As a young person growing up, what are the hard things that you faced? The SATs? Getting your driver’s license? Making that first phone call to someone who you had a crush on? All these things come with emotional struggles that could be crippling without the proper preparation. Why is it any different for a young volunteer firefighter aspiring to be a fire officer? There are issues such as stress, emotions, unfamiliar ground, and many others that can deter the young volunteer firefighter from becoming a fire officer.
In today’s fire service, it is apparent through personal experience, attending training, and being involved in the service that the face of leadership is going from gruff mustaches to baby faced young blood. Why is this happening? Are we having high turnover rates? Are senior members not as intrigued about being an officer anymore? Do they have the “I’ve been there, done that, don’t need to do it again” attitude? The possibilities are endless. Whatever the answer is, this is not specific to any one fire department and likely is affecting volunteer fire departments throughout the nation. Read More…