The fire service attracts all kinds of characters into the ranks. Some characters are good, some bad, some fun, and others are poisonous to their department. Each character has unique features about them and act in different ways. It is almost like watching a cartoon at times with a different role played by each person. Lets take a look at some of our cast members at the typical fire station.

First, we have the young kid that enters into the service right out of high school with very little life experience. He is looking to get a job that is fun and attracts attention from the local females and focuses more on how well their hair looks than whether they are competent at the job.

Next is the middle-aged, been doing this job for fifteen years and am more focused on how my side job is going guy. They show up to the firehouse, do their job but put in nothing more than the bare minimum that is asked. They are not engaged in the job and are looking to get a paycheck and benefits. At thirty minutes after shift change while others check out the truck they are on the phone making business calls for their (insert business here) side job. “I know we have training today, but I’m trying to make a sale, schedule a quote, purchase a new mower, etc.”

Of course no firehouse is complete without the two years till retirement salty fireman. He or she has seen it all. There is nothing they haven’t done on scene and really no reason to train anymore. They show up five minutes till shift change, grab a cup of coffee and sits at the table telling war stories…”Things were so much better before these damn millennials got into the fire service!”

Finally, we have firefighter that shows up early, makes the coffee for the salty senior firefighters, checks the rigs out while the young kid checks his hair and the side business guy schedules his next big job. This is the guy that completes station duties without being asked. At 3pm while the rest of the crew is settling into their perfected butt indention that they have been working on for years in the recliner to watch the latest downloaded movie, this firefighter is out back throwing ladders or working on new ways to force entry in the door prop. Who the hell is this guy? Who does he think he is to train and go the extra mile? Why is this guy giving extra effort when the department is doing nothing more for us in the field? He is a rogue.

So what is this rogue fireman and how do we handle this guy? Captain Mark von Appen is very familiar with this rogue fireman, as he describes himself as one. Mark talks about rogues that want more from not only their department, but from the fire service in general. These rogue firemen don’t want to settle for mediocre and want to push themselves and every person around them to be the best.

We live in a world of everyone gets a trophy. If you show up for twenty-five years than you are automatically experienced and should reap every benefit of the experienced firefighter. This is not the truth, twenty-five years of just showing up means you did nothing to make your department better and rode the wave of the mediocre career firefighter. Congratulations, you broke rule number one, leave the fire service better than you found it for the next person.

The reality of our world is that not everyone gets a participation trophy. Respect is earned by your actions within your firehouse. It is your responsibility to not only be the best firefighter you can possibly be at every rank that you hold, but additionally train your replacement to be better than you were at that position.

This is a mindset that is rare in our profession, however. In addition to our society that praises mediocrity, we also have a society that feels as though they are owed something simply for showing up. Many in our profession believe, “if the department does not do anything extra for me, why should I do anything extra for my department.” These rogue firefighters will be scrutinized, looked down upon, and sometimes isolated by those that crave mediocrity only.

As leaders in an organization, how you react and handle these rogue firefighters can either greatly help the organization or be the ultimate downfall. Captain Mark von Appen puts it into terms that anyone can understand, “Rogues are like dogs full of energy, if you keep them locked up in the house and never allow them to express their energy, they are going shit on the living room floor.”

This motivated firefighter has the desire to be better and to take everyone around them on a journey to being better as well. This is a trait that needs to be praised and developed. The worst thing a leader can do is attempt to suppress this behavior or flat out ignore the ideas expressed. This can and will lead to defiance, as the energy must go somewhere. If you look at a suppressed rogue you will find someone who at one time had the desire to make the world better, however now just shows up and collects a paycheck.

So what does the smart leader do when a rogue surfaces within his or her department? Unleash them. Allow this person to provide ideas how to train those around them. Place these people on committees and internal think tanks. Develop the rogue to focus their energy on specific tasks to make the fire service better. Most importantly allow them to spread their motivation to others to create other rogues. Motivation is contagious and can reverse the negative effects that complacency has created.

Never quit improving yourself and the fire service. Remember rule number one: Leave the fire service better than you found it. Finally, be proud to be a rogue, it is what will change the culture for the better!