Be Different

By John M. Buckman III

Is this the time for the fire and EMS organizations to be different? Can we reimagine our future? What are the challenges we have today that require innovation and creativity?

Now is not the time to accept the status quo. “No”, should not be an acceptable answer from those who control the future of their community and public safety. They don’t have to say “yes” the first time. If we are going to be ready for the future we are going to need to be different. We have not done a very good job of marketing the economic impact of fire. Lives lost is just one piece of data. What is the cost in loss of tax revenue when a property burns? What is the tax impact when the structure is rebuilt? How many jobs are created as a result of the fire? What is the impact on the insurance companies if there are less claims? When or if the tax income from that property will be restored.

What is the value of fire prevention? Hard to quantify “a fire prevented is a life loss prevented resulting in less property damage.” We offer something people need and many of them need us often. We provide great product in our diverse services.

I believe we can reimagine the future.

Everyone has access to our services 24 hours per day. We most often respond in less than 10 minutes to a request for services. Before we go outside our organization, we have to ask the question, are we ready to change? Who among us will become the visionary with an entrepreneurial spirit? If we are satisfied with the status quo, then so be it. I don’t think so. I believe we can reimagine the future.

We are a monopoly. There is very little competition from another organization to deliver our level of service. That is not a valid reason to not think about the future. There is competition from other public agencies.

If we were a business with competition what would we change to remain competitive? What could we do to develop a better service delivery model? Entrepreneurial thinking has changed the world. They are innovators and problem solvers.

We need leaders who have an entrepreneurial mindset. The Christian Science Monitor says that thoughts can be spawned and acted upon in less than 150 milliseconds. What is the key to marketing in today’s environment? Be different. I propose the first thing we would need to do would be to market all of our services. What are those services that we provide that bring value to our cost? Our mission to market isn’t just about the value of our services. It is about the organization as a whole and all the parts that make our community a better place to live and work. And if our community is a better place, our customers are safer and in less danger of catastrophic events happening to them.

Write down the top 10 services that we provide. At least five of those services have to be in our non-emergency role. Be specific. Now tell me how those services could be improved? How much effort do we put into the non-emergency roles? What would be the outcome if we improve services? Are those outcomes clearly measurable? When you start a new idea, you have to create the rubric.

Our own fear of standing out is the number one reason why we struggle to get out of the status quo.

Trying new ideas will not always be successful. Some ideas will fail. We have to experiment with our current organizational operations model. I believe we have to change and experiment with new ideas, methods, processes, procedures, vision. We can experiment through trial and error. There is that word that creates fear … “error.” Some ideas are not worth pursuing.

You will have to be aware that some ideas will just spin the wheels and not gain traction. Also, when an idea is being tried but not working – “declare a dead horse.” Move on to something else.

Leaders have a fear of being different. They are fearful of the attention being different can bring to them. What if they are proposing something that no one else has ever thought about? What is the idea is just weird? What if the idea makes people squirm in their seat? Our own fear of standing out is the number one reason why we struggle to get out of the status quo.

We want to look as good as others, so we act like others. We need ideas that make us feel uncomfortable or even threatened because change is necessary. The problem is that leaders have focused on fitting in. Imagine you are in a group of 10 people and they are all dressed identically. How could you spot the one individual who is different? You couldn’t identify the one individual that is different unless you know something about one of them that makes them different. Now imagine that one of the group turns their shirt around and is wearing it backwards.

Could you spot the difference? That is what marketing today requires – stand out from the crowd to show you are different and have something else to offer. The world is not better or worse, it is just different.

Different is where you stand out in an instant. If we are to reimagine our future, we are going to have to be different. The leadership needs to be a little less humble and first accept the public’s gratitude when they give it. Don’t say I was just doing “my job.” They know you were doing your job, but they want to show some appreciation to you so don’t blow off their appreciation by saying I was just doing my job. Say thank you. Say I appreciate your recognition. Be polite in all of our dealing with the public. That person who has called for EMS assistance today is someone’s mother or father and they believe they need help.

We need ideas that make us feel uncomfortable or even threatened because change is necessary.

You took an oath of office when you were hired or promoted. As part of that oath somewhere in there it asked you or stated that you serve the members of the community by doing your best at all times in their service. Saying the words in an oath is not enough. You have to live the words that are in that oath.

It is time to do something that is bold and audacious. If you aren’t willing to challenge the rules, you will also be stuck in a safe place.

Leadership is not a game of hide and seek. Leadership has a duty to be noticed. Our decisions have to be obvious and noticeable. Leadership must get off the bench and out of the dugout. My dad had me read a book called I Dare You when I was about 18 years old. As like most kids, I half-assed it. Then like 20 years later, I realized that I had missed several things from that book that could help me to make a difference in my quest. I found a copy at the library and today I have it digitally on my iPad. I encourage all of you to find that book and study it. Make notes and accept at least two action items as a result of reading that book. Write down what you are going to do. These two actions items become “urgent and important.” These two action items become a high priority to complete.

Our mission is bigger than your fear. Leaders have to be courageous to meet the needs of our community in the near term and the distant future. I dare you to step up and stand out. I dare you to be different. Your community is depending upon you.

Chief John M. Buckman III has served the German Township Volunteer Fire Department for 37 years and was Director of the fire and public safety academy for the Indiana State Fire Marshal Office for 15 years. He serves on the Executive Advisory Board for FDIC. He served as President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), member of the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Task Force and America Burning Revisited. Buckman is the Director of Government and Regional Outreach for iamresponding.com. He has presented in all 50 states and each province in Canada.