One afternoon, just prior to shift change, a young boy comes into the station and says that there is a fire and points to an area up the street. We take a look but see nothing. He says “they told me there was a fire up by the mechanics.”

So there are several places close by that this could be. All areas where fires are not uncommon.

He seems adamant there was a fire.

As we got dressed and got on the rig he stood in front of the station and pointed to where we should be going. He was anxious.

It was just prior to shift change, so we rolled out heavy and requested the box for a walk in reporting a fire.

We went to the area where we thought it might be and were unable to see a fire. The boy met us there and was now a bit more excited saying over there and pointing to a small street nearby.

We proceeded to that location and found a mechanics shop just as he said. But no fire.

When I walked in the door, the mechanic said to the boy, “oh what did you do? Why did you bring them here?”

I explained what had happened to this point and he said that there was no fire there, but there had been a car fire somewhere and that they were bringing the car to him.

We double checked the neighborhood and as we prepared to clear the call several men were pushing a car up the street. It was not on fire, but it had been. They were able to get it out and were bringing it to the mechanic to take a look at.

We placed everyone in service and returned to quarters.

But on the way back I was thinking about that little kid and his perception of what was about to happen.

Someone had called and said there was a fire and they were bringing it to the shop. I’m assuming, in his mind, he sees a car fully involved rolling down the street, lighting the shop and neighborhood on fire. So he does what he was taught, get the firemen.

He was scared and you could see it in his face. He legitimately thought the fire was coming to them.

His perception of what was about to happen was very different than the reality of what was actually happening.

There in lies an important lesson for all of us, not only for our time in the fire service, but for every day of our lives. Someone’s perception, based up on their age, life experiences and education, is their reality.

You coming from your background and life experience and education may see things completely different from someone else. It is at that point were much of the conflict we face day to day is spawned.

In the fire service this effects us in our dealings with the public, and within our ranks.

Often times dealing with perception will require us to employ quite a bit more patience than
we might feel is necessary or to take a little bit more time to understand what ‘the other side’ is thinking.

You may be right in your thoughts, but you may be wrong simply because you’ve only looked at the situation from your perspective.

On the street we might tell a citizen to step aside or hang on a minute when we are arriving at a call. We have a million things going through our heads at that point and we often don’t take the time to address citizens appropriately.

From that interaction they come away with a feeling that we are ignorant to them, we come away with a feeling that they are getting in the way or are slowing our operations or are being ignorant to us.

The reality of the situation is a little bit of both.

They are dealing with an emergency in “their world”, something highly unusual and stressful to them. We on the other hand, deal in emergencies and often don’t take into account the stress being placed upon those we interact with.

They often do not understand the process we use or the steps involved to address their emergencies. Nor do they care. But they do care if we are short or snap at them.

In the firehouse when we see new policy or orders rolled out we often begin to attack it immediately. We don’t fully understand it’s intent and our perception is its one more thing to weigh us down or make life more difficult.

From the other side they may think it helps to control an issue or improve a system within our operations, when it really may not.

So walls are built, a war footing is set up, often labor becomes involved and grievances are filed.

But, in reality, we might only be a few words off of an amicable policy that works for everyone.

The perception though is often that they are trying to stick it to us and for them that we just like to fight everything that comes down the pike.

If you’ve ever watched Undercover Boss you see
so many times where policy has come out only for the boss to realize when working at the ‘street’ level that it really isn’t effective nor does it live up to their initial intent.

You also see employees who are frustrated with a policy or procedure simply because they want to do it a different way but haven’t taken the time to understand how their actions effect the company.

On the show there is often a moment of realization for both sides when they sit down at the end and talk.

That realization comes from being open to and learning from the ‘other side’. Taking the time to see the world form a different perspective.

This is not only a lesson for management but the employee as well.

It’s a lesson made possible because both sides took the time to see things from a different perspective.

Then and only then can the two sides come together and move an organization forward.

For bosses they need to get out and understand the needs of those under them, take the time to get to know their people and get a feel for who they are, what they are doing and the struggles they face both on and off the job.

For the worker they need to do the same. To understand that management is not always out to get them and that they are people as well and face all of the same problems that we face every day.

Together they must both see the world around them and work to create a service and a delivery model that is effective and efficient and that most of all serves the public in a way that they deserve.

Personally we must understand that we are all different and all come from different life experiences, education and backgrounds. That will lead us to see the world differently from others and they differently from us.

Other’s perception of us and ours of them will rarely be what we think it is. That’s something we should always keep in mind. Something we should strive to understand. We can not just force our will upon others. It will never work.

The understanding and management of perception is a skill that some can master and some can not. But it is something that we should all strive to accomplish.

Putting ego aside, opening up at a basic human level and not suppressing frustration or confusion is the only way to move everyone forward.

Our job requires that we be open to understanding. Understanding of those we serve under, those we serve over, those we serve with and most importantly the communities we serve together.

It takes effort, it takes commitment and a desire for continuous improvement.

It takes a bit of humility and a lot of patience.

The next time something creates conflict for you think of the little boy and the car. Is there really a flaming car barrelling down the road towards you? Is your world really going to be enveloped and destroyed by flames?

He doesn’t have the life experience or education at this point in his life to see the world much beyond it’s face value.

As an adult, firefighter and or officer you do.

Take the time to look beyond what is right in front of you and to see those things from another’s perspective. Work together to solve issues for the betterment of everyone.

Most of all be respectful, listen and try to understand. Learning will occur for everyone. And in the process we’ll make everyone a little better.