Our department is probably similar to most with about the top 20 per cent of staff in the boomer category (born between 1943 and 1960). The rest are split about 60 per cent generation X and 20 per cent Y (or Why?) generation. 

During this class discussion, another officer with similar tenure recalled how one of his younger guys helped him with an Excel spread sheet that automatically filled in and cross referenced information for his shift’s vacation schedule but this young firefighter didn’t know how to start a chainsaw because he didn’t know what the choke was for. Capt. Boomer expressed disbelief at his rookie’s inability to start the saw but I assume the rookie felt the same about his captain when it came to using Excel. 

This is just one stereotypical example of the differences between Capt. Boomer and his 20-something firefighters. A paramedic friend was telling me how his new 26-year-old partner was driving him nuts because he was always asking why things are  done a certain way. I had a similar experience. Firefighter Y came to me asking for my car keys so he could do the vehicle check on Tuesday afternoon. He was gone for about 10 minutes. When he returned my keys he informed me that I was almost out of washer fluid and, with a smile, turned and walked out of the office. I sat there sort of stunned, smiling back at him until it sunk in. He was the same young guy who checked the SCBA bottles that morning during truck inventory checks. His job was to check my vehicle and that is exactly what he did. I sat in on this kid’s interview when he applied for the job and he was outstanding. He isn’t dumb but he is one of those Y generation types and these kind of responses maybe more widespread than we think.

I asked a group of senior firefighters and officers recently how they would describe the Y generation firefighter. They responded with: “They’re lazy”; “They don’t know nothing”; and “You have to tell them how to do everything and why”. So, I asked them to compare the pros and cons of the veteran boomer to the rookie Y and this is what they came up with:

Veteran boomer                                      Rookie Y

Pros:                                                           Pros:

Experienced (job and life)                         Enthusiastic

Team oriented                                           Open book/ blank page

Service oriented                                        Techno savvy

Cons:                                                          Cons:

Set in their ways                                       Limited knowledge

Less willing to learn new methods            Assume they know more than  they really do.                                        

So what is the fix to get Capt. Boomer and firefighter Y on the same page philosophically and operationally? Maybe there is no “fix”, rather we can work toward better intergenerational relations by attempting to understand what makes the other generation tick. Let’s look at some of the life influences that have helped to make both generations what they are.

Expectations

Boomers expect to work very hard to get ahead. They were new-home buyers as young couples with 18-per-cent mortgage rates. They invented the 60-hour work week.

Ys expect to be rewarded. They expect their boss or employer to constantly show appreciation. They expect to be led well and have little tolerance for incompetence. They expect to be accurately informed at all times.

Influences

Boomers were primarily influenced in their limited exposure to the beliefs and opinions of their parents and co-workers whereas the Y generation has a wide spectrum of influences.

The Ys watched MTV featuring young men who are successful with money, women and cars.

Boomers borrowed money to buy a home or the family car; Ys borrow their disposable income.

Heros

When boomers grew up they had favourites like Keon and Cournoyer and their teams were the Maple Leafs or the Canadiens. Remember when Bobby Orr went to Chicago in the mid 70s and when Gretzky was traded to L.A? Canada lost the best player to ever play the game to an American team.

Professional sports heroes now seem to go where the money is. Now the admiration is primarily for the individual and the personal records they hold rather than for team. 

Education styles

Capt. Boomer was lectured to and he was expected to memorize formulas and times tables. He may have received corporal punishment if he failed to do so or if he talked in class.

Firefighter Y, on the other hand, has a options for learning from public school, home school, Waldorf, Montessori, church-affiliated schooling or private schooling. Many of these were around when boomer went to school but Y has more exposure to the options. When firefighter Y went to school, his teacher was more of a guiding facilitator than an authority figure and he was expected to debate the subject rather than being told what to think.

Home life 

Boomer was expected to be seen but not heard. He listened to dad simply because he was dad and if he didn’t he was going to get “it”. Boomer’s mom stayed home and maintained the house and when Boomer and his siblings got home from school Boomer did chores through which he learned how to start the lawnmower or chainsaw (and what the choke actually did).

Today, more mothers work outside the home, the weekend is family time and we are more interested in entertaining ourselves as a family unit than maintaining our yards and homes when not at our jobs. We sometimes hire these jobs out and maybe because of this, young people are less apt to learn a lot of the hands-on chores/ skills that Boomer did as a youngster. Boomer was excited about his birthday because mom made a special afternoon out of it with a cake and some backyard games for his friends. Y’s mom might drop $100 on laser tag for Y and his buddies.

Career advancement

Boomers are loyal to their departments and they accept the fact that they must put their time in before advancement.

My generation (the Xers) may feel they need to leave their fire department to pursue career advancement and the Ys may leave the fire service for other career challenges. Don’t be surprised when this happens. 

So, what’s the secret? Sorry to lead you through all this only to find that I don’t have the magic formula. I’m thankful for Boomer and his generation because on our job, they’re the ones who get things done. They take on the extra projects that make the difference whether it’s building a room to store old bunker gear or teach the newbie how to march. In a lot of ways the new members of today are better, smarter, stronger and faster. They’re better prepared for the street out of boot camp because boomers are usually the ones who train them, but they do lack one thing and its something unique to emergency services. We exist in a paramilitary structure with rank and chain of command. Our duties are in some ways primitive – we put out fire and help people who are sick and injured and we protect our neighbour’s homes and property from disaster. Boomer must teach Y about the paramilitary service we’re in, its history, how we rely on each other as a team and that the chain of command is how we must operate. The work can be tough and great things are expected of Y, on and off duty. Capt. Boomer has to come to grips with the fact that Y has different motivations, goals and expectations. Capt. Boomer needs to listen to the young people – they have good ideas.  If Y asks why Boomer is so anal about how the preconnects are loaded, Boomer needs explain why, so that everyone on every shift in every fire station knows exactly how the hose will deploy in an emergency. If Y has a better idea for loading the hose, Boomer needs to get his crew to try it and, if it works better, then Boomer (as the officer) needs  to talk to somebody to make it happen and improve the way business is done. Firefighter Y will respect Capt. Boomer more for his willingness to listen to his opinion and push a good idea up the chain. 

Capt. Boomer has his work cut out for him when trying to understand firefighter Y at times, so communicating ideas and expectations is a good place to start.  Firefighter Y will appreciate and want to follow an officer who takes time to explain what is expected, show how to do things, to be kept in the loop on what’s going on and for Boomer to give him feedback on how he’s doing once in a while.