things we don't like, but ultimately, these leadership goals are the first steps in improving culture.

If you want to start thinking about culture and how it can be grown or changed, check out: The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle.

Christopher Ayer is a Firefighter/ Paramedic/ Engine Boss Trainee/ Wildland Coordinator for Corona De Tucson Fire Department in Tucson, Arizona. The expressions and views are those of the author.

Courses, Simulations, and Education: "How Do We Teach Our Profession?"

 Author: Christopher Ayer, Corona De Tucson Fire Department

Training, mentoring, practice, education, knowledge—are they different or synonymous with the same outcome? Recently, I've taken a hiatus from writing due to a new baby and enrolled in school to further my career. Just a tad busy this off-season. During class, there's been a lot of rote memorization and constant attention to definitions to pass written tests. There isn't a person reading this who hasn’t been PowerPointed to death, reading each word off a 150-slide presentation, one slide at a time. We work in a dynamic and changing environment where situations constantly arise requiring people to be educated for their safety and the safety of others. But how do we develop a robust system to achieve that? How do we train new leaders to provide that?

Training—Training is one of the most critical parts of what we do. Cutting lines, setting up a Mark 3 pump, performing an incident within an incident—training is the hands-on portion that we all find enjoyable. It's the reason why we're wildland firefighters; desk jobs are not for us. This is an entire day in our S-130 class. But how do we make it better and more involved without actually putting fire on the ground? We don’t always have the environment to conduct a live fire exercise. Developing training takes time and imagination to build realistic scenarios that meet the needs and levels of those we are training. How do you balance training for a new seasonal firefighter along with a seven-year driver-operator who has seen it all before?

Practice—It's the customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing something. This is the piece that often gets glossed over from training and education. It's the actual application of knowledge, training, and education to real-world action. Fire response simulations—this is where we make mistakes and try new things that we think could work well. The greatest gains for a team or individual come through the practice of what we have learned. I equate it to sports—the IA flagging fire is like the simplest dive play in football or pick and roll in basketball. Mastery comes from doing it so often that you can add "wrinkles" or change the play on the fly because everyone knows it so well. Mastery of our job has to come through proficiency gained through practice.

Education—Education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university. Classes are designed for us to leave with conceptual knowledge. It's an important component of what we do. Formal education has centralized our communication and built the system that we have today. A tender is a tender, and a tanker is a tanker. The classes are a critical point to keep the process moving forward, but they should not be a stand-alone source of education. We can't send people to class and think that's all they need to move on or that they know what they need to know. It's one piece of the larger puzzle.

Mentor/Mentoring—New hires and newer personnel are treated one of two ways: either they ask a billion questions and never really get an answer, or they are told to just keep quiet and watch. If we take the time to use this point in their career to set their trajectory by instilling useful pieces of information and explanation, it builds a culture and environment of education. If we are constantly giving out information, it acts as a catalyst for the mentor also in retaining and reconnecting to information. It also creates an environment where re-learning or requiring information is paramount, which will only aid all of us when we need it most.

Knowledge—Knowledge covers the entire gambit of all aspects. It is the gold standard that we are trying to get our personnel to reach. But it is not gained overnight or in a season but by tying all of their experiences, classes, conversations and trainings into a working rolodex to draw from. It is also not gained just by working your way through our courses. Individuals need to be drawing on supporting information from other opportunities for learning. The more you engulf yourself in our profession, the more you begin to tie each experience to the associated information, creating a spiderweb of how everything works together.

Back to the original question: are they all synonymous? I believe that each piece is nuanced. These different concepts must be built together to create well-skilled and capable wildland firefighters. The harder part is implementing this idea. Easier said than done, right? But with a changing workforce, this might be an easy win to show new personnel the culture that the wildfire community has developed.

Christopher Ayer is a Firefighter/ Paramedic/ Engine Boss Trainee/ Wildland Coordinator for Corona De Tucson Fire Department in Tucson, Arizona. The expressions and views are those of the author.

