Recently a game was going around offices in which employees participating in a lengthy conference call would each write down a corporate buzzword they expected to hear in the meeting. Unbeknownst to the leaders, the meeting’s participants would keep track of how often a word on the list was mentioned. The buzzword used that had the most check marks rewarded the contributor high-fives or a flavored coffee. Words like paradigm, synergy and empower were big winners in corporate-speak.

The fire service has its own share of buzzwords (although it favors acronyms even more). Last week, when we participated in the National Fallen Firefighters’ Foundation’s Line of Duty Death directives committee meeting at the Phoenix Fire Department headquarters. I realized several key words kept surfacing in our meetings to develop specific plans for reducing firefighter line-of-duty deaths. I wouldn’t call them buzzwords, but they’re words and phrases that you should (must!) listen for and pay attention to:

1. Culture – The most frequently used word. Safety must be a priority in a fire department, and if it is not, the culture of the department must change to focus on safety. The attitude that firefighters are invincible, that rules don’t apply to their shift and other excuses is injuring and killing firefighters. If firefighters won’t accept responsibility for their own safety, then the officers in charge must take responsibility, and ultimately, so should the fire chief.

2. Accountability – You join a department or a company and you become part of the food chain; everyone is responsible to someone and you will be held accountable for your actions or lack of actions.

3. Failure – This was a shocker for me. We mentioned this one last week in Command Post, but I think you will hear it more and more. When someone in the department is injured or dies, the system has failed. Close calls or near misses will be brought into focus in coming months. Failing to “bring everyone home” and failing to admit mistakes and learn from them must stop.

4. Discipline – Safety must be built into SOPs and everyone -- volunteer, career, union, EMS, firefighter, officer and fire chief – must follow them. The rules must always be enforced. Time off or some other consequence must come to bear on anyone who shirks the rules to send the message loud and clear: There is no room for irresponsible behavior in today’s emergency services.

5. Mealy-mouthed leaders – (Honest!) Actually, one southeastern fire chief said that “spineless, mealy-mouthed fire chiefs” are a barrier to enforcing rules and regulations that can and will save firefighters lives. Fire chiefs must take the responsibility to ensure that safety is a priority and repercussions follow when rules are not followed.

Generally speaking, "Be Nice,” the motto written on all Phoenix firefighters caps and T-shirts, is a great rule to live by. It improves fire department customer service everywhere down the line. But fire chiefs must sometimes make an exception when a firefighter engages in unsafe behavior – even if “nothing happened.” If it takes not “being nice” to stop a someone from repeating a mistake that could later result in an injury or death, so be it.

Janet Wilmoth, Editor