National Incident Management System | FEMA.gov.
The above link will take you to the Full Guidance Documents & Links
National Incident Management System | FEMA.gov.
The above link will take you to the Full Guidance Documents & Links
A few years back, I had a great opportunity, during one of our planning sessions, to take notice of a particular “world” view held by a facilitator. The session was an emergency management development group. It was sponsored by a dear friend and was facilitated by two other individuals. These persons were not from our agency or group. They were not familiar with its culture and underpinnings. They led us on different approaches to arrive at some of the decisions that we had to make. That was the great part! I like learning new methods and challenging some ideas that may have outlived their usefulness.
However, the not-so-great part was that, as the days went on, I got a sense that one of the facilitators may have been harboring a little negative, possibly condescending, attitude. It was noticeable, in his comments and gestures. I tried to shake it, because anyone can have a bad day (theirs or yours). First impressions, although are usually “spot on”, can sometimes be misleads. You have to give presenters a chance. People who make presentations to others know that you have to warm up the room, get a read and then proceed. You may have to change methods, tactics and directions to get your room to “buy-in”. But I digress! Okay, this guy bothered me. The feeling I had just wouldn’t go away. As the days went on into multiphase sessions, that sense increased. I thought, “Hey, this guy doesn’t know us.”.
Then, it happened: One of my colleagues made a suggestion. It was a great idea, by the way. It was based on sound past practices. It seemed feasible. It was succinct. But the response from the facilitator was, “Well, you’re just not an “Out-of-the-Box thinker”. I then saw my colleague retreat and shut down.
You’re just not an out of the box thinker? I thought to myself; the way that statement was delivered was condescending. It seemed as if he was saying to the person, “You’re not that creative”, ; “You’re not that bright!, “You’re not intelligent enough.”, “You’re not that flexible.” You’re rigid. You don’t know what we know. YOU’RE NOT THINKING! I took umbrage to that and I didn’t like it either. 😉
When you tell someone that they’re not an out-of-the-box thinker, it shouldn’t be a negative.
I find that “Box” and “Out-of-the-box” thinkers are both needed in planning situations and emergency management. In our day-to-day situations, Box Thinkers are very clear on their roles and responsibilities. They are clear on the “space” they occupy. They can prove to be invaluable, under many circumstances. They have full knowledge of their position in the organization and are detail oriented.
If you’re going to be a “Box Thinker”, though, be sure to handle everything within the box.
I know it may seem like an abstract analogy but follow me for a little while. Be clear on where your box fits into the entire operation. Know the relationship and responsibilities that your box has to the other boxes adjacent to, below and above your box.
EXAMPLE: If you’re a company officer and your “box” is being on the Ladder Company; “Handle everything within your box! If your task, that day, is to perform search & rescue then handle everything in your box! If you’re assigned to be the supervisor, on the third floor or division three of the building, then you are responsible for everything within that box. Fire suppression, search and rescue, ventilation, salvage, pre-&post- control overhaul, etc. Know the authority, resources and tools that are necessary for the box, completely. If your box is ventilation; then you should know everything there is to know about Ventilation: positive pressure, negative pressure, hydraulic, mechanical, natural, vertical, horizontal. You need to know when to apply what and at what appropriate time. Handle everything within that box.
When you’re an out-of-the-box thinker it means that you have the ability or the wherewithal to step outside of the norm; or you just decided to think of things in a different way. That doesn’t make you a better thinker than the people who do think within the box.
EXAMPLE: If your box is OPERATIONS, at an incident, and you are the Operations Section Chief…handle everything within your box. Assign the necessary tasks, establish the correct groups, place them in and on the proper divisions. Call up the appropriate resources. Provide for accountability and safety measures. Monitor progress. Be clear on your communications, directions and requests. Staff all required positions. Use checklists. And…and…and…
MASTER YOUR BOX!
Additionally, to be an “Out-of-the-box” thinker means that you can take the conventional methods, the tried and true methods and apply them in a different way. You may have the ability not use the conventional methods at all and still realize a successful outcome. You know the standards. You just look at the situation in a different way. You may want to come up with a different or alternative means to perform the same task. You may very well look at things completely different.
In Emergency Management, when you think outside of the box you are still utilizing box thinking to formulate your idea. You have to. Think of it as a Stringed Quartet vs. a Jazz Quartet. It’s still music. One is very structured and the other more improvisational and yet they still utilize some of the same instruments, chords and notes to produce the final sound that they desire. It can even be the same song or piece of music. Very often the stringed quartet can make improvisations or perform different interpretations to the classical pieces.