The Power of Our Stories

Author: Pam McDonald, BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development

In his 2015 TedTalk, Dave Isey, founder of StoryCorps, talks about the importance of storytelling and listening to others tell their story. Storytelling is woven into the fabric of our culture. Whether it is around the camp fire after a long days work, in the vehicle coming and going to the fireline, or over a beverage, stories bind us together. Being able to tell our stories is a powerful teaching tool, but not everyone has the gift of storytelling; however, nearly everyone has a story to tell or ears to hear.

What Is Your Trigger Point?

(Zacharie Grossen - Own work)

Author: Pam McDonald, BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development

I recently listened to Wondery's Against The Odds podcast "K2: The Savage Mountain" about one of the worst climbing disasters of modern times. In 2008, 11 people died and 3 were injured attempting to reach the summit. "Summit fever" leads to one in five climbers losing their life on the summit. Knowing when enough is enough may very well be a successful operation. The very same should be said about wildland fire suppression operations. Every wildland firefighter should know when to disengage. As Fredrik Sträng's behavioral therapist said, "It doesn't matter how high the goals are set/achieved unless you have decided what is enough."

Releasing the Pebble

(Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0

<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Author: Pam McDonald, BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development

Do you follow the Chinese new year and their zodiac animals? 

I was born in the year of the snake and formed in the womb during the year of the wood dragon. As I begin the glide to retirement, 2024 is the year of the wood dragon; I will retire in the year of the snake. Coincidence? Not really, the calendar is on a 12-year cycle. I will be eligible to retire on my fifth cycle of the Chinese zodiac. I (the snake) will be slithering away from 38 seasons of wildland fire suppression (the wood dragon). It was my destiny and my legacy.

Self-Reflection and You

(Photo Credit: Leadership Freak)

Author: Pam McDonald, BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development

If you are a member of the wildland fire service, you are aware of after action reviews. Good leaders conduct them after every operation, but do you conduct personal reflections? Practicing the art of self-reflection on a regular/daily basis is a valuable exercise. I

 

Why is self-reflection important to personal growth? 

In "Self-Reflection: How To Make The Most From Every Experience," Adam Sicinski shares the following benefits:

• Learn from your failures, mistakes, and experiences.
• Clarify your values, priorities, and strengths.
• Release emotional attachment to people, things, and events.
• Make better choices, independent decisions, and new associations.
• Remove inner roadblocks that hold you back from achieving your goals.
• Examine your habitual behavior patterns and intuitive feelings.
• Uncover hidden dreams and aspirations as well as undiscovered potential.
• Gain deeper insights into your thoughts and a vast array of experiences.
• Expand your perspective and understanding of people and situations.
• Better spot potential problems and opportunities in advance.
• Respond calmly and appropriately to challenges that may have otherwise hindered your progress.

A Personal Experience

In 2016, I had the unique opportunity to attend the Faith and Leadership Week at Kellogg School of Management on the campus of Northwestern University. Leaders from all over the world come to Kellogg for personal development from some of the world's best leadership development instructors. The session with Harry Kraemer was my favorite. Harry had released his book From Values to Action a few years earlier. I got to personally hear Harry discuss his four principles of values-based leadership: self-reflection, balance, true self-confidence, and genuine humility.

In his book and in the session, Harry asks the following questions:

• If you are not self-reflective, how can you truly know yourself?
• If you do not know yourself, how can you lead yourself?
• And if you cannot lead yourself, how can you possibly lead others?

Make Personal AARs a Regular Practice

We are never too busy to take time for ourselves. We must take care of ourselves so we can take care of others. Consider personal AARs a little PPE for the soul.

How you reflect is a personal preference. Whether you journal, blog, meditate, talk to yourself or someone else, make it a deliberate and regular practice. You will be better for practicing this art.

Wildland Fire Leadership Challenge - Digging a Little Deeper

• Read Dan Rockwell's Leadership Freak blog "5 Ways to Rest and Rejuvenate."
• Read From Values to Action or watch Harry Kraemer's keynote below.

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About the Author: Pam McDonald is a writer/editor for BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development. The expressions are those of the author.

