Visit us at WWW.FFCA.ORG 23 work toward it each and every day. Of course that also meant I had to get busy solving my desk vision problem and the related problems that came with it. I began by committing to visit each fire station on a regular basis and at the time I had eight, as well as a Training Bureau and Risk Reduction Division. I know it sounds daunting, but I can tell you the impact it can have on the organization is worth every minute it takes. Now, I know this concept is nothing new. William Hewlett and David Packard used it in their company in the 1970s as discussed by Tom Peters in his 1982 book, “In Search of Excellence”. At that time the technique was coined as Management by Walking Around (MBWA). The idea was to visit employees in an unscheduled, wandering manner to gain insight and on how things were going in the workplace and to get to know the employees by something other than a number. Hewlett-Packard was a billion dollar company at the time, with no interest in computers. There is also “Leadership by Walking Around” that is basically done on the same premise. My approach was a little different, as I began by scheduling time to visit a work area every Wednesday morning. For the fire stations I got there a half an hour before shift change at 8 am and stayed after shift change to visit with the oncoming crew. This way I got to interact with more firefighters and to just chat about various goings on in and around the department, which led to a more relaxed atmosphere (most of the time) when the conversation turned to strictly fire department topics. I did not advertise which station I would be visiting, only that it would be on Wednesday mornings. I also decided to look for some tips and techniques on the art of communicating and found a good book titled “Everyone Communicates Few Connect” by John C. Maxwell. In the book, Dr. Maxwell shares five principles and five practices to develop the skill of connecting with people either one on one, in a group or with a larger audience. His insights resonated with me and proved to be a useful tool for my endeavor. While I was there to listen more than to talk, I knew I would need to be prepared with a couple of topics of interest to help get the conversation started in some cases, so I always had one or two items to share. In addition, I knew I needed to set some ground rules for myself so as to not complicate things between me and my company officers and command staff. • Always respect the chain of command • Be about looking for things done right • Unless it was a safety issue, I would not make changes on the spot • Always ask if they have gone through the chain of command to resolve the presented issue before committing to helping with it • Always live up to the commitment to get back to them with an answer, either through the chain of command or directly depending on the issue. • Don’t settle for the “Everything is fine, Chief” speak because it makes you feel good and lets them off the hook from giving a real answer • Listen, listen, listen, especially to what is not being said If you have done the math then you know that visiting eight stations over three shifts makes for twenty-four visits to get to every station on every shift. On a one-visit-a-week schedule, providing everything goes prefect, I would be just short of two visits a year to each station and shift. I soon discovered though that just getting out there beyond the edge of the desk allowed the opening up of normal channels of communication (telephone, telegraph…..) between stations and shifts, and extending the impact of my sharing-of and listening to information. Once they learned I was listening- to what they had to say and would use their ideas and suggestions to improve things, the amount of feedback significantly increased. So whether you have one or many fire stations, it can have an impact. The power of having more people engaged in matters important to the growth and sustainability of the organization because they felt valued, led to better communication on all levels. The prospect of successfully implementing change increased and challenges were fewer. The added value for me was that I improved my ability to think on my feet because of the questions I would be asked, built rapport, and develop relationships that would not have happened otherwise. Which reminds me I need to get out from behind this desk! W hen Canaveral Fire Rescue Department (CFRD) began the process of replacing one of its engines it also began the process of finding a way to help Monticello Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) replace one of its oldest engines. CFRD worked with the port authority to donate their old truck to the City of Monticello for their volunteer fire depart- ment. In fact, this is the third time CCVFD has provided MVFD with a truck. In the past, they provided a brush truck and an engine. This donation will allow MVFD to take a truck out of service that cannot pass the pump testing requirements and would need a complete pump replacement to be able to do so. This kind of compassion for helping another department improved their capability to pro- vide services to the community and more reli- able equipment for the safety of the firefight- ers. Monticello is a rural community of 2,200 people which can only provide a limited budg- et to MVFD. This leadership and willingness to help other departments can help improve the fire service in Florida. The engine being replaced was donated to Monticello by Panama City. While the engine no longer meets American Standards, it is being donated to the Monticello Rotary and will be transport- ed to Guatemala where it will continue to pro- vide fire service protection. Canaveral Fire Rescue Department Helps Others Canaveral Fire Rescue Department Helps Others