SEPTEMBER 2026
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RATIONAL DECISION MAKING / 32 MORE THAN JUST TICKING BOXES / 40 HOW WE HIRE FIREFIGHTERS / 50
BETTER OFFICERS
Prioritizing life safety through officer development
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12
SEPTEMBER 2026 firefightingincanada.com
FEATURES
12.
BUILDING BETTER OFFICERS Prioritizing life safety through officer development
By Chris Davison-Vanderburg
20.THE MISSING PIECE
Why the fire service needs a common operating picture
By Dave Robertson
32.RATIONAL DECISION MAKING The case for rational versus common sense decision-making
By Dallas D’Aoust
40.
MORE THAN JUST TICKING BOXES The tangible and intangible benefits of training
38
By Kyle Doerksen
50.
COVER PHOTO OWEN PERGANT/OTTAWA FIRE PHOTOGRAPHY
HOW WE HIRE FIREFIGHTERS
Our current application process is not set up for success By Shawn Schutten
COLUMNS
4. COMMENT By Laura Aiken
10. LEADERSHIP
31. COMMUNITY
6. STATION TO
RISK Lorianne Zwicker
STATION
38. TRAINER’S
FORUM By Karen Fry
36. MY TWO CENTS Corey Brooks
CORNER By Ed Brouwer
18. GUEST COLUMN
54. VOLUNTEER
44. TECH TALK
By Arjuna George
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September 2026 FIREFightingInCanada.com 3
COMMENT
Decisions, decisions On the fire ground, the incident commander is viewed as the origin of control, making decisions from an inner command centre experienced singularly as the self. But brain science complicates that picture and the complex way we make decisions. It’s estimated we have about 86 billion neurons in our cauliflower-sized brains. That’s an outrageously complicated structure to break down, and thus it makes sense that neuroscience and philosophy are in debate about how this sense of commander self is constructed and executes decisions. Is the “self” an illusion of coherence or a commander created by the brain itself? This first-person subjective experience we all have is simply not a settled matter in science as to what exactly it is, a fact that matters to those making critical decisions. In thinking about being a good decision maker, it’s helpful to reflect on how decision making even happens. Inside our skulls, there are eight regions thought to be involved in decision making. A University of Illinois study published in 2026 challenged traditional notions that decisions happen in the pre-frontal cortex, instead find-
ing evidence that there is a loop of evaluation and perception that is spun together much earlier than this classical idea suggests. It appears there are likely speedy feedback loops running throughout several regions that build decisions. The amygdala is thought to be the heavyweight for fast, high-stakes decisions involving threat evaluation. These fast decisions are formed differently than strategic, management ones, as you can learn more about in this edition’s article on rational decision making by Dallas D’Aoust on page 32. The 2026 study “Speed and quality of complex strategic decisions” in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences analyzed professional chess moves against computer generated benchmarks and found that a shorter decision time pointed to pro-level intuition rather than hastiness. This strong intuition comes from expertise born in recognizing patterns and using experience-based judgement. This is supported by the foundational work of Gary Klein’s Recognition-Primed Decision model, originally developed during the study of fire ground commanders in the 1980s. Klein
Toronto established its first full-time career fire service in 1874, which consisted of five horse-drawn fire engines and 36 staff members. — CBC In WWII, 422 men volunteered from across Canada to form the Corps of Canadian Fire Fighters to fight fires and effect rescues started by Nazi bombing in the United Kingdom. — Canadian Fire Fighters Museum
4 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
and his team found that fewer than 12 per cent of decisions involved any evidence of simultaneous comparison or evaluation of two or more paths. Rather, the commander recognized an option very quickly and mentally simulated whether it or not it would pan out. Weighing alternatives was not what they were up to. The experience part really matters. Training officers really matters because they need to practice, as Chris Davison-Vanderburg writes in the cover story for this issue. Pattern recognition is built through experience. For the up-and-coming and existing officers of the Canadian fire service, the oft debated principals and research in brain science point to one pretty sure thing — the machinery upstairs making decisions is still mysterious but we have a solid understanding that experience counts.
of wildland fires in Canada began in the 1920s, but was impeded by a variety of factors, including deficient record keeping and poor access to remote areas. — Canadian Science Publishing
LAURA AIKEN Editor laiken@annexbusinessmedia.com
IN 1845
The Hudson’s Bay Company appears to have purchased the first fire engines for the Prairies to provide fire protection to its trading posts. — Canadian Fire Fighters Museum
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STATION TO STATION Regional News Briefs
Building fire halls with Ontario masonry The bricks, blocks and stones that make up Ontario’s new fire halls could be more likely to originate from closer to home thanks to the Ontario government’s Municipal Buy Ontario Procurement Directive. The directive, which came into effect on April 13, requires the municipal sector to prioritize Ontario and Canadian goods and services in procurements. Basically, municipalities must require bidders to disclose the origin of major goods and services and either give preference to proposals with stronger Ontario and Canadian supply chains or require minimum domestic content commitments. Andrew Payne, executive director of the Masonry Council of Ontario, is happy to see that more public funds will be kept within the province. “This is particularly relevant when municipalities build fire halls, police stations and other essential public infrastructure. Despite Ontario’s significant manufacturing capacity, imported masonry products continue to be specified and used on municipal projects,” said Payne. “When suitable Ontario-made products are available, purchasing masonry from outside Canada sends public dollars and economic opportunities beyond our borders instead of supporting the workers,
manufacturers and communities that fund these projects.” The province’s new directive falls under the Buy Ontario Act that was announced by Doug Ford’s government in November 2025, which said the legislation is intended to safeguard Ontario’s workers and businesses in the face of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty. “Every year, the province spends more than $30 billion procuring goods and services that help serve the people of Ontario. We’re making sure that every possible procurement dollar that can be spent in Ontario is spent in Ontario, so we can protect our workers and build a more competitive, self-reliant and resilient economy,” said Stephen Crawford, minister of public and business service delivery and procurement, in the Nov. 20, 2025, announcement. With all municipal capital infrastructure now required to follow this directive, councils across the province should soon become familiar with construction and materials partners nearby. “When your municipality begins planning its next fire station, ask where its construction materials will come from,” said Payne. The full directive can be read on Ontario’s official website on the Municipal Buy Ontario Procurement Directive page.
6 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026
Newfoundland and Labrador Minister of Forestry, Agriculture and Lands Pleaman Forsey has further enhanced wildfire suppression and emergency service resources in Labrador. The minister made the announcement in Labrador West, joined by Labrador West MHA Joe Power, Wabush Mayor Gertie Canning, and Labrador City Mayor Jordan Brown. The Newfoundland and Labrador government is expanding wildfire resources in Labrador through new firefighting equipment, six additional wildland firefighter positions, plans for a seasonal waterbomber in Wabush and continued support for community mitigation projects. “In the past days and weeks, I have seen the resilience and cooperation of Labradorians first hand as they manage this incredibly challenging situation. Their commitment to community and to each other is strong and unwavering. Please be assured, our government’s commitment to you and your safety is just as strong,” said Minister Forsey in the province’s news release. “This is not simply a matter of convenience – it is truly a matter of safety. This commitment, together with additional investments in wildfire response funding, enhanced training and the addition of six wildland firefighters dedicated to Labrador, represents a significant investment in the safety and resilience of our beautiful communities. We look forward to welcoming the water bomber back to the Wabush Airport and to continuing our partnership in protecting the people and communities in our region,” said Wabush Mayor Canning. The provincial government has previously announced investments in wildfire preparedness and emergency services for 202627, including funding for firefighter equipment, training, communications, emergency operations, municipal fire grants, additional wildfire personnel and helicopter support. @fireincanada
PHOTO: Alex Sava/Getty Images
N.L. government commits to growing wildfire suppression and emergency services resources in Labrador
THE FIRE HALL BULLETIN
RETIREMENTS
PROMOTIONS & APPOINTMENTS
Selwyn, Ont., Fire Chief GORD JOPLING retired on Aug. 31 after 38 years of service. Jopling joined the Selwyn Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter before being named fire chief in 1998.
The Township of Selwyn, Ont., appointed Deputy Fire Chief HOWARD JINKERSON as its next fire chief, effective Aug. 4, following the retirement of Fire Chief Gord Jopling on Aug. 31. Jinkerson brings more than 22 years of fire service experience to his new role and worked alongside Jopling during a transition period to ensure continuity. PAT WIEBE was appointed full-time fire chief of the Howe Sound East Fire Service in B.C. Wiebe brings more than 30 years of fire service experience, including as acting captain and senior firefighter with Abbotsford Fire and Rescue Service, and has instructed first responder and CPR courses for the Britannia Beach Volunteer Fire Department over the past decade. Kingston Fire and Rescue in Ontario has a new deputy chief, as MIKE KEILEY stepped into the role on July 20. Keiley has extensive fire service experience, having served with the department for the past 31 years. He has progressed through the ranks, serving as a firefighter, captain, and most recently, platoon chief, a position he was promoted to in 2014.
ROB NICHOLLS retired as fire chief of B.C.’s Britannia Beach Volunteer Fire Department on June 30 after 20 years in the role and more than 40 years in the fire service. Under his leadership, the department grew to more than 40 members. The City of Salmon Arm, B.C., announced that Fire Chief BRAD SHIRLEY will retire on Sept. 11 and bring his 44-year career in the fire service to an end, including over four decades in the Salmon Arm. He was appointed as Salmon Arm’s fire chief in 2006, a proud way to continue the Shirley family’s legacy within Salmon Arm Fire, which has had members of the Shirley family serving it since 1913.
LAST ALARM Flags at Edson, Alta.’s, Civic Centre and Fire Hall were lowered to half-mast in honour of former Fire Chief WILLIAM DANN who passed away over the weekend of July 4-5. Dann served the Edson Fire Department from 1975 to 2010, was appointed fire chief in 1997 and served in that role until his retirement as chief in 2003. Following his retirement from the position, he continued to serve as an active member until 2010, dedicating 35 years of service.
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LEADERSHIP FORUM By Karen Fry, Ret. Fire Chief, Vancouver
Karen Fry retired from her role as fire chief and general manager of Vancouver Fire Rescue Services in July, 2026, where she also oversaw Canada Task Force 1; heavy urban search and rescue. Chief Fry began her career as a dispatcher in Nanaimo in 1999
READ THE ROOM How many times have you found yourself in a meeting or standing in a crowed room when someone suddenly sticks their foot in their mouth? And I’m not talking about a flexible yoga pose – I mean the kind of moment where everyone else can feel the tension rise, where the words hang in the air and you think, “how are they going to recover from that?” In those moments, the room shifts. People exchange glances. Some look down. Others freeze. And often, the only person who doesn’t realize what’s just happened is the one who caused it. It happens for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s an offside comment, a joke that missed the mark or lands inappropriately. Sometimes it’s speaking out of turn, interrupting or dominating a conversation without understanding the dynamics at play. In the fire service, and in many structured organizations, we operate within clear roles and responsibilities. Whether we like it or not, there is such a thing as knowing your place in the room. And sometimes, people misread that completely. Other times, it’s nerves. People feel pressure and say too much, too quickly, without thinking. And occasionally, it’s the opposite problem, being too comfortable. That’s when familiarity breeds comments that cross boundaries, when someone forgets professionalism because they assume the room is “safe” for a casual remark. I’ll be honest, I’ve been there. More than once. I can think of examples for everyone of those scenarios. Moments where I wished I could pull the words back the second they left my mouth. We all have those experiences, but here’s the reality: the world has changed, and expectations have changed with it. We are no longer operating in the 1980s. We are not even in the 2010s. Standards for behaviour, respect, and inclusion have evolved – and rightly so. There is no place anymore for comments
We are no longer operating in the 1980s. We are not even in the 2010s. Standards for behaviour, respect, and inclusion have evolved – and rightly so.
10 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026
that diminish others, for jokes that target individuals or groups, or for gossip that erodes trust. We have to ask ourselves: What is the purpose of that behaviour? Is it to feel powerful? Popular? Funny? There is nothing wrong with having a laugh. In fact, humour is an important part of coping in a high-stress profession like ours. It is something that I personally enjoy. But there is a line – a very clear one – between shared humour and a personal attack. Cross that line, and it’s no longer harmless. It’s harmful and it’s not acceptable. So, what does it really mean to “read the room?” It means being aware. Not just of what you want to say, but of who is around you, what the context is, and how your words might land. It means understanding that every room has its own dynamics, its own tone, and its own expectations. It means paying attention before speaking, not just reacting in the moment. But let’s take it one step further. What happens when you’re not the one who made the mistake? What if you’re sitting in that room as a witness? This is where things get more complicated. Do you call the person out immediately? Do you let it go and address it later in private? Do you weigh the risk of embarrassing them against the risk of appearing to condone the behaviour? We’ve all heard the phrase, “praise in public, correct in private.” It’s a principle many leaders rely on, and while there’s value in it, I will admit I have some reservations. If something inappropriate is said in a group setting and no one addresses it, what message does that send? Silence can be interpreted as acceptance. People may leave thinking that behaviour is tolerated – or worse, endorsed. On the other hand, calling someone out publicly can escalate the situation. It can put them on the defensive or create
an environment of embarrassment rather than learning. There is no one-size-fits-all answer here. It requires judgement, emotional intelligence, and an understanding of the people involved. Sometimes the right approach is a measured, immediate response – redirecting the conversation or calmly setting a boundary without attacking the individual. Other times, a private conversation allows for a more thoughtful discussion and the opportunity to reflect without the pressure of an audience. But here’s the key point: doing nothing is no longer an option. Especially not for leaders. As a leader in the fire service, people are watching you whether you realize it or not. They are looking to you to set the tone, define what is acceptable, and demonstrate what respect and professionalism look like in action. They are looking for you to stand up, to speak, and to right the wrongs when they happen. That is not always easy. It can be uncomfortable. It can put you in difficult positions. But leadership is not about choosing the easy path, it’s about choosing the right one. The moment you raise your hand and apply to join the fire department, you accept a responsibility that extends beyond responding to emergencies. You commit to being part of a culture, a team, and a profession that holds itself to high standards. Reading the room is not just a social skill; it is a leadership skill. It is about awareness, accountability, and respect. It is about understanding that your words matter and that your silence can matter just as much. So, the next time you find yourself in that moment, whether you’re the one speaking or the one listening, pause. Take stock of the room. Consider your impact. And lead accordingly.
