Recently returning from a command level course, a good friend of mine told me a story about a company officer. It seems the officer was responsible for managing his department's accreditation process. Successfully achieving the — in his eyes — coveted status, he was now returning to a company.
As class progressed it became apparent the company officer didn't know the sides of a building. Confiding to my friend and a small group of others, he stated he had attained his position by virtue of certification and memorizing key terms. His candor shocked the small group.
His attitude shouldn't really shock us. In an age where specialization is deemed more important than the basics, it's just an example of the type of specialist we are seeing more of in 2008. We will call them "fireterms."
The fireterm is awash in fire service history. Able to tell you all of the definitions from any modern textbook, this person vaults quickly up the ranks by virtue of the ability to test well. Their only weakness is on the fireground. Ouch.
'Superficially educated'
The Nobel Prize winning physicist Dr. Richard Feynman called this type of person useless. Feynman famously noted that a person can know the names of 200 species of birds, but if the person is unable to go in depth on any one species they are superficially educated. In the fire service we are starting to see more of these folks.
So how do we spot these monsters? It's pretty easy. They will drop dozens of clichés during the course of a conversation and will wax poetically about the latest article in their magazine of choice. Further, they will seek out special assignments because in a firehouse or on the fireground their weakness is exposed.
Ask them questions about the things they talk about on a daily basis. If they become upset when questioned or use their rank to tell you that's "how it is," then you have probably run across a fireterm.
A number have advanced to fire chief through their background in EMS or patronage. This isn't to knock EMS because fireterms are the same in EMS. People making the decisions at the political level like them because they know so much! Except of course when they are questioned by fire service veterans or people who have spent a lifetime learning the principles behind the words and phrases.
While looking for fireterms, don't confuse them with students of the fire service. It's vital to mix education, training and experience to form competent fireground commanders. Just because a person has a bachelor's degree or higher doesn't make them a fireterm because in most cases they are simply trying to learn more about the job they love and the career they have chosen.