“Out-of-the-Box thinking” is no greater than “Box thinking”, when it’s done completely. It just means that we have different approaches to achieving a successful outcome..
I think they’re both great and I that any individual can possess both characteristics of a “Box or Out-of-the-Box thinker.
Which one are you and why do you think so?
What’s your take???
Many aspire to Leadership, but few understand its true nature. Leadership is not an ego game. True leaders have vision and place the goals of the institution above their own interests. True leaders realize the importance of the people working with them. True leaders are not only open to good ideas, but also have the courage to implement them. – j. donald walters
A few years ago, I (@j_alston) read a book by J. Donald Walters titled, “The Art of Leadership“. At the time, I thought it was a short and simple read. Oh how wrong that turned out to be. Since the first time I picked it up, I have been carrying it with me for about 11 years. It continues to yield great insight and confirmation. It has also been published under the title, “The Art of Supportive Leadership“; How very telling that title appears to be. It tells me that, being a leader, is not always the idea of getting support from the people you work with; but moreover being supportive of them as well. It is reciprocal. Their is a flow of energy, ideas and support; that is continuous. Symbiotic, as it were.
There are so many books on Leadership and Management. It is sometimes hard to choose the right ones. There are books that are specific to Fire and Emergency Management Services; and then there are those like this one that provide those critical nuggets of wisdom; those bursts of clarity that guide us, ever so gently, towards the right path.
Some of what I got from it:
WHERE THERE IS RIGHT ACTION…THERE IS VICTORY.
– Sanskrit Proverb
more to follow…
Got the tremendous opportunity to share some things with an incredible Fire Chief, Billy Goldfeder. He put them in a book with the addition of some other fire and emergency personnel.
Click here for more: Pass It On
by John Alston
Congratulations, Chief!
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Former Jersey City Fire Chief and native son Dr. Denis Onieal, who is now Superintendent of the National Fire Academy, has been selected by the Congressional Fire Services Institute’s Board of Directors as the recipient of the 2015 CFSI/Motorola Solutions Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award. The presentation will take place at the 27th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner on April 16th at the Washington Hilton, in Washington, D.C.
Established in 1998 and co-sponsored by CFSI and Motorola Solutions, the Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have been proactive at the local, state and federal government levels to improve and advance fire/emergency services and life safety issues. Representing a cross section of the fire and emergency services, previous recipients include chiefs, instructors, career and volunteer leaders and public safety advocates.
Dr. Onieal has served as Superintendent of the National Fire Academy since 1995, providing leadership to advance the professional development of fire service leaders of today and tomorrow. Through his efforts, the National Fire Academy has greatly expanded training opportunities for fire service personnel and enhanced NFA’s executive, management, and all-hazard community response and risk reduction curriculums. Working closely with State fire training agencies, NFA courses are now offered through every accredited State training agency in the country. Under Onieal’s leadership, the NFA curriculum has been completely revised to include equivalent college credit recommendation and continuing education units for all resident, off-campus and on-line deliveries. For the first time ever, fire degree programs across the nation are following a standard curriculum and syllabi, and work in close cooperation with State fire training agencies. This combination of standardized training and education is the foundation for professional status for the fire and emergency services.
Acting as a catalyst to improve the fire service, Dr. Onieal continues to write articles and deliver presentations across the nation on professional development within the fire service. His work in this regard has reached thousands of fire service personnel, providing them the encouragement to pursue their academic studies in addition to their fire service training. While rising through the ranks of the Jersey City (NJ) Fire Department, he pursued his own professional development opportunities which eventually lead to a Doctor of Education degree from the New York University in 1990.
“The CFSI Board of Directors congratulates Dr. Denis Onieal on being selected as the recipient of the 2015 CFSI/Motorola Solutions Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award,” said Bill Jenaway, President of the Congressional Fire Service Institute. “He embodies the passion and dedication that the late-Mason Lankford demonstrated in making the fire service a safer profession. We look forward to honoring Dr. Onieal at the 27th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner.”
For additional information about the 27th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner and Seminars Program, visit the CFSI website at www.cfsi.org. This event benefits the mission of the Congressional Fire Services Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy organization designed to educate members of Congress about fire and life safety issues.
Contact: Bill Webb (202) 371-1277
Catch a quick podcast I was fortunate to grab with my friend and mentor, Dr. Denis (CHIEF) Onieal.
expanded podcast online…
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