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By Chris Davison-Vanderburg, Chief Training Officer
BUILDING BETTER OFFICERS Where is the focus of your fire department training program? Who does your training program focus on? What topics get prioritized? In the fire service, every educational session is important and face-to-face training time is precious. Answering those questions properly requires a strategic training plan that is beyond the scope of this article, but we could place a winning bet that most people reading this are spending most of their training efforts on teaching new recruits the basics. That loop is almost impossible to break, and justifiably so. The other training program that requires constant attention is your driving and pumping program. There are an endless number of people who need to be spooled up on becoming pump operators. After the recruits are trained and the pump operators are good to go, decision makers tend to look at the fire department by-law that defines their scope of operations for what to train on next — hazmat, technical rescue, highrise, elevator operations, etc. The list is always longer than the bandwidth of your instructional staff or your fire department’s allocated annual training hours. There is no light at the end of the tunnel, except as one of my chiefs likes to say, “there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s the training train barreling down at you!” In a work environment where firefighters and civilians alike can become seriously injured, or even killed, every training topic feels critical, making it hard to prioritize. Often the loudest voice wins and the next training focus gets determined
BELOW Communicating a proper size-up well is a skill worth practicing.
12 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026
as a reaction. With almost 20 years of fire service instructional time under my belt, my vote is clear: Training your officers to be good incident commanders and exposing your senior firefighters to the same skillset is one of the smartest training investments you can make. It should be moved higher up the priority list, alongside recruit programs and driver training. We need to proactively shift and balance the output effort of our training curriculum to help build strong officers and incident commanders. When you do, you will also inadvertently elevate the skill level of your firefighters. Does your department prioritize incident command training for your officers? The justifications are easy to recognize but challenging to implement. If not, don’t feel bad, you are in good company. A survey done of attendees at the 2025 Ontario Fire Training Officers Association conference asked some pointed questions on officer development training. Does your fire department have a formalized officer development training program? Sixty-seven per cent responded that they did not. Do people get formal IC training before they end up in the IC role? Fifty-eight per cent said no. Conference attendees ranged from large metropolitan services to small, volunteer only, fire departments and many cited time, buy in, lack of a program and budget as barriers to getting a program off the ground. Getting a program started and sustaining it for the long term has been the dream of many chief officers. It is also the desired support for many soon-to-be officers, and when a program doesn’t exist, these people feel let down by their organization. It erodes their trust in the leadership team because they feel
PHOTO: Chris Davison-Vanderburg
Prioritizing life safety through officer development
@fireincanada
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left to fend for themselves. But for some reason, each year passes without progress being made and another group of firefighters take to the front right seat without getting a chance to develop an entirely new skillset. This isn’t fair to anyone. It’s not fair to the people under their command, the people that we serve, and it’s especially not fair to the person trying to figure out how to run incident command on the fly. Your first time making strategic and tactical decisions should not be during the high-stress and time compressed environment of real-world emergencies. We don’t allow recruit firefighters to try and figure out how to perform a search for the first time, or new drivers how to run the pump at a fire without first allowing them an opportunity to develop the skillset in a safe environment beforehand. Why is it so different for our officers? The answer lies in the fact that we tend to promote good and experienced firefighters into officer positions and then expect them to be able do the job. This is faulty logic because the job is different. Being a good firefighter will not automatically translate into being a good officer. The skill set is not the same. An officer doesn’t need to force doors, make a push down a hallway or peel a car away from a patient. They need to assess risk, make decisions, anticipate the incident, allocate resources and communicate effectively. It’s a completely different skill set and one that doesn’t get developed in the backseat of an apparatus or participating in a promotional process.
14 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026
THE FOUNDATION OF OFFICER DEVELOPMENT
When we start to develop our incident commanders, it’s worth beginning with foundational concepts and ensuring that everyone is clear about them. Launching an officer development program by spending a few hours to review basic concepts and practice core skills is often helpful. Never assume that your people fully comprehend or understand what may feel like a basic concept to you. Be explicit and ensure that you cover @fireincanada
PHOTO: Chris Davison-Vanderburg
ABOVE Officers should be offered an opportunity to practice making strategic and tactical decisions in the training environment first.
When things go wrong at emergency incidents, the NIOSH reports point back to skills that should be gained through officer development programs. Things like: communication, size-up, taking the appropriate level of risk for a given situation, doing a 360 and maintaining accountability on the fire ground. Time and time again these are listed as contributing factors. The good news is that we are seeing a shift. Chiefs and provincial authorities are focused on solving the problem. In Ontario, the provincial fire college has become one of the first organizations in North America to offer an IFSAC/Pro Board certificate to the NFPA 1026 standard for incident command. The program is out of the pilot phase and is now a part of the regular curriculum. If you want to hit the easy button in Ontario, you can send your officers on this course and they will learn the fundamentals of command and have a chance to practice the skills by running simulated incidents. This isn’t just a positive step forward; it’s a big leap in the right direction. The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs has also partnered with a third-party training provider, Effective Command, in an effort to bridge the gap. These are great efforts that will make a real difference. A good chunk of my career has now been spent on officer development in multiple fire departments. I feel a sense of responsibility to share what I have learned and the mistakes that I have made along the way. I am extremely proud of the success that we have had in my current department. Every single officer, eligible acting officer and even the next group of potential captains, have received a minimum of a week’s worth of incident command training with a strong hands-on scenario-based focus. In 2026, we also levelled up into a formalized acting platoon chief program. This program teaches existing officers to command complex incidents such as highrise fires, hazmat response, large commercial fires and anything that requires mutual aid. Another full week of training with a focus on managing emergencies that consume our available local resources and require external supports. Even with our successes over the past five years, there is still so much more that we could, and should, do. If you are one of the people focused on solving the problem, the hurdles are real. It will take time, resources and effort to get a formal program off the ground. My recommendation? Just get started. It’s the start that stops most people. Don’t wait for a complete program supported by a large budget to be in place. Instead, demonstrate the benefits and reinforce the need by taking small steps. Put someone in charge of the instruction, carve out some training time during a regularly scheduled training session and start from the beginning. Throw some pictures of a house fire on a screen and have your officers transmit a size-up report over the radio. This is a foundational skill that can be easily overlooked. It’s the first skill that must be developed and once everyone has a chance to do sets and reps of that skill, you will notice a difference on scene at real emergencies. Another time, I’ll expand on how to do this effectively. In the meantime, commit to officer development by scheduling your first officer training session!
things off, especially when you are teaching people that are just being introduced to the skillset. Firefighters operate primarily at the task level and when you prepare them for officer roles, they need the expectations laid out about how you want them to operate; both as a tactical level supervisor and as a strategic incident commander. Even with experienced incident commanders, don’t shy away from the conversations. Establish the guardrails and ensure that the entire foundation has been laid. I have taught officer development programs for some time now and I continue to catch knowledge gaps in very senior, veteran people who are experienced incident commanders. These are good people, who are good at their job, but never had the training opportunities that are now becoming prevalent throughout the service. Good luck has reinforced bad habits. It’s always best if you approach it as an attempt to establish an institutional foundation of knowledge or agreed upon best practices. I will often introduce the lesson by saying, “Let’s spend some time reviewing some basic concepts and ensuring that everyone is on the same page. It’s important that we, as a department, agree on all of the core concepts and approaches.” From that framing you can encourage deep discussion and invite discourse and varying perspectives. Time and time again I have uncovered those knowledge gaps from what I might assume are concepts that everyone knows. These are some of the items that I start with as foundational concepts: • Knowing the tactical priorities • The importance of establishing incident command • The critical job of conducting a 360 • Fire fighting skills and officer skills are different • The decision-making process • The IAFC Rules of Engagement • Benchmarks • The skill of performing a size up and initial radio report
fast moving, high-stress and time-compressed environments with incomplete information. That’s a tall enough order as it is. If that IC has also habitualized working at the task level, then they will be further challenged when things go wrong, like missing a mayday transmission because you are operating in the warm zone beside a loud fan or fire pump or not being able to see worsening and dangerous fire conditions because you are at the front door loading hose. Take command and do command things. This topic always leads to some lively discussions because there are many that believe in “working command” rather than establishing an incident command post. I have watched many senior officers transition from running around the building to establishing a command post inside of a quiet vehicle and away from environmental conditions. They always have an “aha moment” once they entrench that shift. THE CRITICAL JOB OF CONDUCTING A 360
Good luck reinforces bad habits. There are many officers out there that do not perform a 360 to get a complete picture of the entire incident. Most know that they should do it, but when you ask how often it actually happens, sometimes the answer is that it never occurs. We spend some time focusing on this. Firefighters get injured and die because an incomplete size-up was done. You can pull almost any NIOSH LODD report and find that a lack of a complete size-up including a 360 was a contributing factor in that unfortunate event. We will go through several LODD reports and discuss expe-
KNOWING THE TACTICAL PRIORITIES
The sequential priorities of life safety, incident stabilization and protection of property should underpin every strategic and tactical decision, in that order. Resources and efforts must be prioritized towards saving lives before we try to contain the problem or protect property. If resources are abundant, then we can tackle more than one of these simultaneously, but when we operate thin, we may need to focus all efforts on one priority at a time. A conversation on this topic should also include the idea that often stabilizing the incident by putting water on the fire is how we help save lives and protect property, but we aren’t going to knowingly leave people in a building in order to initiate an aggressive fire attack. I am still amazed sometimes when people tell me that they haven’t heard of the tactical priorities. Don’t assume that everyone knows them! THE IMPORTANCE OF INCIDENT COMMAND
Somebody needs to be in charge. Someone has to look at the big picture and be in a position where they can see all of the critical fire ground factors and make strategic and tactical decisions. Being in command means avoiding task level activities. You can’t see the big picture if you are at the front door helping load hose and you can’t give your undivided attention to an incident if you are trying to run the pump and the radio together. A resource that we use in our program is the work of Dr. Richard B. Gassaway and his research on situational awareness. Incident commanders have to make decisions in
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riences that people have had where something important was uncovered during a 360. Part of this lesson will review how to get a complete understanding of the incident in complicated calls like highrise fires, large industrial buildings or at specialized incidents like a hazmat release. Even simple habits are shared like having your driver go past the residence so that you have three sides complete before you step out of the vehicle, or walking through a neighbouring townhome to get a look at the Charlie side of the involved structure. The 360 doesn’t make a difference when things are easy and the fire goes smoothly, but it makes all the difference when you can catch things that are deteriorating quickly and pull your crew out before you have to attend an LODD funeral. FIRE FIGHTING SKILLS AND OFFICER SKILLS ARE DIFFERENT
We will generally have a brainstorm session on what skills are needed to be a good firefighter and what skills are needed to be a good officer. This activity will generally uncover an uncomfortable truth. Being a good firefighter doesn’t automatically make you a good incident commander. You have an entirely new skillset that must be developed. It’s important, from the get-go of an officer development program, that participants develop a growth mindset or learn like they did as a recruit firefighter. These are new skills that will need to be drilled, practiced and rehearsed. When someone starts making the transition, they need to accept that they won’t be great at these new skills right away. The learning environment for your program needs to be one where people can be vulnerable and make mistakes. This is a critical activity to go through in order to create an effective attitude towards mastery of these new skills. THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
We try to establish, right from the beginning, that there is a specific way of making decisions as an incident commander. It involves understanding the critical fire ground factors, how those interplay with each other to form the unique situation that you are faced with and then uncovering the risks associated with a particular strategy or tactic. Weighing risk versus reward will determine the strategic direction of the incident and then specific tactics will be used to support the strategy. The process continues to cycle until the
incident is mitigated. I will expand more on this and share the specific model that we teach next time, but I introduce this concept early on day one so that people have time to digest and reflect upon it. So often, firefighters like the black and white of SOGs and are process driven. For them to change and make situationally based decisions when a playbook isn’t available can be a challenging transition to make. Embracing the scaffold of a decision-making process will ultimately make an incident commander effective when they must operate in a unique situation or the “grey zone.” THE IAFC RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
The IAFC Rules of Engagement for Structural Firefighting are a set of life-saving, risk-reward guidelines developed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Formally adopted in 2019, the rules “aim to reduce firefighter fatalities by categorizing inherent risks into clear, actionable, and continuous decision-making frameworks.” Essentially, we discuss the historical context of how these rules were created and introduce them as foundational for assessing risk and operating safely. The core function of an IC is to assess risk and implement a mitigation plan for an emergency. The IAFC Rules of Engagement are a critical element to understand. BENCHMARKS
We tie this back to the tactical priorities. An incident commander should announce when the Life Safety priority is dealt with by declaring an “All clear” through to dispatch. When the incident is stabilized and no longer getting worse the IC can announce the scene “Under control.” Once we have protected the property – “Loss stopped.” Your organization may have other benchmarks that get utilized, so ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the expectations are clear on who, how and when the benchmarks are used. THE SKILL OF PERFORMING A SIZE-UP
Before we actually practice this skill, expectations should be clear. What things do you want the first-in officers to look for? Exactly what should be said over the radio in the initial report. These will vary depending on your department SOGs but there are two important things that should be emphasized. First, the reason for conducting an initial radio report is to set the tone and prepare the people
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on the other incoming apparatus. If information is lacking, then the firefighters on the other responding apparatus might feel the call is routine or false and not be prepared to go to work. A great size-up paints a picture and allows the next set of responders to anticipate what is going to be needed from them. Second, this is a practiced skill, and the simpler the requirements the easier it is for people to pick it up and perform it effectively. There are several models out there that require very descriptive details about the building construction or the smoke and fire conditions. These are difficult to remember in the heat of the moment and announce on the radio. My experience is that people can get easily flustered when they are performing initial radio reports, so it’s best if they can keep it simple and remember the reason they are doing it in the first place. A long-winded description over the radio about the type of building isn’t going to change how that next-increw operates. They will see the building themselves in a moment, but what they really need to know is if this is a defensive or offensive operation. Or if it’s a residential fire where hose can be pulled off a truck compared to a high-rise fire where standpipe operations will be used. Simple is generally better, and carve out time for people to practice this skill. We will spend a few hours with lots of sets and reps, using actual radios so that the psychomotor skill is developed properly. Hopefully you appreciate the value in spending some time laying this groundwork. Even if it isn’t new material for some of your people, it will be a good refresher that sets the tone and you can be confident that there aren’t any knowledge or skill gaps and the cornerstone of your program is secure. Without establishing this kind of foundation, it becomes difficult to have deeper discussion about applying the appropriate strategies and tactics to a given situation. The topics mentioned above will ensure that you can move forward with some form of mutual understanding. I can guarantee you that this is time well spent! Chris Davison-Vanderburg has served in the fire service for over 20 years. He has worked in both rural and urban fire departments, working his way through various firefighter, officer, and training positions. He has worked in B.C. and Ontario and has held various instructional and executive roles over the years. Currently, Chris works as the chief training officer in Clarington, Ont., and sits on the executive for the Ontario Training Officers Association. Chris is known for his passion and advocacy for training, specifically for officer development. He can be reached at chrisdvanderburg@gmail.com.
