A lot of trouble starts whenever someone utters the phrase "I dare you!" Anytime someone says, "I double-dog dare you," an injury likely will occur somewhere along the way. Yet, we are in a profession in which taking risk is very much a part of our way of life, and those who seem to last the longest are those who know how to take those risks very carefully and in a very calculating fashion. Going into harm's way specifically with the intention of removing whatever is causing the harm is a fairly hazardous, at times lethal, occupation. We share that mission with law enforcement and the military.
One might say that a dare is a challenge. One also might say that we in the fire service have a propensity for facing challenges. It is interesting that one of the greatest challenges that the American fire service has faced was the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. While those events have not removed completely the apathy and indifference that some people previously had toward being adequately prepared, it certainly was a wake-up call for many in our profession.
One of the more interesting things that came out of that phenomenon is a concept that is sweeping the fire service today. It is my belief that it needs to be explored and talked about openly in order to put it into perspective. What I am talking about is the concept of the "challenge coin." Many fire-service organizations, in the aftermath of 9/11, began to issue challenge coins as a way of expressing professional pride and creating something that is so solid that it virtually is impossible to destroy.
Right now, many of you reading this column are likely to have one or more challenge coins in your possession. If you have one in your pocket right now, I consider you to be an aficionado. If you have received one but have never had one to give away, then you are among those who are participating in the process but are not committed to it.
One thing we always should remember is the genesis of the challenge coin. Its history dates back to World War I. There was a group of young Americans who went to Europe to fight in aerial combat. The organization was called Lafayette Escadrille. For the most part, they were relatively wealthy individuals who in some cases paid their own way to Europe; in some cases, they may have contributed toward the purchase of their own aircraft.
One of the wealthier individuals realized that he didn't have any identification, which would be a big problem if he was shot down behind enemy lines. Therefore, he created a coin. As luck would have it, his aircraft was shot down and he was captured by French soldiers. His captors did not speak English. He did not speak French. However, he was able to show them his challenge coin — which instantly was recognized — and he was returned to his unit unharmed.
This trend of designing challenge coins for individual fire departments is an obvious extension of that sense of pride and performance. However, complying to some of the ground rules that stem from the original concept of the challenge coin is becoming increasingly difficult. In the first place, you are supposed to carry the challenge coin that relates to your organization on your person at all times. Any individual who has a shared experience with that same coin has the right to challenge you. If you cannot produce it, there is a penalty to pay.
Today, many of the challenge coins are being distributed amongst individuals not because we all are part of the same organization, but rather as recognition of a unit identifier. If I took all of the coins that I have in my possession and tried to carry them with me at one time, I most likely would need a wheelbarrow.
Symbolism in our business always has meant a lot. Going back to the days of the Crusading Knights and their first use of the Maltese Cross, continuing through its use on the uniforms and stationwear of today, and extending, perhaps, to when we put the cross on a challenge coin, the symbol is supposed to mean something. I once wrote a column entitled "A Symbol is a Promise." The symbols we embrace mean something to us, but in many ways they mean more to the outsiders who recognize them.
Therefore, the challenge coin should stand for something, too. When they are given, they stand for camaraderie. When they are received, they stand for competency. So, I dare you to be better tomorrow than you are today. I double-dog dare you to be better next year than you are this month.
As the fire service continues to emulate the military in many ways, the challenge coin can become one of the most heartfelt symbols of what we stand for in the long run. But only if we believe the symbol does stand for something.
Ronny J. Coleman has served as fire chief in Fullerton and San Clemente, Calif., and was the fire marshal of the state of California from 1992 to 1999. He is a certified fire chief and a master instructor in the California Fire Service Training and Education System.
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