On a summer night in 1986, I experienced an event that shaped the foundation of what Forward Looking Solutions is all about.
At the age of twenty, having served as a volunteer fire-fighter for just under two years, and already achieving the rank of Captain, I experience a leadership role that will remain in my mind forever.
We were called to attend a dormitory fire at a private school, and when I arrived at the hall, I discovered that due to regular work commitments of our Chief and Deputy, I would be in charge of this incident.
A big part of the job of a firefighter is Contingency Planning; we were familiar with most commercial establishments, and knew where our closest water source was for each address in our area, including inspecting and flushing regularly. We also knew which of our neighbouring departments to call for assistance depending on location.
Two things ran through my mind as I stepped into the command seat of the first truck, and no, one of these was not ‘this is beyond my capability’: the first thought, without having even seen a glow let alone the building, was this was going to be big; and the second, we were going to need help!
Before our back tires cleared the bay doors, I had already instructed the dispatcher to call a neighbouring department for assistance.
As we approached the entrance to the school property, still without seeing as much as a glow, my intuition continued to tell me we were in trouble, therefore ordered what we called a double hydrant jump; this is two large diameter fire hydrant supply lines running along the road from the hydrant to the truck. Normally, we only have to lay one line. We then proceeded down the hill with the hose stringing out behind us.
As we came to the final crest, that was when I saw it, and I was right... this was going to be a long night!
The entire second floor of the dormitory was engaged in fire, and I knew our normal 1 1/2” pre-connected attack line was going to cut it. Dawned in Full gear and air-packs, myself and two others charged up the outside stairs with our 2 1/2” hose and nozzle, entered the building, and began our battle!
Moments later the Chief arrived, and soon after the neighbouring department.
The following week the Provincial Fire investigator commended us on how quickly we took the fire down; he could apparently tell by analyzing certain factors in the charred remains.
That night was a transition for me, but this was far from a perfect display of leadership on my part. To start with, I was the Incident Commander, and had no business entering the building, as my job was to remain outside in Command until the Chief relieved me. Second, when my low air alarm went off, I retreated without my two men, and got turned around entering a room versus exiting the door we came in. This is when I learned the Chief arrived... he heard me in the room and stepped in and retreaved me; thankfully it was the first room just inside the door we entered.
Now is when I get to use the young age and lack of experience as an excuse for my errors, but I only have this luxury as my companions retreated behind me, and none of us were hurt. Had anything happened to them, I would have been responsible, and would have lived with this for the rest of my life.
At Forward Looking Solutions, we believe the key to success is to look forward, envision opportunities, anticipate challenges, and develop strategies to ensure goals are achieved. When the fire happens, we will have a hydrant, know where it is, and that it works, use the right size hose, and not be too proud to ask for help!
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