Call it what you want! The power of reflection can be lifesaving and career changing. Don’t let vulnerability, shame or guilt stop you from growing.

There are many ways that emergency services departments and organizations review their actions and outcomes from training and incidents.

• Critiques
• After Action Reviews (AAR)
• Post Incident Analysis (PIA)
• Retrospectives

The ground rules or the playbook for conducting these reviews have historically been done in many ways. They can be formal or informal. Some of the best reviews that I have participated in have been at the firehouse kitchen table with a small group of brothers and sisters that were in the “Hot Zone” of a nasty incident. Some of the worst reviews that I have participated in were at the firehouse kitchen table, bashing others that were not at that same table. Yup, guilty as charged. Shame on us.

Often these reviews can be done at the company level, specific groups/shifts, by the department or all responding departments that responded to a particular incident. Proven, formal programs such as the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation “Everyone Goes Home” project are great tools to write formal policies or set the stage for positive outcomes. No policy should ever promote hostile negativity that can be destructive to responders or organizations. I have witnessed many negative sessions that were nonproductive and destructive in many ways. No leadership should ever allow this type of behavior.

I love the questions from the “Everyone Goes Home” platform;

1. What was our mission?
2. What went well?
3. What could have gone better?
4. What might we have differently?
5. Who needs to know?

What I love better than the questions are the answers. How we choose to address the answers, proves our destiny to grow, how to be better, and how to be stronger.

Be brave, take criticism. Be brave, allow vulnerability. Be brave and GROW!

everyonegoeshome.com/16-initiatives/13-psychological-support/action-review

I was very fortunate in my career to be a member of a community and a fire department that has a fire museum. Like I did for so many years, some folks look at this building full memorabilia as “cool old stuff” and nothing more than that. My sentiment for the history within our department and the physical being of that “cool old stuff” has grown into so much more through the years. Especially my years as the Fire Chief.

As we know, history tells a story. If we put all of those stories together, it reveals the culture of a department. If you are fortunate enough to have a department historian that can share accurate history, may the history of your culture be revealed.  

I find myself asking so many questions about the equipment that our department used, the apparatus that we had, the uniforms that they wore, the procedures that they used and the members that served. The list goes on!

There are so many fire department traditions that we refuse to let go of. As the old adage goes, “250 years of tradition, unimpeded by progress.” And I haven’t even mentioned the traditional style fire helmet yet… 

Think about your department. What was the reaction of the members when they switched from hand-drawn to horse drawn apparatus and horse drawn to motorized? Think about the advancements that have been made just during your time in the department. What is next?

And then computers made their way into the firehouse, laptops, iPads and cellphones. In my mind, the Palm Pilot stole my Smokey the Bear calendar! Paper logbooks and table top calendars were eaten by new software. Our members were kicking and screaming with the introduction of change. But wow, within weeks, we were acclimated to Google Calendar and digital log entries. What is next, simulation!?