Your department could be a shining example of excellence in your area. But really, how do you know if you are doing anything significant, or innovative, or even RIGHT if you don’t benchmark against other comparable organizations?

“Zero defects” is a pretty lofty goal, but in our business, zero defects may be the difference between life and death.

I have heard it said that the only reason a bee can fly is because it doesn’t know it shouldn’t.

We find too often that people are unwilling to accept the observations and experiences of others and instead “reinvent the wheel” regularly, wasting time and money in the process.

What constitutes the next leader of the fire service? Which qualities break someone out from the pack?

The KSAs we need to emphasize are our greater connection throughout the entire emergency services industry, how we need to get past the things that divide us and unite about things we can agree on and change.

If we really care about leaving a legacy, we should consider the culture we develop as a result of our leadership of others.

Is the message of enlightened leadership actually getting out to the leaders of our emergency services?

It’s just become a norm of our victim society that it’s okay to be self-righteous and it’s okay to go after anyone who doesn’t think like us.

If the public percieves that your service doesn’t have value, they will cut it back to where they feel it deserves to be funded, plain and simple.

The results of technology can produce wonderful results, and conversely, be misapplied and create major disaster.

The people who have worked with me for years know I want my door to be open, but it’s really just to give the impression that it’s open. It’s not.

The truly powerful are so because they have empowered others.

I’ve been really busy getting the home ready for the holidays. In the meanwhile, though, here’s an update on where and when I’ll be in your part of the world.

If this doesn’t illustrate the live-saving capability of residential sprinklers, I don’t know what else to tell you. You can dry things off after they get wet. You can’t unburn your family or your home.