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GUEST COLUMN
Arjuna George (Fire Chief, Ret.) has transitioned his leadership and resilience expertise into coaching and consulting for the fire service community. Connect with him at silverarrowco.com or via arjuna@silverarrowco.com.
By Arjuna George
Answer the still alarm at home I spent years in the fire service and the years since then helping leaders and organizations find their footing amid complexity, stress, and the particular weight that comes with wearing a helmet. I know the strain of this work. I know how easy it is to let the fire service become the whole story, because in many ways, it earns that place. It is meaningful. It is identity. It is community. And for a lot of us, it is the lens through which we see ourselves. But there is a version of that devotion that quietly costs us more than we realize. Not because the fire service asks too much of us, but because sometimes we forget that the people we are working so hard for are the very people we are unintentionally missing. At some point recently, my own priorities clarified in a way that did not require reflection, a leadership framework, or a coaching conversation. My wife was diagnosed with serious health challenges, and from that moment, everything else moved to the background. Not because I chose to reprioritize, but because the reprioritization happened on its own, the way it does when something true and undeniable steps forward. Family was it. Nothing else mattered in the same way. What surprised me most was not what moved up the priority list. It was what disappeared from it. The projects, the deadlines, the goals that had felt so important only days earlier. They were still worthwhile, but they no longer carried the same weight. It reminded me how often we live as though there will always be more time. Another summer, another family dinner, another vacation, another conversation. Yet firefighters know better than most that tomorrow is never guaranteed. We spend our careers witnessing how quickly life can change for others, while quietly assuming it will unfold exactly as planned for us. We see it on the worst
The people we love should never become part of the background scenery of our lives.
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days of other people’s lives. The challenge is remembering those lessons when life feels ordinary and predictable. The people we love should never become part of the background scenery of our lives. I want to be clear: this is not a story about struggle or loss. It is a story about clarity, because what struck me was not that I had gotten my priorities wrong. My family has always been first. What struck me was how easy it is, in the momentum of a full life and a meaningful career, to let the urgency of work crowd out the practice of being present to what matters most. Not consciously nor through neglect, but through the quiet accumulation of busyness that fills every available space. Firefighters understand that. We are wired for activation. Our nervous systems have been trained to orient toward the emergency, to move toward the thing that needs our attention right now. That wiring is a genuine gift in this work, but it does not always come with an off switch. And when there is no emergency in front of us, we sometimes manufacture one, or we keep the internal dial turned up high enough that stillness starts to feel like something is wrong. Many people, especially those whose work demands high alertness, rarely spend enough time in silence and peace. The moments of calm in this life are not gaps between the important parts. They are the important parts. The slow morning before a shift. The meal at the table where nobody is checking their phone. The conversation that does not need to go anywhere. The drive home when you let yourself notice the trees. These are not luxuries; they are the whole point. I have talked with firefighters who feel guilty for resting, who have structured their entire lives around the identity of being needed. I understand that and have lived versions of it. But somewhere in the long arc of a career, and certainly
somewhere in the longer arc of a life, the question shifts from what am I doing to who am I being, and who am I being it for? You can love this work and still know it is not the whole story. You can carry the weight of this job without letting it replace what awaits you at home. The fire service will always offer another course, another committee, another promotion, another opportunity to serve. None of those things is inherently wrong. Many of them are worthwhile. The danger comes when we assume they can always be done later, while the people we love can wait. In reality, it is often the opposite. The opportunities may come around again. The season of life you are living right now will never be. The question is not whether to give. It is whether you are protecting what is irreplaceable while you do. One of my favourite sayings is “Your family deserves more than the rest of you; they deserve the best of you.” In the end, most of what matters in life will never happen on a fireground. It will happen around kitchen tables, family vacations, and ordinary Tuesday evenings that seem forgettable until years later when you realize they were the moments that mattered most. There are no second chances for the years that pass. There is no debrief that brings back the moments you were too busy, too tired, or too activated to be present for. So, take the moment of quiet when it arrives. Sit at the table. Put the phone down. Take the trip. Watch the sunset. Be present with those you love and let the stillness be enough. The fire service teaches us to answer alarms, but life teaches us to recognize the ones that matter most. That is the still alarm, and it may be the most important call you will ever answer. @fireincanada
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By Dave Robertson, FireEdge Training
THE MISSING PIECE The need for a common operating picture On July 6, 1994, the South Canyon/Storm King Fire turned deadly in Colorado. The working crew included the Prineville Hotshots, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) smokejumpers, and two helitack crew members. The fire, driven forward by sustained surface winds of 32 km/hr and gusts exceeding 48 km/hr, blew up and raced forward with 100-foot flame lengths. Fourteen firefighters died in that blowup. Fast forward 19 years to June 30, 2013, in Yarnell Hill, Arizona. Nineteen of the 20 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew were attempting escape from a similar wind-driven blowup to a designated safety zone. Unable to outrun the fire, they deployed their shelters and perished in a burnover. And on August 18, 2023, the Bush Creek East wildfire in B.C.’s Shuswap region grew from 7,000 to 41,000 hectares in under 12 hours. One crew survived by sheltering inside a pickup truck as flames fully surrounded them. A second crew escaped only by driving off-road around burning debris after the fire cut off their planned escape route, nearly rolling their truck in the process. These tragic and scary incidents lacked one thing: A common operating picture (COP). Consider that information that critically affects wildfire behaviour - fuel load, fuel type, spot weather, regional weather, relative humidity, and fire behaviour modeling data - all existed in some form in all three incidents. Sometimes it was accurate but never reached the crew. Sometimes it was wrong, but it wasn’t
“The deeper point is this: all three incidents shared the same structural failure. Vital, game-changing info existed in some form, but it was either never distributed, never questioned, or never generated in the first place.”
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challenged or questioned before crews acted on it. And sometimes it never existed at all. For the Storm King crew, one critical weather update warning of an incoming cold front with significant wind activity was not effectively communicated to the crew. The data existed but didn’t reach the people who needed it. It was a distribution failure, not an absence-of-data failure. For the Granite Mountain Hotshots, the official report found radio communications “challenging throughout the incident,” further complicated by a command structure that changed several times in the 20 hours prior to the burnover. Most strikingly, nobody outside the crew, including their own command, had reliable knowledge of Granite Mountain’s location during their final 30 minutes. For them it was the absence of a shared, real-time picture of their positions, as well as the crew’s own situational awareness of the fire’s behaviour, that was information unshared or known. And on the Bush Creek East fire, it too was driven by an incoming cold front that generated winds eerily similar to those that doomed the South Canyon crew. An investigation found that ground crews went ahead with a planned ignition to control fuel loads despite inaccurate fire behaviour modeling (satellites were gathering erroneous ground data because smoke was distorting the imagery). The resulting crew entrapment and near miss of another was due to flawed data being shared and acted upon without being challenged or cross-checked. More importantly, there were significant blind spots in the plan itself, like the lack of escape routes. If a reliable, shared picture existed, those blind spots would have surfaced well before ignition, prompting crews and command to ask the critical questions needed to close them. But that common operating picture didn’t exist. In all three incidents, these were groups of highly trained individuals. For South Canyon and Yarnell, other issues directly contributed to the fatalities, issues we aren’t ignoring: a “we can do it” culture, mission-driven attitudes, and erroneous command decisions. At Bush Creek, that same pressure to push forward on incomplete information nearly produced the same outcome. The deeper point is this: all three incidents shared the same structural failure. Vital, game-changing info existed in some form, but it was either never distributed, never questioned, or never generated in the first place. For Storm King and Yarnell, the technology to support a shared operating picture simply didn’t exist yet. For Bush Creek, it did, but the data it produced was never questioned or properly used. All three stand as catastrophic cautionary case studies of what can happen when everyone’s not working an incident in a common information system. @fireincanada
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WHAT’S ACTUALLY INSIDE A COMMON OPERATING PICTURE?
Simply, a Common Operating Picture (COP) is a single, continuously updated, shared view of a situation. Data is pulled from several sources and combined into one display. Everyone with access, whether through a phone app or laptop program, ends up working from the same facts at the same time, regardless of agency, jurisdiction, or physical location. Picture a classroom 25 years ago when an overhead projector was often used by teachers. It would throw light up through a sheet of clear plastic film laid flat on its glass top, casting whatever was written on it onto a screen at the front of the room. The teacher would use this to draw out a graphic or to write commentary directly on an existing graphic. Now picture the teacher stacking transparency after transparency onto that same glass, but instead of a geometry lesson or a map of the Rockies, they project information about terrain, then evacuation routes, then police positions, then a heli-base, and so on until one composite image is projected. Now imagine that room full of incident commanders instead of students, all looking at that same accumulating picture. That is COP. For a more modern comparison, think of the navigation app on your phone during a storm, except it offers more than directions and arrival time. It shows road closures, weather radar and areas at risk of flooding, all layered onto a single live map, updating in real time, with every driver in the city seeing each update the moment it happens. COP tech does the same thing for an incident commander, except the layers are hazard zones, resource positions and real-time conditions specific to whatever incident they’re commanding. COP was originally a military term coined common operational picture that emerged from a recurring command problem. Forces were operating across large geographic areas while receiving information from multiple sources but still had to function as one force on the battlefield. Lessons from the Gulf War gave the work greater urgency. Friendly fire accounted for about 24 per cent of U.S. fatalities during Operation Desert Storm, exposing joint forces’ interoperability gaps. Emergency management eventually adopted the closely related term common operating picture for the same reasons: incidents with a large geography, multi-agency interoperability, and multiple information sources required it.
Strip away the analogies, and a COP is built from four things: inputs, a display, synchronization, and validation. Synchronization (“sync”), means limited or close to zero lag time between what happens and what everyone sees. Validation means continually questioning whether the information being shared is accurate, current, and complete. Inputs are simply all the data that already exists across a department’s systems and can be plugged into a COP. Right now, most of it runs separately, in separate systems, read by separate people. Computer-aided dispatch (CAD) data and unit status, automatic vehicle location (AVL), the real-time GPS position of every apparatus, pre-incident plans, building floor layouts, hydrant and water supply locations part of the systems. Increasingly, live video, drone feeds, and helmet and/or fixed cams provide visual confirmation instead of another verbal report. The display is what those inputs get poured into, usually a live, map-based dashboard. Each input becomes another layer on that map, the same stacking logic as that old overhead projector, with apparatus positions, evacuation zones, and hazard markers updating continuously. That shared incident picture is only as reliable as the information feeding it. A COP can make inaccurate information common faster, which is why data still has to be questioned. This is where validation comes in - people still have to decide whether they trust the data. “Common” is the word doing the heaviest lifting here. It doesn’t mean everyone has access to the same data somewhere in a system, the way a shared drive gives everyone access to the same folder whenever they choose to open it. It means everyone looking at that dashboard right now, whether it’s the IC in a truck, a division supervisor a quarter mile away, or an EOC across town, is looking at the exact same version, updated at the exact same moment. Nobody is working from yesterday’s printout, or their own notes, or a mental picture built from what they personally saw or heard. They’re looking at one picture, together, in real time.
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COMMAND AND COP
Command is hard. Very. An IC commanding a scene alone must start to take in and process @fireincanada
PHOTO: Dave Robertson/AI assisted
WHAT IS A COMMON OPERATING PICTURE?
