The Reason We Should Be Safe

I know all of you all are different, and each of our reasons for choosing the job are different.  However, most of us have the same reason for being safe, to go home the next day to your family.  Although some of you may be young, everyone most certainly has a certain someone, group or even pet to go home to every morning after shift, or after each call.

Sure, we don't want our Fire Department to be on Billy G's site or on Statter 911's site being picked apart by Capt. Anonymous and Firefighter Keyboard Quarterback, but I know each of you wants to make it home to your "Family" whatever that may consist of.  I have two crazy dogs, an incredible wife, and an jovial one year old that keeps my motivation to make it home everyday up.  The smiles, kisses, or slobbery kisses I get every morning when I arrive home are enough to make anyone value family and the things that it brings (Including aggrevation).  Also, my love for my family motivates me to ensure members of the crews I supervise get to have the same joy when they return home.  I certainly aim each day to ensure I don't place them in any sort of situation that would prevent that homecoming.

As some of you know, I am a Relief Captain, meaning until I have enough seniority, I sub for Officers when they are off.  This system allows me to learn alot, but it results in me working with many different crews as weeks go by.  I still attempt to ensure I instill some of my values in the crews, but they don't always take to them.

As I said above, I love going home to family in the morning.  This same love for my family will motivate me to train my crew (Once I finally get one) in a way that they take to.  Too much drilling can kill morale and not enough can kill performance, so a happy balance is the only way to go and I hope to find that when I have a permanently assigned crew.

This same love for family, makes me want to make the fire service a better place, so that all of the brothers worldwide can go home everyday.  By no means am I saying I'm God's gift to the fire service, because I am anything but.  I am only saying that deep down what motivates me is the thought of my family's greeting when I get home.  Sure who doesn't like driving fast, hearing the wail of the Q or fighting fire??? but in the same regard who doesn't love their family?  (I'm sure we can all name 1 or more firemen who claims this at the firehouse).  So, we all understand the Brotherhood of the fire service and why we need to look out for each other, but let's remember why we look out for each other........to go home after shift or after each call.

So today take the time to train for your family, not for you or your crew.  Stay engaged everyday so that you can go home and get the hug from your kids or drink that beer with your buddies.  Have a great shift and be safe out there.