I've been to plenty of meetings where we talked about some great ideas, really did some brainstorming, and afterwards, the group never implemented any of the ideas. Whether it was because of a lack of time, resources or both, a lot of wonderful collective brainpower was wasted. I'd guess this type of thing happens in every organization. The trick is to recognize it and find ways to make sure this mental energy is channeled properly.

The fire service, like many other fields, is guilty of "good on ideas, bad on follow-through." Just sitting around the station, we can generate some "outside of the box" concepts that never make it any farther than the firehouse kitchen. What a shame it is that we often don't have the budgets, resources or the wherewithal to put many of our good ideas to work.

Unfortunately, for the fire and emergency services, diversity issues often fall into that "good on ideas, bad on follow-through" category. We've been talking a lot about diversity for many years, and a lot has come from these discussions. Sometimes, however, because diversity isn't necessarily a concept that comes easily, we forget to walk our talk.

So just what kinds of things can we do to stop talking about diversity and start making it happen? Here are just a few ideas:

Say what you mean and mean what you say. I'm not a "sir," nor will I ever be, yet for some strange reason, even in today's diverse work force, I keep getting letters, usually at least one a week, addressed to "Dear sir" or "Dear sirs." Why does this still happen? The American work force is nearly 50-50 in terms of men and women. Why would someone address a letter knowing they have a 50% chance of getting it wrong?

While this may seem like a small example, it's indicative of a larger problem. Words and language are what we communicate with every day, so they're of monumental importance. Haven't you ever gotten into an argument with another person and had them tell you "But you said ...," and they went on to tell you the things you stated in an earlier conversation? You probably told them, "But I didn't mean it that way." It just goes to show that other people interpret your words as what you mean. That's why it's always good to think about what you say or write before you say or send it.

What does this mean in terms of diversity? It means, among other things, that it isn't always "Dear sir," that the people riding our fire trucks aren't always "firemen," and that there are proper and improper terms for people of another culture or group. It means that when we write letters and talk to other people about the fire service, we need to use words that indicate reality and not just tradition. It means that some jokes might not be funny and that some statements, although they mean no harm, are unwelcome.

Keep the next generation in mind. The best reason to ensure gender neutrality in what we say and write is to benefit our younger generation. Children interpret words just as literally as adults do, often more so, and young girls can often be dissuaded from considering professions and career goals simply because they're led to believe they're unwelcome.

As a child, I believed for many years that police officers were always male, because I'd only ever heard the term "policeman." I don't know how many times I've seen a young girl tug on her parent's arm and say, "Look! A girl is driving the fire truck!" Creating a positive environment for children is everyone's responsibility.

Think about your words before you say them, and make sure they reflect the fire service's diversity. If someone else uses terminology that isn't adequate, gently remind them. Set a positive example with your language. Most importantly, always remember that to a large extent words create our environment. Make sure the environment you create for our children is a tolerant one.

Remember that diversity doesn't have to be difficult. All too often, fire and emergency service providers are anxious about diversity, almost as if frightened by it. I just talked about language and its relationship to diversity, but many fire and emergency service people get nervous with this kind of discussion. They mistakenly believe they have to tiptoe around one another, worried they might say the wrong thing.

It shouldn't be like that at all. Diversity is a very common-sense issue. Think about what you're saying or writing while putting yourself in the other person's shoes. If you're really unsure about what's acceptable, ask the other person. Don't let diversity scare you, let it guide you.

Be sure your personnel understand diversity. For many people, diversity doesn't come naturally, so fire and emergency service leaders need to help their people understand diversity and what it means to the department and the community. We can't just commit our departments to the notion of diversity without explaining our intent.

Ask yourself:

* Have your personnel or volunteers been trained on diversity?

* Is there a mechanism for continually educating your people on diversity issues?

* Are you training your personnel or volunteers proactively or reactively?

* Are you setting a good example for your department?

* Are you letting your personnel or volunteers get involved in diversity and diversity training?

Educating your department on diversity is a critical step in achieving success, and maintaining that education is equally important. Working together with your department on diversity will be much better received than ordering them to follow a concept that's frequently misunderstood.

Try to see diversity in its widest sense. For the fire service, diversity has always meant cultural and gender issues. I'd like to suggest that rather than focusing on only those issues, we should be striving for total diversity. The fire service has several areas in which tolerance or diversity is becoming more and more important.

For example, with the steadily increasing number of ems calls we run, perhaps we've been too focused on terms like "fire service" or "fire department." Maybe we don't view our ems providers in the same light that we do our firefighters. It's certainly a break in tradition, but one we may soon face on a larger scale. And what about career providers versus volunteers? Isn't that also an issue of diversity?

Even outside the fire and emergency services, in our communities, diversity is a larger concept. It includes the typical cultural and gender issues, but also age, religious affiliation and even physical appearance. Diversity is an evolving concept, and we need to be flexible to accommodate changes in our society and our work force.

While this may be a somewhat radical notion, I think that by striving for total diversity from the beginning, we might solve some of the issues that would otherwise cross our paths in the future. Also, by becoming more accepting and tolerant of differences within the fire and emergency services, we become stronger and more powerful.

People have been saying that "You are what you eat" for ages. While this is still up for debate, I would suggest that "You are what you say" and "You are what you do." These two quasi-cliches are simple, yet critical, advice for organizations that want to achieve their goals.

Diversity may be a challenge, but it's a challenge worth taking. A little common sense and a little brainpower is all you need to make it work. The fire and emergency service is full of creative people with great ideas. Let's make this great idea work.