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information as soon as the tones go off. It’s done by listening, asking, seeing, reading, and sometimes even feeling and smelling (think wind change on a wind-driven fire or a telltale odor of hazmat) throughout an incident. Example data points that an IC processes can include daily weather, spot/real time location weather, incoming units and their respective ETAs and locations, police and EMS response and their locations, evacuation routes, bystanders that are voicing concerns, or changing incident conditions like a building’s exposure time to fire or a wildfire altering its path away from what the fire modeling predicted. Essentially, the IC must consider and prioritize anything that can affect the outcome of an incident and factor it into their operational decisions. This is done in a very dynamic and fluid atmosphere, the priority of the data changes throughout. If it’s raining out, that may be a high priority for travel to the incident, but a lower priority in terms of how it affects the operations of battling a single-family residential fire. An apparatus may go out of service while responding and can be replaced quickly through a call to dispatch and be a low priority, but if an engine’s pump goes down while a crew is on the other side of the hose line, it becomes a critical priority. Access to that data is just as fluid. Some companies may not get an assessment of the Charlie side of a structure in time to make a safe play there. Or a firefighter sprains their ankle grabbing a ladder and is told by their captain to sit it out but doesn’t inform the IC. Or a second 911 call comes in reporting a propane tank in the backyard, but the info sits in the dispatch system, not relayed until a routine radio check surfaces it
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minutes later. These are “when” issues. All of this information comes in often at speeds exceeding the IC’s cognitive ability to properly process it, comes in on the incident timeline too soon or too late, or is recognized as data needed by the IC but it doesn’t come in at all. It’s important to note here that COP doesn’t solve the incident. It doesn’t make decisions for the IC. Command judgement, the human wisdom in the loop, informs where to place crews what tactics and operations should be performed. WHERE THIS ALREADY MATTERS
South Canyon and Yarnell Hill happened decades ago, before most of today’s tools existed. But the problem they exposed hasn’t gone anywhere, it just shows up in more places than wildfire alone. The need for COP has never been more obvious. Modern emergency response rarely involves a single agency working a contained problem. It involves fire, police, EMS, public works, utility crews, provincial or state emergency management, and sometimes the military, all converging on the same incident. Large-scale planned events are another pressure point. A concert, parade, or marathon can draw tens of thousands of people into a footprint with a single point of failure, one blocked exit, one delayed decision, and the margin for error collapses fast. This is an emerging problem because the mass gathering event industry is growing globally, including in Canada, and a 2025 study in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction found that of more than 2,000 mass gatherings disrupted by extreme weather worldwide between 2004 and 2024, climate change caused or worsened the disruption in 57 @fireincanada
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per cent of those cases. A COP means no agency on site is working from a different version of the emergency than the one next to them. Wildfire is another pressure point, and no longer an occasional one. A COP means evacuation zones, fire behaviour, spot weather and resource positions are visible to every responding agency at once, not relayed piecemeal through radio traffic. Halifax offers a recent, sobering proof of what happens without it when in 2023 a backyard fire in Upper Tantallon, part of the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, grew into more than 130 burning structures in four hours and forced over 16,000 people to evacuate. The municipality’s own post-incident review found that “the information flow between the IC and the EOC was inconsistent.” Having the data wasn’t the problem. This was a system problem. Halifax didn’t practice operating a real incident as one picture, so when the moment came, command and the coordination centre were, in effect, watching two different fires. And the risk doesn’t end when the fire does. Burn scars leave slopes unstable for years, so the same regions now face flood and post-fire landslide risk on top of everything else, disasters that demand the same shared coordination, often with even less warning. WHO’S BUILDING THIS
None of this is theoretical. It’s already a live market, and the vendor landscape is growing fast enough that the following list risks being outdated quickly. It’s also meant as a snapshot, not an exhaustive list, and it stands without any ranking. Tablet Command is an iPad-based command board built for a single incident commander’s fireground view. Real-time apparatus tracking, drag-and-drop unit assignment, and personnel accountability, all on one screen, are meant to replace the whiteboard-and-radio approach most departments still run on. Motorola Solutions’ CommandCentral Aware is a different scale of tool entirely. Rather than one chief’s fireground picture, it fuses 911 calls, CAD data, radio traffic, and live camera feeds across an entire jurisdiction or region, closer to what a dispatch center or EOC would run than something carried in a truck. Genasys Protect (formerly Zonehaven) is zone-based wildfire evacuation coordination, letting multiple agencies work from the same map of who needs to move, when, and by which
route. Genasys was used during the 2025 Los Angeles fires. Perimeter is shareable, real-time wildfire mapping designed to work across agencies and the public without requiring a login, and deliberately built for reuse at planned events like parades or marathons, so the tool is already familiar before an actual disaster hits. RapidSOS + Skydio is a partnership rather than a single product: real-time, verified 911 caller data feeding directly into the interface of a drone-as-first-responder program, so the drone operator sees what dispatch knows the moment a call comes in, often arriving on scene before the first ground unit. TAK (Team Awareness Kit) is unlike the others on this list because it’s not a commercial product at all. TAK is a free, U.S. government-developed geospatial platform, originally military, now active across wildland fire, search and rescue, and UAS operations. Responders and command see the same live map, locations, hazards, fire perimeters, drone feeds, in one shared picture. It’s already reached Canadian public safety, too. The RCMP runs it for Blue Force Tracking, and the Canadian Red Cross has piloted it for disaster response. An irony is worth noting here: the foot-onthe-gas, venture-capital-driven atmosphere of emerging emergency response tech has new entrants show up constantly, each claiming to solve the COP problem. Many of them genuinely succeed, but within their own lane. What they haven’t solved is each other. The point isn’t which vendor wins. It’s that the technology to build a real common operating picture already exists, in fragments, spread across a dozen companies that mostly don’t talk to one another, which is precisely the kind of silo this whole article has been arguing against. Command silos on the ground, market silos among the tools meant to fix it. BEYOND THE WHITEBOARDS
Trying to organize all of the information on a scene in order to lessen a commander’s cognitive load has been around for a long time. Think of those first command whiteboards. Formalizing that process as the COP concept has been around for over a quarter century. From those first attempts to where we’re at today, lessening a commander’s cognitive load with the end goal being effective command leading to incident suc-
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cess. Yet Storm King and Bush Creek incidents keep happening, often as a result of that overload, along with erroneous data and omissions. Emerging technology and greater access to COP cannot rewrite history. But it’s worth wondering what could have happened if cleaner, more pure data was a part of the operation. For the South Canyon/Storm King victims, had that red-flag warning of the incoming cold front reached the crew in time, the decision to remain on that slope might never have been made at all. At Yarnell, had either the Granite Mountain Hotshots or their own command known the crew’s actual position during that final half hour, a retreat to the escape route might have been ordered before the burnover, not learned about after. And at Bush Creek, had the fire behaviour modeling been challenged, or the missing escape routes flagged before the planned ignition was lit, the operation itself might never have gone ahead at all. As those examples reveal, wildland fire has been the focus of this article, for good reason: it’s the clearest, most visible example of the kind of incident a COP was built for. The reality can’t be repeated enough: wildfires are becoming more frequent, more intense, longer-lasting, and are affecting more people with every new fire. But the need for a COP isn’t unique to wildfire. Every incident calls for strategic, operational and tactical decisions. Each decision’s success or viability is only as good as both the effectiveness of the command behind it and the information that informed it. It’s true of a single-family residential fire. It’s truer still of incidents that span long or multiple operational periods, cover large geographic footprints, and pull in half a dozen agencies at once: floods, multi-day searches, multi-vehicle accidents and yes, wildfires. You’ll also notice what’s missing here: a clean COP success story. That’s not an oversight. When a shared picture works, the story is simply that the crew came home or that no homes were lost. That makes for boring copy and after action reports performed without any real rigor. Culture, tight budgets, and a widening gap between the vendors building the technologies and the chiefs adopting them remain real obstacles, the same kind that slowed the full adoption of the Incident Command System for the better part of a decade. Even today some departments haven’t fully adopted ICS. Expecting COP’s road to its adoption into daily command use to be any @fireincanada
shorter would be naive. It’s simply a mismatch between the speed of development and the speed of adoption. But adopt we must. The histories of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, of all that was lost in Jasper amid the jurisdictional confusion between agencies, and of any other incident where the challenges of interoperability, pure data, and shared picture could have changed the outcome deserve it. The future of managing incidents in an ever-more-complex incident space and those that rely on command to keep them safe also deserve it.
•
•
• References • United States Department of Agriculture, United States Department of the Interior, and United States Department of Commerce, Report of the South Canyon Fire Accident Investigation Team (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, August 17, 1994). • Arizona State Forestry Division, Yarnell
•
Hill Fire: June 30, 2013, Serious Accident Investigation Report (Phoenix: Arizona State Forestry Division, September 23, 2013). The Canadian Press, “Planned Burn During 2023 Shuswap Wildfires Could Have Turned Deadly: Report” U.S. Department of Defense, DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, Joint Publication 1-02 (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Defense, April 12, 2001, as amended through October 17, 2008) Marc-Antoine Pigeon, Attila Hertelendy, Alexander Hart, Adam Lund, Jamie Ranse, and Gregory Ciottone, “Mass Gathering Event Medical Preparedness and Response: A Review of Canadian Legislation and Guidelines,” Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness 18 (2024) Shawna McKinley, Paul Geoerg, Milad Haghani, and Claudio Feliciani, “Mapping
•
the Impact of Extreme Weather on Global Events and Mass Gatherings: Trends and Adaptive Strategies,” International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (September 2025) Halifax Regional Municipality, Upper Tantallon Wildfire Lessons Learned (Halifax: Halifax Regional Municipality, November 28, 2023)
Further Reading • Richard C. McCrea, “The Yarnell Hill Fire: A Review of Lessons Learned,” International Association of Wildland Fire, June 2014, https://www.iawfonline. org/article/the-yarnell-hill-fire-a-reviewof-lessons-learned/. • Wildland Fire Associates, Granite Mountain IHC Entrapment and Burnover Investigation: Yarnell Hill Fire, June 30, 2013, prepared for the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health, November 2013.
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SPONSORED CONTENT
By: Lorianne Zwicker, Deputy Fire Chief of Community Risk & Education, Central York Fire Services
HOW CENTRAL YORK FIRE SERVICES IS BUILDING A SAFER, SMARTER FIRE SERVICE WITH CORDLESS TECHNOLOGY Central York Fire Services (CYFS), serving nearly 150,000 people in the Ontario communities of Aurora and Newmarket, has spent the past several years improving front-line operations with a clear goal: building a safer, smarter and more efficient fire service. This modernization effort has taken many forms — from fleet upgrades to new training tools — but one of the most significant changes has been the department’s shift toward cordless, battery-powered technology, supported through a partnership with Milwaukee Tool. What began as a single project has grown into a department wide transformation that is improving safety, reducing environmental impact and giving firefighters, fire prevention inspectors and investigators more reliable tools for the job. The most visible example is CYFS’s fully electric fire investigation van, one of the first of its kind in Canada. The van is part of a larger story about how CYFS is rethinking the way fire services can operate in a modern, technologydriven environment.
stormed solutions to collaboratively create the ultimate fire investigation unit outfitted with Milwaukee Tool through an in-kind partnership.
WHY CYFS MADE THE SHIFT
KEY FEATURES OF THE INVESTIGATION VAN
For CYFS, modernization isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about aligning operations with the department’s core priorities: safety, efficiency and responsible stewardship of public resources. Aurora and Newmarket have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions across municipal operations. CYFS saw an opportunity to support those goals while meeting a practical need: investigators required a purpose-built vehicle for complex fire scene work without relying on gas-powered equipment. The timing aligned: CYFS could support environmental targets while giving investigators a mobile unit designed for their work. “Our investment in an electric van reflects CYFS’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and responsible stewardship of public resources. The vehicle reduces emissions, lowers operating costs and supports our long-term fleet strategy. Most importantly, it reflects our goal of building safer, healthier communities through thoughtful operational choices,” says Rocco Volpe, Fire Chief, Central York Fire Services.
Drones for structural assessment • CYFS has certified drone pilots who can fly into firedamaged structures that are unsafe for entry. Highresolution video and photos allow investigators to analyze burn patterns, structural compromise, and scene layout without stepping inside hazardous environments. VR capabilities for future integration • The van includes a live-feed system that can connect drone footage to a VR headset, supporting future scene-review options as the technology evolves. Evidence handling and documentation • The van includes secure storage, digital documentation tools, and organized compartments that streamline evidence collection and tracking. Cordless tool ecosystem • The van carries Milwaukee® cordless tools for scene access, lighting, measurement and documentation. A unified battery platform reduces noise and emissions, improves safety, and helps keep equipment ready to deploy. Over the past eight months, investigators have used it on multiple calls, and its impact has been immediate.
INSIDE THE VAN: A PURPOSEBUILT INVESTIGATION UNIT The electric investigation van is more than a vehicle — it is a mobile workspace designed for detailed, efficient and safe fire scene analysis. Best of all, it was shaped by the fire investigators on the front-line to address real challenges they faced at emergency scenes. Together with CYFS senior leadership and our partner, Milwaukee Tool, we brain-
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CYFS’s fully electric fire investigation van - first of its kind in Canada
BEYOND THE VAN: STATIONS, APPARATUS AND TRAINING The investigation van may be the most visible example of CYFS’s mod@fireincanada
Craig Baxter, Group President, Milwaukee Tool Canada (centre, back); Chief Fire Prevention Officer Ryan Schell, CYFS (left of Craig); and Deputy Fire Chief Lorianne Zwicker, CYFS (right of Craig), along with firefighters from CYFS and representatives from Milwaukee Tool, celebrating a shared commitment to innovation, firefighter safety, and a sustainable future. ernization efforts, but the department has expanded cordless technology across stations, apparatus and training environments.
STATION UPGRADES Across all five CYFS stations, Milwaukee’s batterypowered tools now support daily mechanical work, equipment maintenance, and training. These include: • Impact tools for apparatus maintenance • Cordless lighting for training grounds and emergency scenes • Standardized toolkits for fire prevention inspections The shift has reduced reliance on gas-powered equipment, improved indoor air quality and created consistency across stations.
APPARATUS INTEGRATION Several CYFS rescue vehicles now carry standardized cordless tools. This ensures firefighters have reliable, familiar equipment regardless of which vehicle they respond on. All seven fire prevention vehicles are equipped with identical tool sets, improving consistency during inspections and community risk reduction work.
