An update from the Officer Section

March 9, 2020

Hello, Andrew Morris here, your section chair for the Officer Section and Captain with City of Newberry Fire Department. During my time with the Officer Section I have been amazed by what has been offered to our members. Not every fire department has the luxury of an officer development program or a mentorship program, and this is an advantage that the officer section provides company officers. One of the best forms of learning is through peer to peer education, the officer section is an easy access option for all company officers. Our Mission: Provide information, education, services, and representation to both Volunteer and Career Officers. Our Goal: Enhance company officers’ professionalism and service to community. Although the officer section is a relatively new resource, we have been able to provide many valuable teaching tools for company officers. Whether officers are looking for train the trainer, character development, or a morale booster for you or other company officers all these resources are available to members of the officer section.

This year we wanted to increase face to face opportunities for members of the officer section and provide more online resources for members that may not be able to come to our events. We had an excellent Company Level Inspection training at Clarendon County Fire by Chief Robert Pegram. This gave us an excellent option for company level inspections using a Fire Company Hazard Survey by companies performing company level preplans. This model gave a sneak peek inside Clarendon County Fire Department’s inspection program and how a department can effectively manage inspections that may overtask the Fire Marshal. This entire presentation is available at https://scfirefighters.org/officer-section/, but you must sign-up for the Officers Section https://scfirefighters.org/officer-section/            

During the Improvement Conference we were glad to bring in Captain Jonah Smith (Charlotte Fire, Engine 20 C Platoon). Jonah spoke to the heart of many issues facing a generational shift in the fire service in his presentation Leading the Modern Firefighter. Jonah is an excellent presenter and has put in the research to understand many of the reasons company officers are not connecting, gaining trust, and leading the firefighters in their charge. This presentation is also available to Officer Section members on the scfirefighter.org website under the Officer Section.             If you are looking for tactic-based development, or need a fresh training idea for your company, our Tactical Series is perfect for you. With twenty videos and counting they provide a variety of topics from company drills that can be adjusted for your department, to engine company, truck company, and rescue work.

Our Servant Leadership Series is a practical approach to true leadership. Joe Palmer brings a method to the madness of managing change, setting examples, and motivation. Sometimes, one of the best forms of development for an officer is to refocus, and the Servant Leadership Series will help you 5 minutes at a time.          

If you don’t have time in your schedule to travel to one of our face to face events or watch one of our series, you can still take full advantage of the Tailboard Sessions podcast. Assistant Chief Will Vaigneur takes you on an audible journey of leadership with topics that challenge us to stay the course, accomplish the mission, and ensure our crews are at optimal performance.

In less than two years, the Officer Section has been able to provide an outlet for company officers of all departments to reach outside their sphere of influence. The Officer Section gives every member a chance to access truly valuable skills that will help you lead. We created this section by not distracting ourselves with finding only exclusive, popular, or well-known presenters, and instead focused on practical, real world leadership skills that should be shared.            

Our fire scenes rise or fall on tactics. Without leadership, tactics fail; and without followership, leaders fail. Don’t cheat yourself out of one of the most valuable and easy to access resources available to your department. We owe it to our citizens to give them the best firefighters when they call; and we get the best firefighters by being officers that inspire, motivate, and mentor. Join the Officer Section, let’s all help each other lead better.

Andrew Morris

To sign up for the Officer Section, please complete the form at the bottom of the page in the link below. https://scfirefighters.org/officer-section/ Section membership is available to those individuals who are at the rank of Lieutenant and above and are Regular, Affiliate or Associate members of the SC State Firefighters’ Association.