TEAM BUILDING BEYOND THE FIRE SCENE

摘要

It's hard to believe that in a brotherhood such as the fire service, teamwork is a problem. As the chief of a volunteer fire company in Pennsylvania, I have seen the problems firsthand. It's not so much on the fireground, where our technical training, knowledge, and skills help us to accomplish what we live for and do best: saving lives and property. We were all born to do this-it's in our blood; it's what we do. Technical training, practice, and drills are all vital parts of our profession. Yet, in nearly every fire station, factions that arise within the ranks can crush good teamwork. We have not done as good a job in addressing the human issues of "playing nice together" off the fireground. If our firefighters do not work well together in cleaning the engines, repairing equipment, or raising funds, the company is not a true team; it's just a group of people who put out fires.