TESTED

Someday our test will come and our preparation will determine success or failure

The fire service has always been a industry of tests. You get tested when hired, you are tested for EMS certifications, and you are tested for promotions. Tests provide an objective view of someones abilities or knowledge-base to ensure they possess the necessary minimum standards to perform. Some don’t like tests and I would agree tests are not always the end all be all, but they serve an important purpose.

In the fire service, everyday is test and the sad reality is that when we fail, people may die. We are tested in ability to stretch line, throw ladders, search a build, start IVs, and provide medications. But we also are tested in our ability to make decisions in stressful environments, handle HR issues, and community relations. We are being tested daily and we should never shy away from that fact but rather embrace the fact that citizens and our organizations are testing us at every moment. Citizens are testing our ability to handle their complaints, deal with inspection violations, and testing us in our job performance with difficult calls. Organizations are testing their ability to push us further, to do more and provide more services, testing our ability to handle more responsibilities to prevent additional hires, and our ability to handle more projects.

We live in a world of test and that’s is fine until these test become a competition or meant to make us fail. We should never be pitted against our brothers or sisters but unified in our common vision and mission. When we are forced to do hard things, great teams rise to the occasion and grow together.

Never shy away from a test on any kind. Those who embrace the challenge are usually those who are looking to become better or those dedicated to the craft. Shying away from challenges can be a sign of weakness, lack of confidence or lack of abilities. These tests are looked at negatively but need to be approached with an optimistic perspective to assess our knowledge and abilities. This leads to growth for the individuals and crew. There is no place for egos in the fire service. Egos destroy teams, ruin culture and gets firefighters hurt or killed.

Tests are inevitable but its up to us how we handle those test. Knowing we are being tested at every moment should spark a drive to always be learning, training, and preparing to deal with the next test, because it is coming. Instead of complaining, we need to embrace the feeling of being tested and approach it head on.