Am I trying too hard? Did I spend too much time studying the first due map book? Was that last hose stretch at drill just too much? Is wanting my peers to be proficient asking too much?

Anyone who knows me is aware that I devote as much time and effort as I can to the fire service. From constantly reading, listening, training, watching videos, to responding to calls and helping upgrade our equipment.

Sometimes my devotion and determination can rub people the wrong way which makes me think sometimes, "Am I trying too hard?"

The answer is 100% no.

This job requires us to win, take 1st place and always do better than 'good enough' when operating at incidents. If you like to say one of the following I don't have any time for you:

"Well the fire went out and no one got hurt." "It's just a house they can rebuild it."

We can grab the average person off of the street and ask them to hold a hose line, open it and point it in a window that has fire coming out of it. Our job requires devotion, dedication & the will to succeed. If all you do is show up and put on gear you're not a fireman, you're an actor. Riding a fire truck doesn't make you a fireman.

I love the quote from John Eversole: "Our department takes 1,120 calls every day. Do you know how many of the calls the public expects perfection on? 1,120. Nobody calls the fire department and says, 'send me two dumb-ass firemen in a pickup truck.' In three minutes, they want five brain surgeon decathlon champions to come and solve all their problems."

Obviously, his quote was to illustrate a point but I want my crew to strive for perfection. They should enjoy getting better, faster, stronger and smarter.

When someone asks me if we can try a new tactic, skill or piece of equipment that they saw on YouTube or at a conference, I welcome it with open arms. It shows they're into the job and think about it even when they're not working or staffing a unit.

Furthermore, I know that at some point the former 'new' guys are going to be better than me. This doesn't scare me or hurt my ego: moreover, it makes me proud. It shows that our leadership's devotion to training was successful.

When you look in the mirror do you see the fireman you want coming to save your friends or family?

I know I do.