There comes a time when you must make a decision.

A choice about what is right or what is right for you.

I’ve often told people that you need to make choices that will be right for you.

But I’m not so sure that that’s always the right path to follow.

As a matter of fact, I’m sure that more times than not it isn’t the correct path.

What I should have been saying is that you need to make choices that you can live with.

Choices that are built upon what is right, and what does the most for as many people as it can.

Being a firefighter was a choice that each of us made. I know of no one who was forced into this life.

So you chose upon your own free will, you went through many stages trying to get to the next, working towards the goal of becoming a fireman.

At some point you had to realize that this was bigger than you.

It was a commitment that you chose to make.

A commitment to your community, to those who live in it, to those who work in it, to those who visit it.

A commitment to the brothers and sisters who ride out with you.

A commitment to yourself and to your family.

The commitment that I’m speaking of is that you’ll be ‘all in.’

That you will be engaged and that you will live this life, THAT YOU CHOSE, with integrity and honor and pride.

That you acknowledge your need to constantly improve, to learn and to carry the torch of this great service in the way that those before you did.

No, not the way they did. BETTER than they did.

This job has a way of slowly eating away at you. Sometimes at your body. Sometimes at your mind.

But it’s always eating away.

That’s why it is so vital that we stand together in support of each other and for what is right about our CHOSEN vocation.

It is vital that we know that we’re there for each other not only when we need it most, but all of the time.

Not just by crawling through the smoke and finding a lost brother or sister.

But by making choices each day that support our mission and our brotherhood and live up to the standards of the storied history and culture of our great fire service.

You CHOSE to be here. By saying yes, I accept this job, you committed to something bigger than yourself and EVERYTHING that comes with it.

When you don’t live up to those standards that you chose to accept, we all see it.

You may not think we do, but we do. And so does the public we serve.

You can lie to yourself, but you can’t fool everyone else.

You become so comfortable with the narrative you tell yourself, that you don’t even realize that the curtain is open and we can see behind it.

Brothers and sisters, show up and do what YOU CHOSE TO DO.

Bickering over the house fund, refrigerator, or locker space is ridiculous.

Not eating dinner with your crew is ridiculous.

Sitting out on drills that make you better is ridiculous.

Talking behind other’s backs is ridiculous.

Hiding behind policy because it’s always been that way instead of working to improve it is ridiculous.

Not looking out for or taking care of your brothers is ridiculous.

Bitching, moaning, and complaining and doing nothing to make it better is ridiculous.

All of these things are stress fractures in the foundation that is vital to our success on the street.

We cannot wonder if someone will be there when we need them the most.

We cannot wonder if they will have our back.
We cannot wonder if they believe in our mission.

If you cannot stand up for what is right or do the right thing while you’re in the station, then we ARE wondering about what you’ll do when the chips are down and the stakes are high.

Untied we stand, divided we will fall.

Brothers and sisters, this job is about being a team, and supporting each and every one on that team, so that we can move forward, and do the very best for our community.

You know that.

You chose that.

You need to live it.

The senior man.

Discussions at the kitchen table with coffee.

Company drills.

Meals with the whole crew.

Sharing of the materials needed for meal prep. ]

Looking out for each other.

Supporting each other.

Cleaning up the firehouse.

Maintaining your tools and apparatus.

Having pride in your abilities and your career.

These things are vital to our overall success. They are traditions, they are our culture, and they are designed to bring us together so that we learn about and develop relationships with each other.

They are just a few of the vital components that build the foundation that we operate on. The foundation that each day we entrust our lives with.

It is time we live up to the job as the professionals we claim to be.

The choice is yours.

I hope you’ll make the right one.

Be smart, be as safe as you can, & DO YOUR JOB.

BB