Firemen's Grapevine

Who Teaches Our Leaders?

By Stephen J. Ruda, Battalion 10-B

Several months ago I shared with you a story about one of our premier LAFD officers, Captain II Bill Finn. I was attempting to capture the leadership qualities that Captain Finn shared, not only in his career, but now in retirement at the LAFD’s Leadership Academy. From that article, “University of the Kitchen Table,” I hope many of you took to heart the pearls gathered from Finn’s lecture. I hope that the shops ran out of paper towels for the kitchen dispensers. I hope that you all have been using these last couple of months to share stories and plot out structure fires. I hope that you have been sitting together in your kitchens all over the city learning from the oldest to the youngest and the youngest to the oldest.

As we start a new year I want to share with you a little more from the Finn’s lecture and tell you about what motivated him to be his best. In the lecture he referred to a bulletin he read years ago that inspired him to be the officer he became. The bulletin was written on March 1, 1943 by a Battalion Chief from the San Francisco Fire Department, Frederick J. Bowlen. He wrote a series of bulletins for the National Board of Fire Underwriters.

In his lecture, Captain Finn remarked that of all the things he adapted in his firefighting career this article was a defining moment in his development. It gave him a bench mark to become a fine officer within the LAFD.

So, who teaches our leaders? We all do! We should all be contributing to the welfare of each other. I was so inspired by what Captain Finn taught that I to share it now with you. Please remember that this article was written in 1943 and that I will quote it as it was written.

Conduct of Officers

To be an efficient officer you must be: first, a good disciplinarian and second, you must acquire and use those qualities that characterize natural leaders of men. You must have the respect of your men, their unhesitating obedience and if you are man enough to win it, their enthusiastic loyalty.

You must always be prepared and ready to play your part in the game, to master every situation and to transform chaos into order. A bluffer, on the other hand, who deliberately tackles situations containing unknown factors, is a sorry sight pretending to lead men in the ranks who know their part better than he does.

“…To command men, one must first learn to command oneself…”

The bigger the man … the finer his simplicity. Remember always that pomposity or “airs” are like an inflated toy balloon. Someday a pin punctures it and the results are pathetic. Build then, your popularity on qualities of justice and fairness to all, inflexibility in demanding obedience, faithful performance of duty, constant vigilance for the welfare and interest of your men and, above all, on such forethought and preparation for the conduct of your office as will inspire respect and admiration for your ability as a leader. The proper handling of men calls for patience. Read more…