Match, Set, Point: What Do You Tell Yourself

 

Photo Credit: Arron Bartz

Author: Christopher Ayer, Corona De Tucson Fire Department

Personally, December through about February is the hardest part of the year. It’s cold, dark, and there is rain, probably snow, in other places (not so much in Region 3)—not the most ideal burn conditions for new starts or IA responses. My fix for the problem is watching fire videos on YouTube, namely WFSTAR and documentaries. If the video contains wildfire content, there is a good chance I’ve seen it by February. There are a couple of new documentaries about the origins of the smokejumpers and old fire watch system from the early 1930s that were extremely motivational. Wanting to be headed to IA brought up an idea that I would like to share from my time playing sports professionally.  

An IA response is amazing; it is the “Friday Night Lights” or playing on “Sunday” or “Big Monday” of our profession. It’s the high stakes of our job and personally some of the most exciting. Playing on national TV or ESPN is much the same as initial attack, the same adrenaline, and the same excitement. The reactions that people have in the back of the engine/buggy is the same as you have in locker room or at shoot around. That freshman point guard who just got the opportunity to start or the first season back seat firefighter is going through the same emotions and excitement. We have all watched that newbie (said with compassion) who is bouncing off the walls falling asleep 45 minutes later, having nothing left to give when we get on scene to work. In basketball, they speed through shoot around drills going a 100 miles per hour, sprinting and geeked up; and surprise, they crash about 20 minutes into the game that night.

Sports has spent years and tons of money implementing and utilizing psychology to better prepare athletes for big games and complex decision making under pressure. Yet we don’t really talk about or apply any of those same tactics to firefighting. I was guided by a coach to read a book, Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey, that wasn’t even about basketball. I was appalled he would even suggest it. Tennis? Really! But what other sport offers such a mental aspect of a game based around your own mental ability completely challenged by an opponent having to go through the exact same struggles. Having to step up and serve to another person knowing that they going to return just to start the game, then it’s a back and forth just to try and earn a point, mainly by someone making a mistake. There is no time to think and the moments that you do; it is paramount to be focused, confident, positive. A slipup can turn into a snowball down a mountain from which you aren’t going to recover. The game is one mistake after another, turnovers resulting in a momentum swing that ends the game. Sounds familiar to a lot of IA response, some seem to be smooth and effortless while others are doomed from the start.

For me, Inner Game of Tennis hammered home the concepts of internal self-talk and not allowing mistakes to multiply. How often do you get caught up after a simple mistake? “Why did you do that?” or “What were you thinking?” These simple mental monologues seem harmless enough, but how large an affect do they have two or three decisions down the line? Are we setting ourselves up for failure with the way we are mentally applying ourselves to our task? If we are openly saying this when a subordinate or a co-worker make a mistake, are we building a winning team or are we dooming ourselves from being a championship winning program or cohesive engine crew. When people are dialed in mentally and focused on a common goal, they are more accomplished.

I realize that sports and firefighting seem extremely far apart, and the stakes are much different but how much different is the mental preparation? Confidence, calm, action driven, determined, are all descriptions of any high-level competitive athlete, and most describe ideal personality traits that we all want in a firefighter or IC. So, if the traits are the same, why not looking for alternative avenues to gain understanding and growing the people around us. On that note, I recommend the Inner Game of Tennis as an easy start. I’m sure there are other lessons that can be taken from it, but for me that inter monologue has done wonders to make me more proficient at my job.

 

Christopher Ayer is a Firefighter/Firefighter Engine Boss Trainee/Paramedic for Corona De Tucson Fire Department in Tucson, Arizona. The expressions and views are those of the author.

Leadership Descends from Character

("Character matters; leadership descends from character" by Aaron Gustafson is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.)

Only a leader with strong character and a strong sense of security can feel so certain of the blamelessness of his heart that he invites the scrutiny of his peers. C. S. Lewis calls this quality, "Leaders with chests." Lewis likened the properly ordered soul to the human body: the head (reason) must rule the belly (the sensual appetites) through the chest (character and spirit). The chest is the indispensable liaison between reason and the appetites. Without a strong "chest," men would succumb to excuses, relativism, and compromise. Lewis called those with no character or integrity, "men without chests." 

 [Excerpt from The Maxwell Leadership Bible quoting Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis]

"Character is the foundation of command presence. All people reveal their character in every interaction, and character shapes and permeates a leader’s command presence." (Leading in the Wildland Fire Service, p. 20)