Captain
Captains are the designated supervisor, station manager, and formal leader. Embedded in stations, they have the single most significant influence over organizational performance and behaviors, of the most valuable asset: our people. Essential is understanding the obligations of all Captains:
MANAGER: Follows a “plan.” Ensures crews achieve department goals. Remain present to ensure that results are produced efficiently, safely, and effectively. i.e. Apparatus checkouts, equipment checks, risk reduction, station supplies, and operation.
LEADER: Models for fair and ethical behavior. Uses inclusive, truthful, and effective oral and written communication. Projects confidence and develops an inclusive team environment.
SUPERVISOR: Monitoring, measuring, or simply overseeing the behavior, activities, and performance of your subordinates. Handle personnel conflicts, delinquency, participation in firehouse duties, and other company-level issues.
SIMULATIONS & REVIEWS
REVIEW GAME DAY
If you never critique game day performance, you will never improve. Use the power of video, the talent of conversation, and infuse humility.
KNOW Simple, Complicated, Complex or CHAOS
Effective leadership involves developing the ability to evaluate the context of situations, act accordingly, recognize when action is ineffective or overshooting and how to correct.
Line between Influencer & Subject Mater Expert is blurry: Go to the root: FSRI 20 Tactical Considerations, NIOSH 5 , NIST Strategic 6, even Cal OSHA and NFPA. KNOWLEDGE is power and what every Officer must acquire, refresh, and occasionally retire outdated/no longer adequately addressing to in build current and actionable.
Training Tool - INCIDENT PRIORITIZATION
Layman, Kastros, Brunancini's, Abbot, NIST, NIOSH - All continue to strive to help us. As an IC we must develop realistic and effective heuristics then actively work to reduce cognitive bias. Simply saying 'Rescue, Incident Stabilization, Property' does not cut it. Learn priorities.
STATION/PERSONNEL PRIORITIZING
Effective prioritization is essential for a Company Officer to ensure focus on tasks, performance, and behaviors remain aligned with goals, values, mission and vision of the organization. Being able to articulate if there is urgency, define the importance and or understand the impact of each issue is essential to informed decision making as a Company Officer.