TRAINING ENHANCEMENTS Firefighters train using the same cordless tools they will use on real calls. This reduces transition time, improves familiarity, and ensures that training environments accurately reflect operational conditions.
A UNIFIED PLATFORM: SOLVING A LONGSTANDING PROBLEM CYFS faced a challenge common in many fire departments: too many tool platforms, inconsistent equipment across vehicles, and aging gas-powered tools that were noisy, heavy and required frequent maintenance. Shifting to a unified cordless platform helped CYFS address several issues at once: • Consistency — Every vehicle and station uses the same tool system • Safety — No emissions, reduced noise, and fewer trip hazards • Efficiency — Faster setup, easier storage, and simplified charging • Environmental impact — Reduced reliance on gaspowered equipment Since deploying cordless tools, our investigators, fire prevention staff and operations crews are working faster and more safely. Compartmentalized storage keeps equipment organized and ready to grab. Drones also allow investigators to assess many unsafe, fire-damaged structures without stepping inside. These changes reduce risk and help crews focus on the work that matters.
THE PARTNERSHIP BEHIND THE CORDLESS SHIFT A key part of CYFS’s progress has been its partnership with Milwaukee Tool. What began with one investigation van has grown into support for all five stations, multiple apparatus, training and the fire prevention division.
September 2026 FIREFightingInCanada.com 29
SPONSORED CONTENT guidance on preventing battery-related fires, recognizing early warning signs and safely recycling end-of-life batteries. CYFS’s partnership with Call2Recycle strengthens this work by promoting accessible battery recycling options and clear disposal guidelines, helping reduce environmental impact and the risk of improper storage or disposal. By following industry standards and engaging the public, CYFS supports the benefits of cordless technology without compromising safety.
A MODEL FOR OTHER FIRE DEPARTMENTS
A battery-powered reciprocating saw is being used to cut open a vehicle door, showcasing how advanced technology can streamline rescue operations. Milwaukee’s standardized battery platform, modular storage solutions, and cordless equipment have helped CYFS reduce inconsistencies across vehicles, rely less on gas-powered tools, and streamline training and maintenance. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to reliable equipment that supports safety and efficiency. “At Milwaukee Tool, we have always believed that the people doing the most critical work deserve the most reliable tools and that includes the public servants who put themselves on the line every day to keep our communities safe,” says Scott Moore, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Milwaukee Tool Canada. “Our partnership with Central York Fire Services is a natural extension of that commitment. When we see a fire department modernizing the way CYFS has, we want to be part of that. And the deeper we go in partnerships like this one, the more we learn about how our tools perform in some of the most demanding real-world conditions
imaginable. That only makes us better and ultimately benefits first responders across Canada.”
A BALANCED LOOK: LITHIUM-ION SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS Cordless tools rely on lithium-ion batteries, and CYFS is mindful of the public conversation around battery safety. The department has implemented best practices for storage, charging, and inspection, including: • Regular battery inspections • Temperaturecontrolled charging areas • Clear protocols for damaged batteries • Training on safe handling and transport Beyond internal practices, CYFS also educates residents about safe battery use, storage and disposal through community risk reduction programming, station visits and public education campaigns. This includes
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CYFS’ electric investigation van remains the first of its kind in Canada, but interest is growing. Departments across the country are asking similar questions: • How do we modernize our fleet? • How do we reduce emissions? • How do we improve safety for investigators and firefighters? CYFS offers a working example — not a concept, but a fully operational model that has already proven its value. The department’s experience shows that new technology does not require sacrificing performance. The shift has given investigators, firefighters and fire prevention inspectors more effective tools, safer work environments and better operational consistency.
LOOKING AHEAD CYFS is continuing to explore tools that support community safety and reduce environmental impact. The electric investigation van was the first major step and has already influenced changes across stations, apparatus and training programs. What began as a single project has become a department-wide transformation — one that reflects CYFS’s commitment to safety, innovation and responsible leadership. The next time an investigation van arrives at a scene in Aurora or Newmarket, quietly humming instead of rattling with a generator, it represents more than a vehicle. It represents a fire department embracing modern tools that help protect its community. CYFS is building a safer, smarter future — one innovation at a time. @fireincanada
COMMUNITY RISK By Lorianne Zwicker
Lorianne Zwicker is the deputy fire chief, community risk reduction, for Central York Fire Services in Ontario. She is recognized for developing one of Ontario’s first live, continuously updated community risk assessment portals and is a strong advocate for data driven, collaborative approaches to public safety.
TWO YEARS IN When Ontario introduced the requirement for every municipality to complete a Community Risk Assessment (CRA), I saw it as an opportunity to re-think how we understand and manage risk in the fire service. Two years later, the CRA has become far more than a regulatory obligation—it’s reshaping how I plan, how my team works, and how we collaborate across the municipality Working within the CRA framework has pushed me to look more closely at the factors that influence risk in our community: demographics, building stock, geography, critical infrastructure, and historical incident trends. After two years of applying this lens, I’ve seen how valuable it is. The CRA has highlighted risks tied to aging populations, intensification and vulnerable occupancies, revealed neighbourhood specific trends that weren’t obvious before, and strengthened the evidence behind operational and budget decisions. It’s helped shift our approach from reactive to proactive, and it’s given us a clearer, more honest picture of what our community actually needs. THE RISE OF LIVE CRA PORTALS
There’s growing interest in “live” CRA portals — digital platforms that allow departments to update and track risk information in real time. Only a handful of Ontario fire departments have developed live CRA portals so far, and any department that wants this capability must develop its own. For those that do, the advantages are clear. I chose to build a live CRA portal because I wanted a system that reflected how quickly risk can shift. A static report never felt like enough. By creating a platform that updates continuously and is easy for staff and municipal partners to navigate, I’ve seen first hand how much
more effective decision making becomes when everyone is working from current, accessible data. It has changed the way we plan, the way we communicate, and the way we justify our needs.
I chose to build a live CRA portal because I wanted a system that reflected how quickly risk can shift. A static report never felt like enough.
and how to deploy fire prevention staff more effectively. This has made our prevention work more efficient and more impactful.
WHY A LIVE PORTAL MATTERS
OPERATIONAL PLANNING BENEFITS
Realtime awareness: risk changes daily. A live portal lets us capture those changes instead of waiting for the next mandated review. Better support for decisions: when I bring forward recommendations — whether for staffing, apparatus, or station planning — I can point to current data, not a report that’s already aging. Stronger collaboration: planning, building, engineering, public health and emergency management all benefit from shared, uptodate information. It brings everyone into the same conversation. More targeted public education: if a neighbourhood starts seeing more cooking fires or medical calls, we can adjust our outreach immediately. It becomes a living document: the CRA becomes something we use every day, not something that sits on a shelf One of the biggest changes I’ve seen since the CRA mandate is how we approach public education and fire prevention. With a clearer understanding of who is most at risk, our outreach has become more focused and intentional. That often means more programming for seniors, newcomers and vulnerable residents, education campaigns tied directly to local incident trends, and stronger partnerships with community organizations. We’ve moved away from broad messaging and toward targeted, measurable efforts that actually reflect the risks in front of us. CRA findings have also shaped our inspection priorities. We now use risk profiles to determine which occupancies need more frequent inspections, where to focus compliance efforts,
While the CRA isn’t a staffing study, it provides valuable context for operational planning. For example, we have used CRA insights to support our response time analysis and training priorities. It gives us a stronger foundation when explaining operational pressures or future needs to municipal leadership. Because the CRA touches on so many aspects of community life — demographics, infrastructure, social vulnerability — it naturally encourages collaboration. I’ve seen stronger relationships form between fire services and planning, building, engineering, public health, and emergency management. Risk reduction becomes a shared responsibility, not a fire only initiative. One of the most meaningful outcomes of the CRA mandate is increased transparency. Municipal leaders and residents now have a clearer understanding of why certain risks are prioritized, how decisions are made, and what evidence supports resource requests Overall, the CRA builds trust and reinforces the role of the fire service as a modern, data driven public safety organization. It is now two years since the CRA mandate came into effect and it’s clear to me that the assessment is becoming a core planning tool. And for departments that choose to build a live CRA portal, the potential benefits are even greater. The fire services that treat the CRA as a living, evolving process — not just a report to complete — will be the ones best positioned to adapt to changing risks and continue delivering effective, community focused service.
September 2026 FIREFightingInCanada.com 31
By Dallas D’Aoust, Fire Chief
RATIONAL DECISIONS In the fire service, decision-making isn’t an academic exercise, it’s a survival skill. Every day, fire officers and chiefs make choices that can affect lives, property, budgets, reputations and careers. From a tactical call at three in the morning to a budget meeting on Monday morning, decisions drive outcomes. Yet one of the most overlooked questions in our profession is how we make them. Many firefighters and, frankly, a lot of officers, will proudly claim they rely on “common sense.” It sounds good. It feels practical. It’s what our mentors told us. But as the fire service grows more complex, diverse, and accountable, the limits of “common sense” become painfully obvious. That’s where rational decision-making comes in — the disciplined, structured, evidence-based approach that doesn’t always come naturally but consistently produces better results. This article makes the case that while common sense has its place on the fire ground, it’s a poor foundation for strategic or organizational leadership. Rational decision-making, on the other hand, is the backbone of professional fire service management. THE MYTH OF COMMON SENSE IN THE FIRE SERVICE
Let’s start with the uncomfortable truth: common sense isn’t common. What one firefighter calls “common sense,” another calls “reckless.” Experience, training, and culture shape how we see the world and therefore, how we define “obvious.” A rookie and a 20-year veteran will look at the same problem and come to different “common sense” conclusions. Common sense decision-making is built on intuition, the
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RATIONAL DECISION-MAKING: THE DISCIPLINE OF THOUGHT
Rational decision-making is the antidote to “winging it.” It’s a structured process that values information, logic, and accountability over instinct. At its core, rational decision-making follows a deliberate path: • Define the problem clearly. What’s actually happening, and what’s causing it? • Gather information. Not gossip, not assumptions - data, reports, facts, and credible input. • Identify possible options. More than one solution almost always exists. • Evaluate the consequences of each option. Consider short and long term impacts. • Choose the option that best meets your goals - balancing effectiveness, safety, cost, and ethics. • Implement and monitor the decision. Execution matters as much as analysis. • Review and learn from outcomes. Every decision is feedback for the next one. This process might sound bureaucratic, but in practice it’s about slowing down enough to make decisions you can stand behind. Even under scrutiny. Rational decision-making doesn’t ignore experience; it refines it. It turns the fire service’s greatest strength, its practical knowledge, into structured, defensible action. For example, let’s say your department is debating whether to implement a new fireground accountability system. The “common sense” answer might be, “We’ve always done roll call on the radio and it works fine.” The rational approach asks: • What do the incident reports say about missed PARs or untracked members? @fireincanada
PHOTO: Getty Images
The case for rational decision-making versus common sense decision-making in the fire service
gut-level feeling that tells you something is right or wrong without a full analysis. It’s fast, emotional, and based on what’s worked before. That’s fine when the situation is familiar and time is limited. On the fire ground, intuition can save lives. But intuition has limits and in leadership, those limits are costly. Here’s the problem: the modern fire service isn’t the same as it was 20 years ago. We’re dealing with lightweight construction, synthetic fuels, advanced fire dynamics, complex incident command structures, interagency coordination, political oversight, HR policies and budgetary scrutiny that would make a CPA sweat. In that environment, “we’ve always done it that way” is a death sentence for credibility. Common sense fails when: • The situation is unfamiliar or complex • Emotions override logic • Biases go unchecked • There’s pressure to conform or avoid conflict • Decisions need to be defended after the fact Sound familiar? It should. Those are daily realities for fire officers. The biggest danger with common sense decision-making is that it feels right even when it’s wrong. We confuse confidence for competence and in an environment built on tradition and hierarchy, that can be a dangerous mix.
