Author: Christopher Ayer, Corona De Tucson Fire Department
“To err is human.” — Alexander Pope
One of my close friends summarized leadership best: “You are a leader of men, and it’s lonely at the top.” We step into leadership roles to guide the people around us, but many of us do not fully understand the weight that comes with promotion. Eventually, it becomes apparent that our decisions can carry life-and-death consequences.
I have been leading for almost two years, and that weight has
slowly begun to settle in my mind. Through self-assessment, I have realized
that leadership is not only about tactical knowledge or making the right
decision at the right moment, but also about how
those decisions are made. As leaders, our choices have lasting effects on the
people we lead — their safety, health, and lives.
Because of that responsibility, I have spent significant time
reading and researching decision-making, particularly the biases and emotional
influences that affect judgment under stress. I am by no means a master
tactician, nor do I have decades of experience to draw from. But through
recognizing my own limitations, I came across an idea that has stayed with me
over the last few months:
“Don’t be in a hurry to die.”
Is it morbid? Absolutely. But it should be. The phrase is an
important reminder that tactical patience and emotional discipline can save
lives — both our own and those of our crews.
Emergency response culture often glorifies speed, aggression, and
self-sacrifice, as if they automatically equal courage or competence. But
decisive leadership is not reckless leadership. In low-frequency, high-risk
operations, decisiveness matters, but good decisions are strengthened by the
ability to slow down long enough to evaluate critical information, recognize
emotional triggers, and account for bias.
That is where the tactical pause becomes essential.
“Don’t be in a hurry to die” is fundamentally about resisting
urgency-driven recklessness. Initial attack incidents are stressful by nature,
especially when homes or civilian lives are involved. Those situations quickly
become emotionally charged, and emotion can narrow perception and accelerate
poor decision-making. Taking a brief moment to assess conditions, evaluate
risk, and gather information allows leaders to make clearer and more deliberate
decisions.
This is not indecision or hesitation. It is tactical patience.
The burden of leadership exists in those pivotal moments where
calm, disciplined judgment matters most. Sometimes the best decision may appear
slower at first, but it creates better long-term outcomes for both the mission
and the people entrusted to us.
Christopher Ayer is a
Captain / Paramedic / Engine Boss Trainee / Wildland Coordinator for Corona De
Tucson Fire Department in Tucson Arizona. The expressions and views are those
of the author.
