Fire Service Interpersonal Dynamics and Communications

Fire Service Interpersonal Dynamics and Communications Dennis M. Dowd, M.Ed. Fire Chief Ret.

Calls that stick with you • Is it just a job? • Personally impacted by what you see affects Interpersonal Dynamics • As a leader, your men and women are impacted by what they see.

Practical exercise- • Think about • 1-calls that stick with you- • 2- Calls that affect another firefighter. • Calls Not easily left behind-Site an Example • Haunt your/their dreams • Question our own mortality • Question your competency

Stress • Two types of stress • List on board different examples of stressors • Distress • Eustress

Recognizing PTSDPost Traumatic Stress Disorder • Objective: • At the end of this class you should be able to recognize ( not diagnose) PTSD in some one you know or yourself. • PTSD Slippery Slope • Bothersome • Intrusive • Disturbing • Debilitating

What makes a fire fighterChapter 1 • Some Charaistics of folks drawn to firefighting • Detail orientated • Strong motivation to succeed • Thrill seeking • Sense of control-control orentated • “Be Prepared” • Success is not an option • Meticulous

Common RuleFD management made easy • “Tell a firefighter what you want done, give them the tools to do the job, get out of their way, review the job when it’s done.”

Looking for thrills? • Firefighters are easily bored. • Need for control and success • Testing the limits of their control= thrills • High risk occupation • Injured firefighters are quickly out of the loop • Team sport-links of chain

What do you get when you put a dozen or so detail-orientated, success driven people on one team? • One hell of a good team!!! • The Red sox • The Pat’s • A shift at the fire station

Why are you here? • What happens to the member of that team, or the entire team, when they are affected either physically or psychologically to the firefighter when the mission turns ugly? • . What comes back to haunt the firefighter is what we are going to find out about in this class.

Assuming personal responsibilities • Post incident analysis centers around a failed mission: • Could have • Should have • Would have • If only I had • Also • Could not • Would not • Should not

Action-reactionthe ying and the yang • Thrill seeking pushes the envelope- • Apparently FF attempt very risky things • Define heroic behavior • Team work and the weak link • Newby and the highest risk? • Not with out

Training • High degree of training = less chance of pushing the envelope. • High degree of training = in a skill-low amount of danger. • Individual and team ttraining to a high degree • From the newbees perspective every thing is dangerous and exciting.

Summary • A firefighter is a special person • Sociable • Needs of others before their own • Thrills of the job • Technical details • Strong desire to complete a task successfully • Team player

Fire Service Interpersonal Dynamics and Communications