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Leadership
Fire IQ: January 2012
I have experienced several highrise fires in my career, and I have never worried much about them.
Leadership Forum: November 2011
Many of our columns have attempted to offer sage advice on topics such as building partnerships, creating a positive culture within your organization and leading by example.
Guest column: November 2011
The Canadian military and the fire service share a proud history dating back to the First World War.
Cornerstone: November 2011
While getting ready for my new position with Waterloo Fire Rescue in Ontario, I received a timely bit of advice from a friend who recommended that I read a couple of books to help with my transition.
Comment: November 2011
I was trying to come up with an anecdote to illustrate the fact that the fire service is not going to convince Ottawa it needs federal support until MPs have a clearer picture of the country’s departments:
Leadership Forum: September 2011
It’s hard to believe 10 years have passed since the World Trade Center was attacked, killing about 3,000 people, including 343 of our brothers and sisters in the fire service. No one was prepared to deal with a situation of this magnitude.
From the hip: September 2011
The 2011 federal election is now history. Many were surprised by the outcome; however, regardless of the result, now is the time to follow up with those elected to ensure they live up to the promises in their stump speeches to assist fire, search-and-rescue and emergency-management services.
Flashpoint: May 2011
In August 1995, Bill Manning, the editor of Fire Engineering magazine in the United States, took a big risk.
From the hip: May 2011
Colleagues, it’s time for some serious reflection and straight talk. We need to discuss the sad state of affairs related to public life-safety and emergency management services at all levels of government.
Leadership Forum: May 2011
Our last few columns have focused on reframing your future, promoting a positive culture and building relationships in your fire departments. These concepts are critical because they help to identify strengths, weaknesses and responsibilities regarding people, management and succession planning.
Straight Talk: May 2011
As I sat on Family Day considering a topic for this column, my mind wandered to my father. My dad, Ken Beckett, the fire chief in East Gwillimbury, Ont. (a town about 60 kilometres north of Toronto), is being recognized for 50 years in the fire service.
Fire IQ: April 2011
Mayday, mayday, mayday. No one, especially a busy incident commander in the midst of managing an already difficult operation, wants to hear these words broadcast over the emergency ground channel.
Spontaneous Combustion: April 2011
It’s time to say a prayer to St. Jude. You’ve heard of him, haven’t you? He’s the patron saint of lost causes.
Fire IQ: January 2011
In the inherently risky business of fire fighting, we must commit to taking every step possible to ensure the safety and survival of our members.
Spontaneous Combustion: January 2011
I trudged along the icy sidewalk, shielding my face with a mittened hand. My free arm clutched five boxes of chocolates, which I was required to sell to someone – anyone. A hostile wind whistled down the street and stabbed at my clothes as if to say, “Go back! Your mission is futile!” Door-to-door salesmanship was an impossible enterprise to my eight-year-old mind. My best efforts had produced nothing more than a street full of closed doors.
Leadership Forum: December 2010
This final instalment of our three-part series on department relationships is a no-holds-barred column, which we hope will challenge fire officers to do the right thing. We know that attitudes make a difference in a fire department, and can either build the department’s strength or destroy its morale and reputations.
Volunteer Vision: December 2010
I am thrilled to contribute to a column that has been a staple of Fire Fighting in Canada. Please indulge me as I take a few lines to express my sincere pride in the volunteer fire service here in Newfoundland and Labrador. Hundreds of firefighters did an admirable job during Hurricane Igor, which ravaged the northeast and southern parts of Newfoundland on Sept. 21.
Leadership Forum: November 2010
In September we identified the role of vertical and horizontal relationships and how these relationships impact your department. Noted author Stephen Covey states, “The most important ingredient we put into any relationship is not what we say or what we do, but what we are.
Straight Talk: November 2010
Is the Canadian fire service so fragmented that we are unable to make the changes we need? The consensus seems to be yes, the fire service is divided, with multiple stakeholders singing from different and sometimes conflicting song sheets.
Volunteer Vision: November 2010
It’s sometimes beyond belief – amazing, in fact – that some Canadian fire chiefs are being questioned for their validity.
Volunteer Vision: September 2010
It’s been two years since I began writing this column and now it’s time for me to pass the pen or keyboard on to another writer. Writing for Fire Fighting in Canada has been a humbling and wonderful experience.
Leadership Forum: September 2010
We have written about reframing your future and creating a positive culture in your department. In this first column of a three-part series, we will discuss how all members are responsible for the growth or decay of the department.
Straight Talk: August 2010
Sprinklers save lives. Why then, in Ontario, is there resistance to legislating sprinklers in certain buildings?
Volunteer Vision: August 2010
Having what you need, when you need it: whether you’re cooking dinner or running a business and, most certainly, at a fire scene, this phrase holds true.
Between Alarms July 2010
For years, many fire departments have opted to provide emergency medical services in conjunction with traditional fire/rescue responsibilities. Some jurisdictions also incorporate other roles into their members’ repertoires: technical (high angle) rope rescue; hazardous materials/dangerous goods response; vehicle extrication; general training; confined space entry/rescue; fire investigation/inspection; fire prevention; water (swift/slow) rescue; airport fire fighting; industrial emergency response; and even public education.
Volunteer Vision: June 2010
Times they are a-changin’ and the fire service is going to have to find other ways to deliver services. The federal government is set to reduce funding to the provincial governments, which, in turn, will reduce funding to municipal governments and you know what that means – reduced fire department budgets.
