Firefighter Leadership

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the book "First In, Last Out" by John Salka. Salka, a FDNY battalion chief, discusses managing people, coping with crises, mentoring, decision making and adjusting to change. The paper discusses the unique aspects to leading a crew of brave men who have to face flaming infernos to rescue humans and animals. They risk their own lives, while systematically remembering the technical aspects of chemical and structural hazards and utilizing technologically advanced firefighting equipment. The paper shows the responsibility of the leadership; firefighters not only have to respect their chief as a commander, they have to trust him implicitly with their lives. The paper also looks at the International Association of Fire Chiefs Officer Development Handbook.

From the Paper:

"Others have written books on their specific type of Fire Department responsibility, that of protecting a city from the dangers of fire and other similar hazards. Like Salka, they echo the thought that, while management training and experience is universal for leaders in most management positions, there are some unique aspects to leading a crew of brave men who have to face flaming infernos to rescue humans and kittens, risking their own lives, while systematically remembering the technical aspects of chemical and structural hazards, and utilizing technologically advanced firefighting equipment."

Sample of Sources Used:

• First In, Last Out Review in Publishers Weekly, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. (2004)
• International Association of Fire Chiefs Officer Development Handbook First Edition, November 2003, Published in partnership with the IAFC Foundation, (2003), New York: International Association of Fire Chiefs, http://www.iafc.org/associations/4685/files/OffrsHdbkFINAL3.pdf (Retrieved August 20, 2006).
• Salka, John, and Neville, Barret. First In, Last Out: Leadership Lessons from the New York Fire Department (New York, Penguin Group, USA, Inc. 2004).
• Thomas M. Cunningham, Emergency Services Information Site: Leadership 101: Integrity, http://www.withthecommand.com/2002-Aug/MD-TMC-leader-integ101.html (Retrieved August 20, 2006)

More papers on Firefighter Leadership:

• Research Paper # 118459 : "Effective Educational Leadership"
• Analytical Essay # 2173 : "Post-Heroic Leadership"
• Analytical Essay # 148005 : "Continuity of Operations Plan: First Responders"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: