NOTES FOR THE NEWLY PROMOTED CHIEF

摘要

You've Been A Chief Now For A Month. Your newly issued white helmet in the back seat is still shiny and clean, as your only responses so far have been for routine emergencies. Your pulse suddenly picks up as you are notified by radio to respond to a structural fire. The dispatcher has already received numerous phone calls with reports of children trapped on the second floor. The column of smoke is visible from a quarter-mile away. When you arrive at the scene, you observe substantial fire on the first floor that is beginning to extend into the exposed apartment building. The engine chauffeur is desperately trying to get water; both hydrants on the block are inoperative. The ladder, responding from the other side of town, has yet to be seen. Suddenly, you are in that position you have feared and have tried to prepare for. Fighting your own adrenaline, you slip on your helmet and ponder, "Where do I begin?" The transition from a company officer and leader of four or five firefighters to an incident commander and supervisor of numerous units is one of the most challenging and most difficult learning experiences in the fire service. All of your fire background will help in this process, but much of the perspective you developed as a company officer may be too myopic when compared with the overall view of a fire situation you as a chief officer must provide. Following is what I hope can be a practical guide to help ease you into your new role. It is based on the lessons I learned (and the mistakes I made) while going through this process myself.