• •
What does NFPA 1561 recommend? What’s the cost-benefit analysis of adopting a new system versus continuing current practice? • What do line officers and dispatchers say about the workload? Now your decision isn’t just an opinion, it’s a documented, evidence-based action supported by reasoning. That’s leadership. WHEN COMMON SENSE WORKS AND WHEN IT DOESN’T
Let’s be fair: common sense isn’t useless. In high-pressure, dynamic environments like fire suppression, intuition saves time. There’s a reason seasoned firefighters can glance at smoke colour or flame movement and predict structural collapse before it occurs. That’s intuition and experience distilled into instinct. It’s not random guesswork; it’s years of pattern recognition. The key is knowing when to use it. Common sense and intuition work best: • When time is limited and the situation is familiar • When the decision-maker has relevant experience • When there’s immediate feedback (you’ll know if it worked in seconds). They fail when: • The environment is complex, political, or new. • The decision affects long-term strategy, personnel, or budgets. • The leader’s personal experience doesn’t reflect the whole picture. In other words: trust your gut when the flames are rolling out the window, but don’t use it to write your department’s five-year staffing plan. CASE EXAMPLE: TACTICAL VS. STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING
Consider two different kinds of decisions: 1. Fire ground (tactical) A captain arrives first at a two-story residential structure with visible fire showing on the second floor. Life hazard unknown. The captain quickly sizes up, assigns a primary search, and calls for a backup line. That’s common sense in action quick, experience-based, and necessary. There’s no time for analysis paralysis. 2. Administrative (strategic) The same captain, now a deputy chief, must
decide whether to transition the department’s EMS delivery model to include advanced life support. That’s not a “gut” call. It requires stakeholder input, financial forecasting, union discussion, medical oversight, risk analysis, and community needs assessment. That’s rational decision-making territory. The mistake too many officers make is treating every problem like a fire ground problem. Urgency becomes a habit. The result? Poorly thought-out decisions that look decisive in the moment but create long-term messes. A true leader knows the difference between a burning building and a burning issue and adjusts their thinking accordingly. THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND BOTH APPROACHES
To understand why this matters, we have to acknowledge how the human brain actually works. Psychologist Daniel Kahneman, in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, describes two systems of thought. System 1: Fast, intuitive, emotional, our “common sense.” System 2: Slow, analytical, deliberate, our “rational” thinking. Firefighters live and breathe in System 1. We’re trained to make snap decisions under pressure. But the same habits that save lives in a burning structure can sabotage us in a boardroom or policy meeting. Rational decision-making forces us to engage System 2, to step back, question assumptions, and look for data. It’s slower, yes, but it’s also smarter when the stakes are organizational instead of operational. The challenge is learning to shift gears. Knowing when to trust instinct and when to engage analysis is the mark of a mature fire service leader. BARRIERS TO RATIONAL DECISION-MAKING IN THE FIRE SERVICE
If rational decision-making is so obviously better, why don’t more departments do it? Because it’s uncomfortable. It takes effort, patience, and vulnerability. It exposes blind spots and challenges “the way we’ve always done it.” Here are some common barriers: Cultural resistance: The fire service is proud of its tradition, sometimes to a fault. Suggesting a new approach can feel like disrespecting the
old one. Time pressure: Chiefs and officers juggle constant demands. “We don’t have time to analyze” becomes an easy excuse. Ego and rank: Admitting uncertainty feels risky. Many leaders would rather make a bad decision confidently than a good one collaboratively. Lack of data: Some departments simply don’t collect the information needed to make rational decisions. Without incident analysis, staffing data or performance metrics, leaders are flying blind. Political environment: Sometimes decisions are constrained by politics, budgets, or public perception, all of which can warp rational judgment. Overcoming these barriers means building a culture where thinking is valued as much as doing. That requires training, transparency and a shift from reactive leadership to reflective leadership. BUILDING A RATIONAL DECISION MAKING CULTURE
So how do you actually embed rational decision-making into a fire department that’s built on action and tradition? It’s not about stripping away instinct, it’s about supplementing it with structure. Here’s how to start: Begin with educating leaders on decision-making models. Just as firefighters train on tactics, officers should train on thinking. Teaching frameworks like the OODA Loop (Observe–Orient– Decide–Act) or the Rational Model gives leaders tools for consistent, defensible choices. Use data to drive policy. Stop making decisions on anecdotes. Track response times, turnout times, fire containment rates, medical call types, and staffing patterns. The data doesn’t care about opinion, it tells the truth. Encourage critical thinking. Foster a culture where questioning isn’t seen as insubordination. Encourage officers to ask “Why?” and “What if?” It strengthens decisions rather than undermining authority. Debrief everything. After incidents, meetings, or projects, review what worked and what didn’t. Use structured after-action reviews, not informal “kitchen table” storytelling. Rational organizations learn continuously. Separate urgent from important. Teach officers to recognize which decisions require immediate action and which need deliberate thought. This single skill can prevent most leadership disasters. Model transparency. As a chief or senior offi-
September 2026 FIREFightingInCanada.com 33
cer, explain your reasoning. When crews understand why you made a call, even unpopular decisions gain respect. Rational leadership is accountable leadership. LESSONS FROM FAILURE
Some of the worst outcomes in fire service history trace back to “common sense” gone wrong. Whether it’s a training fatality, a failed apparatus purchase, or a poorly managed workplace conflict, the root cause often comes down to unexamined assumptions and emotional reactions. A rational approach could have prevented many of them. When leaders document their decision process - the problem, the data, the options, the reasoning - they create institutional memory. That memory becomes the department’s best insurance policy against repeating mistakes. The fire service is evolving. Data analytics, risk reduction, mental health and community-based response models are redefining what it means to protect and serve. Departments that
cling to “common sense” as their compass will fall behind, not because they lack courage, but because they lack discipline in decision-making. Rational leadership isn’t about being robotic; it’s about being responsible. In the coming years, chiefs and officers will face decisions involving artificial intelligence in dispatch, integrated EMS delivery, climate driven wildfire threats and new expectations of accountability. Gut instinct won’t cut it. Evidence will. THE BALANCED LEADER
At the end of the day, the smartest fire service leaders know that neither approach alone is enough. Common sense gives speed and adaptability; rational thinking gives depth and accountability. When a crew is making a split-second rescue, common sense leads. When that same department is revising its training standards to prevent another mayday, rational analysis must take over. Leadership is about knowing which mode to
operate in and having the discipline to switch when needed. Common sense might get you through the call. Rational thinking will get your department through the next decade. The fire service prides itself on bravery, loyalty, and action, but the modern environment demands another trait: intellectual courage. The courage to slow down, question assumptions, and defend decisions with more than “it felt right.” Common sense makes a good firefighter. Rational decision-making makes a great leader. Both save lives, but only one ensures the fire service itself keeps evolving. Dallas D’Aoust has spent over 20 years in the fire service, starting his career in Edmonton and formerly serving as deputy fire chief with Yorkton Fire Protective Services in Saskatchewan before becoming the fire chief for the Town of Cochrane in Alberta. A certified NFPA 1041 Level 2 Instructor and hazmat technician, Dallas has dedicated much of his career to firefighter training and mentorship, teaching recruit classes and NFPA 1001 programs across Western Canada. Beyond the technical side of the job, he’s a strong advocate for firefighter mental health.
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MY TWO CENTS
Corey Brooks has 30 years in the fire service. He is currently working for Comox Fire Rescue as a platoon captain and is the lead instructor for the Comox Fire Training Centre.
By Corey Brooks, Captain, Comox Fire Rescue
KEEP YOUR FIRE BURNING When I think back to my early days in the fire service, I remember the feeling of walking into the hall, wanting to prove myself, and trying to absorb everything around me. I remember the first calls that tested my training and the first moments when I realized this job was more than a career. It was a commitment to a crew, a community, and a way of life. But as the years move on, motivation changes. The excitement of being new gives way to routine, responsibility, fatigue, promotion, leadership pressure, and the weight of experience. I have learned that staying motivated as a firefighter or officer is not about feeling inspired every day. It is about building the habits, purpose, discipline, and perspective that carry us through the years. Motivation in the fire service must mature with us. What drove me as a newer member is not always the same thing that drives me now. The challenge is to keep growing while staying connected to why I started.
I try to reconnect with the impact of the work. I think about the call where quick action made a difference, the family who received help, the member who improved because someone took the time to coach them, or the crew that operated safely because the basics were done well. I have come to believe that purpose is often found in the small moments, not only in the major incidents.
Motivation is unreliable when it depends only on emotion.
RECONNECT WITH YOUR PURPOSE
For me, the fire service has always been built on purpose. We respond when people are having one of the worst days of their lives. We protect life, property, and community confidence. Still, that purpose can become harder to see when calls become routine, paperwork increases, staffing challenges continue, or the same problems repeat themselves year after year. When I feel motivation slipping,
36 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026
SHIFT FROM PROVING YOURSELF TO IMPROVING YOURSELF
Early in my career, much of my motivation came from wanting to prove that I belonged. I wanted to earn trust, master skills, and show the crew that I could be counted on. As my experience grew, that focus had to shift. The goal was no longer just to prove competence; it was to keep improving it. I see professional development as a career-long responsibility, not a checkbox. I stay engaged when I set fresh goals: sharpening a tactical skill, mentoring a newer member, completing a course, improving physical conditioning, becoming more confident with apparatus, or strengthening communication under pressure. Progress does not always have to be dramatic to matter. Small improvements, made consistently over time, build professional excellence.
BUILD MOTIVATION INTO THE ROUTINE
Motivation is unreliable when it depends only on emotion. Some days
the energy is there; other days it is not. That is why I believe strong crews and effective officers build motivation into routine. Daily / weekly training, equipment checks, fitness standards, debriefs, and station expectations create structure that keeps us moving even when enthusiasm dips. To me, routine should never mean complacency. A good officer can take a familiar task and give it renewed purpose by explaining the why behind it. A hose evolution is not just hose. It is timing, teamwork, communication, body mechanics, and confidence. A truck check is not just inventory. It is operational readiness. A discussion after a call is not criticism. It is how a crew gets better together. LEAD PEOPLE, MANAGE TASKS
As an officer, I have found that motivation is closely tied to leadership. Promotion can bring pride, but it also brings pressure. Officers are responsible for decisions, standards, morale, accountability, and the development of others. It can be easy to become consumed by tasks and forget that leadership is built through people. I believe motivated officers invest in their crews. We ask questions, listen, coach, correct respectfully and recognize effort and growth. We create an environment where firefighters understand expectations and feel challenged to meet them. A crew that feels seen, trained, and trusted is more likely to stay engaged. @fireincanada
PROTECT YOUR HEALTH AND PERSPECTIVE
Over time, I have come to understand that long careers require more than skill; they require sustainability. Physical fitness, sleep, nutrition, mental health, family connection and recovery all influence motivation. When we ignore these foundations, frustration and fatigue can quietly replace pride and purpose. Staying motivated means recognizing when the job is taking a toll and taking action early. I believe we must talk with trusted peers, use available support, take recovery seriously, and maintain interests outside the fire hall. A firefighter or officer who protects personal resilience is better prepared to serve the public and support the crew. MENTOR THE NEXT GENERATION
One of the best ways I have found to renew motivation is to help someone else grow. Mentorship reminds me why the fundamentals matter. Teaching a skill, sharing lessons from past calls, helping a member prepare for promotion, or modelling professionalism can reignite pride in the craft. Every firefighter eventually becomes part of the department’s living history. The question is whether we pass that experience on with bitterness or with purpose. I believe the best senior members and officers do not simply talk about how things used to be; they help shape what the service can become. KEEP THE STANDARD PERSONAL
Departments have operational guidelines, policies, procedures and expectations, but motiva-
tion deepens when the standard becomes personal. I show up prepared because my crew deserves it. I train seriously because the public depends on it. I maintain equipment because the next call may not allow time for correction. I try to treat people well because culture is built one interaction at a time. There will be years when the job feels heavy. There will be seasons when motivation comes slowly. In those moments, discipline carries what emotion cannot. The professional keeps showing up, keeps learning, keeps caring, and keeps setting the example.
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I no longer see a fire service career as one long burst of excitement. I see it as a series of chapters. Each year brings new lessons, new responsibilities, new frustrations, and new opportunities to grow. Motivation must evolve with those chapters. For me, motivation is found in mastery, service, teamwork, and pride in doing the small things well. As an officer, it is also found in developing people, maintaining standards, and creating the conditions for others to succeed. Most of all, it is found in remembering that the work still matters. The flame that brought me into the fire service may not burn the same way forever. That is normal. The goal is not to stay the same as the day I started. The goal is to keep the fire burning steadier, wiser, and strong enough to guide those who come after me. And that’s my two cents for this month — until next time, friends.
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TRAINER’S CORNER
Ed Brouwer is the chief instructor for Canwest Fire in Osoyoos, B.C., a retired deputy chief training officer, fire warden, WUI instructor and ordained disaster-response chaplain. Contact aka-opa@hotmail.com.
By Ed Brouwer
ABOVE This old tractor is serving a new purpose.
I’m writing this at the end of July. Smoke has hardly left the valley. Wildfire reports have become part of the daily routine. Evacuation orders issued... rescinded... then issued again. One community breathes a sigh of relief while another begins packing. It feels strange writing for September’s issue while friends and former crew members are still pulling shifts on active fires. For over 30 years I lived that life. I started as a fire warden patrolling Little White Mountain above Kelowna on horseback. Later I had the privilege of leading two wildfire crews; Dragon Slayers and Sons of Thunder. And somewhere along the trail I had the opportunity to train well over a thousand young men and women. My wife Judi earned her own 10-year fire service award. Our children grew up around interrupted family gatherings, fire camps, radio traffic, and smoke chasing. Both of my sons eventually followed me into the fire service, both full time and volunteer. They also were a huge help with our “Saving Our Own – Hands
38 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026
On Training” and “Firefighter’s Ghost Maze”. Fire became our family story. During the process of writing this, I wandered into my old training room and was overwhelmed with sadness. The room where I had the privilege of training more than a thousand young men and women had quietly become the place where everything gets put when you don’t know where anything belongs. I spent five hours cleaning. Even dusting. No music. Just me... and my thoughts. My thoughts wandered back through multiple weeks on the Okanagan Mountain Fire in 2003... our first LODD ceremony for Ian MacKay, Eric Ebert and Ben von Hardenberg... my family being evacuated while my boys and I were working the very fire that threatened them... and a young father handing my five-member crew three peaches that were meant for him and his two children. Looking around that room, I realized something… None of those helmets can answer another call. The SCBAs won’t
see another working fire. The radios have long since fallen silent. But the people... The people we trained... They’re still answering the call. Maybe that’s what remains. As I closed the door behind me, I wasn’t expecting another lesson that day. But sometimes the things we move around on the ranch have a way of moving something inside us. Later that same day, I dragged an old 1951 Ford 9N tractor into the front yard and buried it in the ground just enough to make it look like it had spent a lifetime working before finally being allowed to rest. I’m tempted to put a sign by it reading, “For Sale. Ran when parked”. It was supposed to become yard art for Judi. Instead, it became one of those unexpected moments that quietly stays with you. As I stood looking at that old Ford, I realized it was built in 1951... the same number as my old call sign: 51 Echo. I couldn’t help but smile wondering if we have more in common than I first realized. @fireincanada
PHOTO: Ed Brouwer
The Tractor in the Front Yard
ABOVE My training room — now more memories, but memories that still serve as action on the front lines. For years that tractor pulled equipment, worked the fields, and earned its keep. Today it no longer plows a single furrow. It simply stands there reminding people of what once was. There are days I feel a little like that tractor. The younger generation is now carrying the packs. They’re climbing the ridges, making the hose lays, and digging guard. My radio is quiet. That old tractor isn’t useless. Its work has simply changed. The fire service doesn’t just need younger backs. It needs older voices. It needs people willing to say, “Here’s what I learned the hard way.” If we have done our job well, a little part of us keeps climbing on the truck every time one of those young firefighters we invested in pulls on their gear. Every firefighter eventually reaches the day when experience begins to outweigh strength... when stories become as valuable as speed... and wisdom becomes something worth passing on. Perhaps, like me, you’ve wondered if you have anything left to give. Early in our lives we give energy. Then we give experience. Then we give wisdom. Finally... we give perspective. Perspective cannot be rushed. It can only be lived into. You remember names... not all of them… just enough. The young firefighter who finally “got it.” The crew member who made you proud. The frightened rookie who later became
the calm officer. Maybe that’s what remains after all your years as a training officer. Somewhere today one of them is making the right decision because years ago you corrected
a hose lay, insisted they carry dry socks, taught them to read smoke, or reminded them to have situational awareness. Your footprints may have faded, but your fingerprints are still on the fireline. Maybe that’s what the old Ford will remind me of every morning. It will never pull another plow. But every time I walk past it, I hope it reminds me that usefulness isn’t measured by how much weight we’re pulling today. Sometimes the greatest work we ever do is the people we leave behind to carry the load tomorrow. Thank you for leaving more than lessons. Every drill, every correction, and every repetition may echo years later on a smoke-filled stairwell or beside a wrecked vehicle. You are leaving a legacy of competence, confidence, and care that will travel with every recruit long after the course is over. I am proud to serve with you. Until next issue, remember to train like lives depend on it... because they do.
