In Response to "Stand Down for Safety" by Janet Wilmoth, published in Command Post on May 27, 2005:

I just completed reading your latest Command Post about the Safety Stand-Down. I thought you might be interested in a point of view not mentioned in your article.

Fire departments thrive on individual effort. Everyone operates as a team, in that fire-ground attack methods are followed to ensure on-scene control is in effect. Specific tactics are dictated by the on-scene commander and everyone does their job based on these dictates.

Every firefighter that grabs the rail on a pumper out the door is vividly, intensely, aware of the dangers associated with climbing aboard the truck. If the fire is fully ventilated, each firefighter can see the action before they arrive at the scene. I agree that safety should taught daily and tactics reviewed to ensure all that can be done, is done, at each fire scene.

However, the worth of the firefighter is personal initiative; personal assessment of the immediate situation; making the most informed judgment call available at the very moment of direct action. These are the men and women that are most prized in the fire services; the most revered; the most maligned; the most lost. These are the men and women that receive the highest awards from their respective departments for bravery and courage. Many classify them as heroes.

Know this, Janet, the difference between bravery and unsafe behavior is success.

Unsigned