This past winter, members of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) responded to a call at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. After investigating an alarm in the bullpen area and determining the cause of the response to be a frozen pipe, my troops posed for a quick photo op.

While I love this photo because I am a Mets fan, I also value it because it serves as a good “METaphor” (excuse the pun) for the value of teamwork, both in baseball and in the FDNY.

With October playoff season in full swing (Go Mets!), I have witnessed the value of teamwork over individual performance in each of the games I’ve watched. The pitcher who throws eight shutout innings does not win if his teammates don’t score runs to support him. Similarly, the sacrifice bunt to get a runner into scoring position or the starter that throws out of the bullpen in relief exemplifies team over individual. It is exceptional teamwork that accounts for the Mets success.

Likewise, it is exceptional teamwork that makes the FDNY successful. Teamwork and the team concept have long been ingrained in the FDNY culture. Indeed, a new firefighter, known affectionately as a “Proby,” (short for probationary) starts learning about teamwork on day one at the fire academy. It does not need to be spoken about, it is evident in the actions of the instructors in the way they conduct training as well as in firefighting procedures the new firefighters are taught.

Soon after the Proby completes training at the fire academy and arrives at the fire house, he begins to see the team concept in action. Around the firehouse, the team concept extends to training, house cleaning duties as well as the preparation of the firehouse meal — all of which are performed as a team. When an alarm is received the meaning of teamwork takes on a greater significance as lives are now at stake. Teamwork is critical on the fire ground as firefighters must trust and rely upon one another to perform their assigned duties. If the hose team does not position the hoseline in the correct location it can cause injury or death to the firefighters assigned to search the structure for victims who have been overcome by smoke from the fire. Just like in baseball, everyone has a position to play, an assignment to execute in order for the team to be successful.

For the Fire Service, I believe there are four key ingredients to successful teamwork, with trust serving as the glue that holds them all together:

Trust — Loyalty- Commitment — Reliability

Trust — Trust in one another to know that assignments will be covered, a trust to perform your task knowing others will not let the team down.

Loyalty — to the mission and to one another, to have one another’s back regardless of the difficulty.

Commitment — to one another and yourself to train hard and always be prepared.

Reliability — to be in proper position and to carry out assigned tasks with great consistency.

Whether you’re a baseball player in the clubhouse or on the ball field, a firefighter in the station or out battling a fire, it’s critical to understand the importance of teamwork and the ingredients necessary to facilitate a winning team.

Does your department or job have the right ingredients to facilitate a team culture?

Let us know, reply below and tell us your ingredients to a winning team……

Frank Leeb is a contributor to the Homeland Security (HS) Vortex which is a platform where insiders from the policy, law enforcement, fire service and emergency management fields converge to discuss issues related to Homeland Security.

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