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2025-06-13 10:11 8:18 AM 2025-07-23 AM
By Kyle Doerksen, Chief of Training
TRAINING: more than just ‘ticking boxes’ The tangible, and intangible, benefits of training Recently, I overheard someone say of training, “it feels like we’re just ticking boxes.” As our department’s chief of training, such statements are cause for concern. They make me wonder, am I missing the mark or are they missing the point? When training and emergency response encompass so much of our daily focus, planning and prioritization, it can be easy to lose sight of the numerous benefits training provides us; especially the less obvious ones. Many of training’s benefits are tangible and practical, while others are intangible yet powerful. As a firefighter, officer, instructor and chief officer, I have long understood that there is much more to training than simply being prepared to do the job. Yes, there are boxes to tick. There are legal and professional obligations we are required to address that ensure we operate efficiently and safely, but have you appreciated the less tangible, yet profound, benefits to your department’s culture, morale and mental health? The next time someone questions the value of training, make sure you tell them it is a lot more than just ticking boxes. PREPAREDNESS: THE FOUNDATION
At its heart, training’s unquestionable purpose is to ensure we are prepared to do the job. We must be capable of performing our roles and meeting the expectations of both our employer as well as the citizens we have sworn to protect. It is our duty. Most departments have at least one individual dedicated to ensuring a training program is implemented at weekly training nights or perhaps on a daily, monthly or annual basis. Visit a fire department that does not have a dedicated training officer or program, or worse yet, people in those roles that are not committed to the program. The consequences are often obvious in the way the firefighters behave, how they perform and even how
40 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026
the hall, trucks and uniforms are maintained. Attitudes, behaviours and appearance are inseparably linked to training. LEGAL OBLIGATIONS
Of course, it is true. There are boxes to tick when it comes to training; often legal and professional obligations. In British Columbia, we have an over-arching provincial fire commissioner who provides oversight on matters pertaining to the fire service, one of them being training requirements. They identify minimum standards to which B.C. fire departments must train based on their level of resources. This oversight ensures consistency and appropriate protection for both citizens and firefighters alike. Beyond provincial minimums, regulatory bodies such as OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Association) or Work Safe BC (British Columbia) establish mandatory safety requirements – not minimums, but rather non-negotiables. Do your people understand what these legal requirements are? It is critical they do. Here in B.C., our Command Boards acknowledge three critical legal components: Rapid Intervention Teams (RIT), accountability, and incident planning. It is imperative our firefighters understand these requirements so that they are protected, do the right things, and tick the right boxes. Legal obligations are not the most inspiring reason we train, and it is entirely possible many in your organization are ignorant to such stipulations, but for administrators they ensure training is prioritized. PROFESSIONAL OBLIGATIONS
As firefighters, we refer to ourselves as professionals. Such a title carries responsibility. True professionals train consistently and deliberately. Respected professions are engaged in consistent education and development. A retired physician told me she studied throughout the entirety of her career, well into her seventies, in preparation for recertifications and professional growth. Robust and thoughtful training programs ensure your firefighters remain on a similar trajectory of never-ending professional development, be it through formal certifications and evaluations or less formal classes, education, debriefs, tail board talks, etc. The opportunities to train and learn in the fire service are endless, and rightfully so given the breadth of emergencies we deal with. A favourite saying is “the difference between an amateur and a professional is in the details.” True professionals are engaged in consistent improvement training and detail acquisition. SAFETY
We train to make dangerous work less so. Arguably, this is the most important reason we train; so as not to get killed, injured, or even kill others. It is a sobering fact that may @fireincanada
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not be fully appreciated if your department has had the good fortune of never having suffered a serious fireground injury or worse. Safety is discussed and interwoven into virtually all we do, be it education, skills, teamwork, leadership, standard operating procedures or equipment to name a few. It is hard to imagine how much more dangerous a fireground would be if no one knew what they were doing, never practiced, or never bothered to enlighten themselves. Years ago, I had the good fortune of meeting retired FDNY Chief Gerry Tracey. He was speaking to myself and fellow trainers at a symposium. I will never forget him stating, “You guys like coming to work, right? I bet you love the job, right?” After a pause, he followed with an emotional, “Well, if someone gets hurt or killed on the job, it’s not gonna be a fun place to work!” Chief Tracey was speaking from painful experience, and he had made his point. We all want to come home to our families at the end of the day and look forward to a healthy and happy retirement. Training is but one of the most reliable ways to ensure both those things happen for us as well as those we work with. TEAMWORK
Teamwork is a core principle binding every fire department together, and few environments reinforce this crucial value as effectively as our training grounds. The training ground is where we find concrete objectives that necessitate teamwork to accomplish the goal; it’s a simulation of the fireground. Training helps define roles and expectations, enforces good habits and ensures everyone is working together. Through tailboard talks and hot washes, we identify what went well and what can be improved. It is in these critical debriefs where we have the opportunity to demonstrate professionalism, humbleness, engagement and compassion while simultaneously curating departmental expectations and culture. Training makes it clear: success is a team effort. TRUST
Training helps establish trust both up and down the chain. Well-planned and practical training builds trust despite occasional grumblings. Crews may not thank you immediately. It may take weeks, months, even years before they do. However,
when your training pays dividends at incidents, trust is established. This is the tipping point. Now your firefighters will understand your methods, your intentions and your leadership. Once they realize their health, safety and performance is your priority, a bond forms that enables all of you to achieve far more than technical competence alone. And of course, it is the training ground where they not only learn to trust you, but you learn to trust them and they equally learn to trust each other. We commonly judge rookies on the training ground first. Here, we evaluate them on their technical proficiencies and ability to get the job done. I would argue that the level of trust we place in new firefighters, or any firefighter for that matter, is commensurate with their performance on the training ground. MINDSET
Ideally, you have numerous leaders, officers and firefighters modelling a ‘training mindset’ which we could argue is analogous to a ‘growth mindset’ – the understanding that mastery is a never-ending journey. Consistent education, mixed with a healthy dose of experience, is key to a high-performing fire department. Training not only enlightens us but also humbles us; both of which make us better. A regular training program ensures firefighters understand that improvement is ongoing, not optional. Maintaining a growth mindset is vital to a healthy career both on the job, off the job and after the job.
for your people does not necessarily win you any popularity contests, but it will earn you, and them, credibility. HUMILITY
Humility, in my opinion, is the most important quality in a firefighter and training is one of the best ways to cultivate it. Consistent training ensures your people remain humble by establishing a harmony between success and failure. Mistakes are both inevitable and necessary. The road to success always passes failure. The only way we get over that failure is through an understanding that it will make us better. Understanding this critical aspect of training fosters that all-important growth mindset that ensures your people are always improving and always growing while also remaining humble. The training ground is not only one of the best places to foster humility, but is also one of the best places to demonstrate it. When you debrief drills and discuss what could have been improved (and there is always something you could have done better), as the leader, go first. When the rookies see the senior firefighters and officers demonstrating humility by being the first ones to discuss their mistakes, it becomes expected that others can, and should, model the same. This is but another great example of how training can help establish positive behaviour, attitudes and culture in your department.
GOOD HABITS
COMPETENCE, CONFIDENCE & STRESS
There can be a tendency for any leader to shy away from making your people do difficult things – but the reality is that leadership occasionally requires you to be unpopular. This is one of the most challenging lessons officers must learn. There will be time when both crews and even you, their leader, will be hungry, tired, pre-occupied or focused on something else. There will be times when your crew will not feel like training. There will be times when you will not feel like training. A good officer understands when to push and when to ease up, but they also understand that consistency is key. Ensuring regular training is the rule, not the exception, will go a long way to creating a happy, healthy and high-functioning crew. Good training builds good habits. Being consistent and looking out
Training breeds competence. Competence creates confidence. Confidence fosters stress resilience. It is a powerful feedback loop, albeit a subtle one. In a day and age where mental health is a primary focus, we should not underestimate the ability of a good training regime to impact us, and those we lead, positively. It is a powerful feeling when you and your crew feel ready for most anything; when you want the tones to ring just so you may be afforded an opportunity to test your skills. This level of confidence, often due in no small part to regular training, not only elevates team camaraderie but also bolsters our stress resilience. When we show up prepared and things still
42 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026
@fireincanada
do not go as planned (an inevitability on our job), we are more likely to walk away understanding it just was not our day despite our training and preparations. In this way, training acts as a form of stress inoculation; a protective coat of armour shielding you from self-doubt and negative talk. The opposite is experienced when we show up unprepared and leave wondering if we could have done more. Regular training will help foster competence and confidence in your people and will also quietly boost their stress resilience for when they need it most. CULTURE
Few factors impact your department’s culture more than how you train. Culture being a conglomeration of customs, activities, ceremonies and expectations that collectively establish how your group behaves and perceives itself. I have had the good fortune to visit innumerable fire departments, nationally and internationally, while also serving two different metropolitan career departments, each with its
own unique culture. These experiences have impressed upon me not only how important and powerful culture can be, but also that it should never be taken for granted. Not all departments have good culture. Regular, practical training will reinforce those customs, expectations and activities that establish your culture. MORALE
The attitude, disposition and pride within a group can be complicated and tenuous. The morale of an organization can sometimes be different than that of certain crews. In my experience, the morale of the department, or crew, is often linked to the quality of their training. Regular training ensures your people have something to rally around each day beyond emergency response. Proficient training ensures your people show up confident, competent and, often, they walk away feeling good about their work and themselves. This establishes pride. Good training will see your crew come together to overcome obstacles, collectively improve,
help each other through difficult times, and bond. This bonding brings cohesion which improves teamwork which goes on to build yet more pride and more positive morale. It is a wonderful feedback loop. Experience tells me those that train improve morale, while those that do not risk losing it or never attaining it at all. Yes, there are professional and legal obligations that can serve as motivation to ‘tick some boxes,’ but training’s true value lies beyond regulation. Training ensures your organization fosters an environment built on teamwork, trust, a growth mindset, humility, competence, confidence, stress resilience and good morale. It prepares firefighters to not just do the job, but to thrive in it. Training is not about ticking boxes; it is about building a fire department you can be proud of. Kyle Doerksen is the chief of training in Coquitlam, B.C., and has been in the fire service for over 30 years. He taught for JIBC for more than 15 years as well at other training institutions.
September 2026 FIREFightingInCanada.com 43 FFIC_MetalFab_August26_CSA.indd 1
2026-06-16 1:45 PM
TECH TALK
Chris Dennis spent 23 years as the chief mechanical officer for Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service. Chris retired in March 2025 and is now the operations manager for BKC Inc. Mobile Emergency Vehicle Repair in Barrie, Ont.
By Chris Dennis, EVT
Hello and a warm welcome to autumn! I have been writing the Tech Talk column for Fire Fighting in Canada for many years now. I recently moved my toolbox, my office, and my uniform over to “R Platoon” to make way for the next generation of mechanical officers. I retired after serving over 20 years with Vaughan Fire and Rescue as chief mechanical officer and have moved into a position in the private sector with BKC Inc., a fire apparatus repair company out of Barrie, Ont. The company provides full mobile repair service for all makes and models of fire trucks, as well as mobile pump and ladder testing, all done on site at the fire hall we attend (okay, there’s my free plug). Fire Fighting in Canada asked me if I could continue, and how could I say no to such an informative magazine? I decided that door maintenance is a good jump off point for this first continuing column. My tenure with a large city in Ontario allowed me to work closely with all divisions as well as with procurement within the city; answering to the deputy fire chief and the fire chief. This also allowed me to receive mentorship at a much higher level. I gained so much from all the people I supported. Now in the private sector, I can share what I have learned and help educate small and large departments on upcoming processes so they have a firm foothold on maintenance within their own fire fleet. Many departments depend on their fleet service garage to look after the trucks. In some cases, however, work on slides, swings,
ABOVE Excessive de-icing agent build up can cause extensive corrosion to all working parts of a roll up door.