Leadership Forum: June 2010
Fire, rescue and emergency management (EM) services should be separate and stand-alone organizations. At least, that’s what I once thought – and I defended that view with great vigour.
Cornerstone: June 2010
Good fire service leaders inspire and share their knowledge with others. And they never lose sight of their two main responsibilities – to their people and their organizations.
Straight Talk: May 2010
In February, I discussed the disciplined art of lobbying. This type of lobbying is a continuing learning process for me and my colleagues on the board of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs.
Leadership Forum: May 2010
In our March column we talked about reframing your organization’s future through hiring the right people and then supporting them.
Volunteer Vision: May 2010
It has often been said that the size and extent of any emergency is equal to the number of satellite news trucks in the parking lot the next day.
Fire IQ: April 2010
I ’ve had the good fortune to work with fire service leaders, chiefs and company officers who inspired and challenged me to be the best firefighter and company officer I could be.
Volunteer Vision: March 2010
Our condolences to the community of Point Edward, Ont., in the recent loss of volunteer firefighter Gary Kendall during an ice rescue training exercise.
Leadership Forum: March 2010
It is with enthusiasm and great anticipation that we co-write this column. Our friendship and journey into the challenges of leadership in the fire service began several years ago when we were classmates in the Lakeland College bachelor of business in emergency services program.
Straight Talk: February 2010
Lobbying, according to the Webster’s dictionary, means conducting activities aimed at influencing public officials, and especially members of a legislative body, on legislation.
Volunteer Vision: February 2010
You’ve no doubt heard people say that we should all be marketing our fire departments, but what does that entail? Are we all supposed to set up social networking accounts and keep interested followers up on everything we do?
Leadership Forum: February 2010
Do you need help to survive and thrive as a leader? I do, even after 33 years of service. Fortunately, there are many leadership development programs and tools on the market and I’d like to tell you about a type of leadership mentoring that has worked for me.
Fire IQ: January 2010
Although it’s great for our customers, the inevitable decline in the number of working fires due to advances in building and fire codes, fire prevention initiatives and even residential sprinklers, in some jurisdictions, means that most of us can’t treat any of our fires as routine.
Volunteer Vision: December 2009
I need to start with an apology to all “big” volunteer/composite fire departments. In my bio at the end of this column, I wanted to emphasize that the Municipality of Centre Wellington, with a population of almost 29,000, is protected by an all-volunteer firefighting force. I believe this to be in the top 10 to 20 per cent of volunteer departments responsible for a population of that size
Cornerstone: December 2009
I recently returned from the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs’ conference in Winnipeg. The theme of the conference was Passing the Torch and my friend Les Karpluk, fire chief of Prince Albert, Sask., and I spoke about supporting your people.
Cornerstone: November 2009
In my office at fire headquarters, I have an inspirational poster on leadership that says leaders stand out by the nature of their commitment and the integrity of their character. I believe in this axiom, because anyone can be a leader when all is going well; it is how we present ourselves in times of adversity that demonstrates what types of people we are and how we deal with the highs and lows in our lives.
Volunteer Vision: September 2009
I get it: firefighters love their bunker gear, and by bunker gear I mean structural firefighting coat and pants. We wear it to everything – medical alarms, C/O alarms, motor vehicle accidents and, of course, fires, for which it is designed.
Cornerstone: September 2009
Thanks to two readers for recommending QBQ! – The Question Behind the Question, by John G. Miller and Managing in Times of Change by Michael Maginn. In QBQ! Miller discusses the fact that before we can embrace change we need to become accountable for our actions.
Leadership Forum: September 2009
Some advice for today’s leaders: don’t you dare attempt to think or even lead from outside the box unless you are willing to put your career on the line. Now that I have your attention, I should clarify that those harsh words are meant somewhat tongue in cheek. However, I assure you the element of risk in becoming an effective leader is based on real life observations.
Cornerstone: August 2009
Networking and sharing is alive and well. Over the past couple of years, I have had the pleasure of speaking on leadership and change management at several conferences and seminars, and I have been thrilled to hear that my columns have struck a chord with many brothers and sisters in the fire service.
Leadership Forum: August 2009
How can people improve if they don’t know what they don’t know? Good leadership requires that individuals be aware of who they are (inward reflection) and what improvement is needed. Self-improvement is generally accomplished through informal development opportunities such as interaction with colleagues and participation in conferences but participation in formal education programs plays a significant role too.
Volunteer Vision: August 2009
Here are my thoughts on Bill 221 in Ontario. My simplified explanation of the presumptive legislation issue is this: If you are a full-time firefighter and you contract one of the following cancers – brain, bladder, kidney, colorectal, ureter, esophageal, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – or if you have had certain types of leukemia in the last 10 to 25 years or a heart injury within 24 hours of a call or training, it is presumed these diseases or conditions are work related and you or your family will receive benefits. I think this is a very good thing.
Cornerstone: Confronting the demons of public speaking
Recent studies have confirmed that most of us would rather get root canal work at the dentist than speak in public. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to small and large groups on different topics and it never ceases to amaze me how excited I am to talk about my topic but how nervous I can be about giving the presentation. Everyone who goes to hear a presentation does so to learn and even to support the speaker. So why, if everyone is there to support the presentation, do most of us get so nervous?
Volunteer Vision: Platooning – a wild and crazy idea
Perhaps it’s about money or community; or it could be that people just don’t like change. |