Coffee Break Training (Management Science): Griping for Results

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Coffee Break Training (Management Science): Griping for Results

Learning Objective: The student shall be able to describe how to turn a gripe into a proposal.

Every day, in every fire department across the nation, firefighters share their gripes. Sometimes this is done at the coffee table, at the tailboard or in a heat-of-the-moment email to the chief. While good gripes can be cathartic, they seldom produce results. If results are desired, change your gripe into a proposal by following these four simple rules.

1. Get your stuff together (gather information). Opinions are personal and everyone has them. To get results, use pertinent and current facts. Don’t panic; you may have all the facts you need. Try brainstorming, mind mapping or outlining to bring them out.

2. What’s the point (state the main point clearly)? Decision makers are often busy. Rambling and unclear communication is often discarded. When making a proposal, be concise, clear and factual.

3. Your point of view just doesn't matter (know your audience)! Explaining your point of view, while personally satisfying, will not always help you get what you want. Greater success is achieved when you ask, “What will my reader want to know?” What are the legitimate concerns of those whom you are trying to persuade?

4. Shape it up (use a proper proposal format). When a standardized format is used, information is readily available. Organized writing is persuasive writing. Always be objective and state your case based on the facts.

While griping has its purpose and is deeply ingrained within the culture of the fire service, positive results are seldom realized when a gripe is just a gripe. Next time the urge to gripe comes upon you, try turning that gripe into a proposal that can make a difference. You may find it more satisfying.

Source: USFA Coffee Break Training (Management Science): Griping for Results (#MS-2012-2) .PDF, 345 Kb)

CFN - California Fire News 2012

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Tuesday, November 27, 2012