44 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026
snow blowers and lawn equipment takes precedence, as does a lack of mechanical skill with fire apparatus. This also applies to private repair facilities. Let’s face it: even though the rig may be a vocational cab and chassis, the back half is not. Commercial trucks are a completely different animal. Let’s start on the roll up doors. If your department has swing doors, some of this will also apply. When it comes to winter, some provinces have a consistent snow load while others vary. Nevertheless, the de-ic-
ing agents used are the same. These products are great for the care and control over the winter months, but not so great on the apparatus in every way. In a lot of cases, the volunteer trucks appear to be looked after better than those in full-time or composite departments, simply because the call volume may not be as high. There are more firefighters showing up when the pager goes to a call versus a set staff complement, resulting in more hands on deck for truck cleaning. Since doors are so expensive when purchased, proper @fireincanada
PHOTO: CHRIS DENNIS
The hidden cost of a neglected door
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ABOVE Here you’ll see a contaminated roll-up door switch — a clean and lube corrected the concern.
systems and lots of wiring. These are all in different spots, usually based on the truck’s builder. Direct high-pressure water will make its way in and you will, in turn, cause issues. Once cleaned and rinsed, let it dry out or dry it again, using caution around lighting and electrics. You will notice seals and gaskets on the lower part of the door and around the openings. This applies to both swing and roll-up doors. Wipe these seals down. If any seals are missing, torn, or damaged make notes and advise of the concern. These impurities allow dirt and water to enter the compartment, which in turn contaminates the equipment inside. Roll the doors down to latched position. If any long strands are hanging out from the slats do not just pull them out, cut them off as close to the door as you can. These are seals between the slats. Rinse the door with water. If you use a pressure washer here, do not use it close to the door. You will see amounts of muddy water running from
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PHOTOS: CHRIS DENNIS
care and maintenance means they last longer, allowing the budget amount to be used elsewhere instead of on preventable repairs. How many times have you gone to open a roll up door only to find it so stiff or hard to open you would almost think something has fallen against it on the inside? This usually happens at a call when we need what’s in there now. We pull on that door, in some cases ripping the handle off, twisting the door or damaging the wiring inside it. Let’s address the door before that day. This starts by emptying out the compartment one at a time to ensure operational readiness. Use a wash mitt or small brush with mild soap and warm water. Starting at the top, wash out the compartment and rinse with light garden hose pressure — NOT a pressure washer. Inside many of these compartments are electronics, not only for door open warnings but also for truck functions. Behind some of the interior compartment panels are truck control
these slat areas; that is normal. If you pressure wash these areas, it forces dirt in, ruins the seals, and gets inside the compartment or, worse, inside the hollow door slats, which will corrode them from the inside out. A soft brush will get into the slats and pull the dirt out or loosen it up. Wash in the direction of the slat not across it. Scrubbing across the slat also pushes dirt in. When washing after a call, this process is best done with the grain instead of across it. Rinse the door completely. Using high-pressure air is also not recommended to dry the slats or dirt out. Reassemble the equipment in the compartment, making sure it’s secured. The last item is to inspect the drum part of the roll up door. Ideally if you have a small firefighter, they can actually go into some compartments with a flashlight and close the door. They in turn can clean the inside of the door and look to see if the parts integrated for the door’s use are all intact and working. For example, the drum
ABOVE Organized and clean, the swing door will never let you down
rollers. If you are unable to get into the compartment, pull it as far down as you can and have a look inside and up. Please use safety glasses, as flaking dirt and salt build up inside the door. A face mask of some type is also recommended so you’re not accidentally breathing in dirt. If all looks as it should, roll up the door. Use a non-petroleum-based dry silicone spray inside the rollers up at the top of the door, on the side door glides all rubber seals, and the pull handle hinge areas. Work the door up and down and ensure the door open warning is working for that door as well as the lighting. Note: Dry silicone will not harm electrics. You will notice a considerable difference in its operation. Stay on this process throughout the year and you will be performing preventative maintenance and stopping a major failure before it happens. If you depend on your repair facility to look after this process, be sure they too are doing it correctly. Well, that’s it for now. I will be back.
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By Shawn Schutten, Deputy Fire Chief, Wainfleet
HOW WE HIRE FIREFIGHTERS I have served the community in which I live for 18 years. During that time, I’ve moved through the ranks from probationary firefighter to deputy fire chief. In my current role, I regularly receive requests from firefighters asking for reference letters for career fire departments. What has become increasingly discouraging to me is watching highly committed volunteer firefighters struggle to get hired while others move through the system successfully despite demonstrating far less long-term commitment to the craft. The firefighters who often get overlooked are the ones who genuinely love the profession. They show up consistently. They are the first to put their hands up for training, the first to volunteer for difficult assignments, and the first to ask how they can improve. Often, they spend their own time and money
50 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026
ARE WE HIRING PROFESSIONAL APPLICANTS?
The modern hiring process has become increasingly focused on identifying candidates who are highly skilled at navigating hiring systems. Candidates now arrive with professionally written resumes designed specifically to meet keyword screening requirements. They attend aptitude tests that many have already studied extensively using online resources and practice banks. When departments modify the tests, it often does not improve candidate quality as much as it simply changes what applicants need to prepare for next. Preparation itself is not a bad thing. But when test scores become the primary factor moving candidates forward, departments should ask whether they are evaluating operational suitability, decision-making and long-term potential, or simply the ability to perform well on standardized testing. The interviews are usually the next step. Interview coaching has become an industry of its own. Candidates are trained on like@fireincanada
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Our current application process is not set up for success
developing themselves because they want to serve their communities at the highest level possible. At the same time, I’ve watched firefighters who showed only moderate engagement suddenly reappear when a local career department posts a hiring notice. Attendance spikes. Participation increases. References are requested. Then, once the hiring process ends, so does the effort. That should concern all of us.
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ly questions, ideal responses, posture, tone, and delivery. By the time they sit in front of a panel, many candidates are highly practiced in interview techniques, which can make it difficult to distinguish preparation from genuine operational suitability, leadership potential, and composure under pressure. After multiple interviews and testing stages, hiring decisions are often made based on credentials and performance indicators built specifically to succeed within the hiring process itself. And then departments are making a commitment that may last 30 years or more. FIREFIGHTERS ARE INDUSTRIAL ATHLETES
The fire service continues to overlook one important reality: Firefighters are industrial athletes. We expect firefighters to go from sleeping to making life-and-death decisions in minutes. We ask them to function in high heat, zero visibility, emotional chaos and extreme physical stress. We
expect teamwork, resilience, courage, adaptability, communication, decision-making and mental toughness. Yet many departments still hire firefighters using processes that closely resemble those used for many other municipal positions. That deserves further discussion. No professional sports organization drafts athletes based solely on resumes, written tests, and coached interviews. They hold tryouts. They evaluate performance. They assess competitiveness, teamwork, coachability, discipline, and how athletes respond under pressure. I once listened to former NHL executive Brian Burke speak at an OAFC event. In his trademark direct style, he explained how professional hockey teams know nearly everything about their prospects long before draft day. They study athletic ability, competitiveness, personality, coachability, and how players respond under pressure. But his main point was simple: you cannot fully evaluate an athlete without seeing them compete. The same principle applies to fire fighting.
52 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026 FFIC_Husky_Sept26_CSA.indd 1
Somehow, in one of the most physically and mentally demanding professions in the world, we continue making hiring decisions without fully evaluating how candidates perform in realistic environments. And unlike professional sports organizations, where teams can trade or release players relatively easily, the fire service is often making a 30-year commitment based largely on interviews, testing, and limited practical evaluation. ARE WE HIRING THE BEST FIREFIGHTERS?
This discussion should not be about rewarding the best-prepared interview candidate. It should be about consistently identifying the best firefighters for the job. Every firefighter deserves a fair opportunity to compete. But fairness should not mean overvaluing those who are simply better coached or better prepared for the hiring process itself. The public deserves firefighters who are capable, resilient, physically prepared, emotionally
@fireincanada 2026-07-27 FFIC_Motto 10:22Decon_Sept26_CSA.indd AM 1
2026-07-22 1:16 PM
mature, operationally competent, and deeply committed to the profession. The fire service owes our communities that much. THE CHANGING CULTURE OF THE FIRE SERVICE
Many senior firefighters express concern that some aspects of fire service culture are changing in ways that may reduce emphasis on resilience, accountability, preparation, and humility. Traditions matter in the fire service because they were built around survival, discipline, and trust. Culture matters because firefighters depend on one another in dangerous environments where failure can have severe consequences. This profession should absolutely continue to evolve. We should improve leadership, inclusion, professionalism, and mental health support. And in many areas, we are. But evolution cannot come at the expense of operational excellence. Being a firefighter is not simply a job title. It is a responsibility that demands extraordinary
performance under extraordinary circumstances. SO WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE?
Departments need to rethink how they evaluate candidates. Municipal HR departments need to better understand the realities of the profession they are hiring for. They should spend time on training grounds, observe live evolutions (evaluations?), and see firsthand the physical and mental demands placed on firefighters. If a candidate struggles significantly during practical evolutions (evaluations?) yet still advances primarily because of interview and testing performance, departments should ask whether their evaluation criteria are properly weighted. Departments should place greater emphasis on: • Real-world performance evaluations • Scenario-based assessments • Team-based problem solving • Physical and mental resilience • Long-term volunteer commitment
• • •
Instructor feedback and peer evaluations Practical firefighting ability under stress Live-fire or high-pressure simulated environments • Teamwork and communication during realistic evolutions We need hiring systems that identify authentic firefighters, not simply highly polished applicants. That may mean giving experienced firefighters greater input in hiring decisions through structured practical assessments and standardized evaluation rubrics, rather than relying almost entirely on written testing and interview performance. Because right now, too many highly capable firefighters are being overlooked while others become highly skilled at navigating the hiring process itself. And deep down, many people in the fire service already recognize that concern. It is time for change. Wainfleet Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Schutten has served in the fire service for over 18 years. He can be reached at SSchutten@wainfleet.ca.
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VOLUNTEER VISION
By Randy Schroeder, Fire Chief, Town of Mayerthorpe and Lac Ste. Anne County, Alberta
Randy Schroeder became a fire chief in 2003 and was the president of the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association for seven years. Nationally, he serves as the vice chair of the CAFC National Advisory Council. You can reach Randy at rschroeder@lsac.ca.
Teamwork makes the dream work! Are you a fire officer or the only firefighter left at your station day in and day out, wondering where the heck everyone is? Are you constantly feeling challenged recruiting new people into the service? Do you feel a lack of commitment, or waning disengagement when they arrive? Yep, me too. Our service has six stations. Three are very strong in numbers and three are smaller. Of the three smaller stations, two have combined forces in conducting drills and training, have symmetry in response, and as a unit of two, are a very strong team. One geographically is a bit more distant and struggles. Our service is fortunate to have six stations, all within 10 to 15 minutes of one another to support our level of service. Units of two and three launch from each station to fulfill our response protocol, but it’s the same people. As our service gets busier, we are starting to see the cracks. What do we do about it? This is an existential question, philosophical in nature and filled with societal challenges. We are a people-based organization and like all organizations have to engage our communities in a competitive manner to attract people. It was identified at this spring’s Alberta Fire Chiefs Conference, during a rural round table discussion, that we don’t truly have a recruiting problem — we have a retention problem. This is not to say that smaller communities drawing from a low population don’t have a recruiting problem, however, we have communities of 1,000 to 3,000 people seeing an annual turnover of staff. In some cases, this turnover equates to 30 to 50 per cent (except the core people). Why? Who is the competition for their time? Why can we not hold value? Why are people leaving the service much earlier than ever before?
Start by looking inward. What type of team do you have? What are your expectations? What is your social environment like? Are you family oriented? What programs do you offer that are not related to an NFPA training program? Do you have multiple roles for wide age groups, physical abilities, community relationships, and educational capacities? What type of allowances do you make to enable a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment that allows people within your organization to excel in a proactive way that engages and keeps them? The mistake that many of our fire service organizations make (and I have made these) is a desperate attempt to jam NFPA certifications and a host of other training programs into your new recruits and make their experience solely about stressful accelerated learning, examinations, evaluations, and physical abilities to do skills, all in an effort to get them on the truck as fast as possible. Examine your orientation. Is there a slow immersive pace salt and peppered with social and team building experiences? Do you have a volunteer activities coordinator? Have you established an appropriate budget for team building experience outside of the services? Do you have uniforms? Invest the time into your organization to talk to your core, other than about the constant threat of if “I don’t go than who will.” What keeps them tied to your station, and what would make it better? Ask your recruits what attracted them? Do you do blind surveys of your staff regularly? Take suggestions. Here is something to try: NFPA 101 has introduced the support person role, designed to support volunteer and combination fire departments, addressing
54 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2026
The addition of the support person role addresses the need to increase volunteerism and enhance community engagement focusing on specific tasks, reducing training hours needed and streamlining the onboarding process.
needs such as communication, hazard identification, equipment maintenance, and inspection. The support person can assist in non-hazardous atmosphere and protected work areas, including hydrant operations, communications, scene safety, equipment maintenance, and the cleaning and inspection of PPE. The addition of the support person role addresses the need to increase volunteerism and enhance community engagement focusing on specific tasks, reducing training hours needed and streamlining the onboarding process. Redefine roles in your department with your response requirements. Keep in mind 85 per cent of the time we routinely use only 30 per cent of the base JPR’s in NFPA 1001, 1002, 1006, 470, 1021, 1140, and first aid, etc. Orient your staff to the 30 per cent first. Orient them to your system and response protocols. Orient them to what they can initially do to help, that’s why they are there. After you have satisfied your municipalities application requirements (which can be onerous in themselves), you control the environment for success or failure. Here’s a basic orientation based on what it is that we do: Receive a page, assemble at the station, get in a truck designed for the job, arrive safely as a team, take charge, assess the hazards at the scene, protect ourselves and our team, formulate a plan, execute the plan, analyze its effect until the situation is resolved, return back to quarters, service our equipment, clean ourselves, analyze our response, and document what we did. And we get to do this in the biggest, baddest trucks going with lights and sirens. Then get them on the truck as fast as possible, it is why they walked through the door. Build your team! @fireincanada
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