As volunteer firefighters, your clients often interact with a variety of ranks, including Battalion Chiefs. Due to this, running the department can be challenging, and at times, intimidating. However, functional leadership and a professional attitude can mean the difference between successful leadership and a failing one. Therefore, in addition to obtaining a Volunteer Firefighter Insurance program, heed the following advice for effective leadership tactics.
#1: Consistency and follow-through.
Consistency means administrative or operational policy is set out and followed. It also requires us to handle personnel issues consistently and with fairness. Showing the members of the department that we are consistent in how we handle the routine tasks shows them that we are equally reliable in the not-so-routine tasks, says Firefighter Tool Box. Set an example the for the rest of the crew and follow up with tasks promptly.
#2: Communication.
This goes for relaying important information and issuing orders and communicating decisions. Further, set clear expectations and communicate regularly on performance, questions, upcoming events, etc. Communicate daily so that the crew understands their voices and opinions are heard and valued.
#3: Be supportive.
As leaders in the volunteer fire service we have the unique challenge of managing our community of volunteers to do a job most people would never consider doing. We ask them to leave family functions, make training, and run calls at all hours of the day and night. Even if we are being consistent and are communicating, if we don’t show our members that leadership supports them we will lose the battle in the end, says the article. Show appreciation to the team and demonstrate their value. Be thankful and acknowledge their efforts and hard work.
About Provident Fire Plus
At Provident Fire Plus, we offer custom tailored packages to best protect firefighters. We understand the risks that emergency response teams are subjected to on a daily basis, and have worked to serve these dedicated professionals for over 87 years. For more information about our products and policies, we invite you to contact our experts today at (855) 201-8880.