If I had a million dollars....

The Barenaked Ladies, a Canadian Music group, wrote a song "If I Had a Million Dollars".  It's a fun, poppy song whose lyrics focus on what you could do if you in fact has a million dollars.  I think it's an excellent question.  If you won ten million dollars... what would you do?

I got this email from Bill Simcox a career Engineer and reader.

"Had a thought a few weeks ago, about differentiating the mutts from the Warriors.  Most of the "kids" today are putting in applications at any department in the area, and would do our job for free if asked to.  A lot of them are volunteers at multiple departments.  Young kids, new to the job, have no clue.  You know the type.  Not enough time on the job to consider them Mutts, but how about Pups?  One of them (newly hired on my department) said something to the affect of "That if I hit the lottery for $10 million tomorrow, I would still do this."  I got to thinking about that, and learned something in the process that I thought I would share with you, and ask you to do the same, and see the feedback you get.

I honestly thought about that question.  What if I hit the lottery for $10 million tomorrow?  Would I be at the station the day after, with 20 years on the job?  My first thought was HELL NO.  But then I really thought about it.  I decided yes.  Yes I would be.  The people of my community depend on me and my brothers to protect them.  That is not a responsibility to be taken lightly.  They pay taxes, that are my salary, so that I am available on the worst day of their life.  I run into burning buildings for them, I let them puke, pee and bleed on me.   They hear sirens in the distance, and know that help is on the way.  Highly trained, High Performance, problem solvers will be here soon.  When the firetruck shows up, they expect, and deserve the best people to solve their problem.  Being a union firefighter is obviously not about the money.  Some guy throws a football for a living and makes $2 million for 18 GAMES. 

What we do is not a game. 

If the Dolphins lose, no one dies.  If you or I lose, someone may.  If we let fear take over, and forget about situational awareness, WE may die. Yet we do that for comparable salary to a school bus driver.

So I started asking "older" guys, firefighters that have been on the job for a while, that very same question.  I got a TON of "Hell No's."  But I did get a few Yes's! 

  

And then I got to thinking about the careers of the firefighters I asked.  Most of the people I asked that answered "NO", knew the SOP's, were waiting for the promotional test, looking for other avenues to stay in the job but not DO the job, inspector, dispatch etc.  Booksmart, but didn't spend much time at all thinking about the beast, or how to kill it.  Knew their first due area, but kinda of foggy on their second, and no clue on their third due.  A general knowledge of fireground basics, and also a general idea of what their immediate superior's job was.  Basically, just about how to advance their own careers.  Which is understandable, it's a dog eat dog world!  Warriors NEED dispatchers and inspectors too!  And good ones!  I'm NOT putting these people down in the least little bit.  Just sharing something I learned.

The firefighters I asked that same question to that answered YES, I would be at the station next shift after winning $10 Million, had peculiar personality similarities.  They also knew the SOP's and protocols, some better than others.  This group also told me where actual hydrants were located in their first due area.  They know sprinkler connections on their SECOND due locations.  They know their rig, they know their neighborhood demographics, they know the water supply systems, they know what the FIREMAN in the other seat is expected to do, and if he doesn't, they know how to pick up the slack.  The fundamental fireground operations are down pat.  Throw a curve ball at them, they also have that covered.  Pump failure, pump operator has health issues, whatever.  They have THOUGHT about it, and have it covered.  They also seem to take great pride in their particular shift/station's response time.  To them down time affords an opportunity to train.  To the Warrior, you can never know the job good enough, and this group thrives on that fact.  This group is on the road, in my opinion, to becoming THE FIRE SERVICE WARRIOR.    I can best describe them as highly trained, high performance firemen.

Anyways, didn't mean to get off on a rant, or write an article.  THAT'S YOUR job! Just wanted to share what I found out from one simple question."  

I'll give you my answer since I posed it to you:

1) I would stick plenty into investments to take care of my kid and my family.

2) I would invest a cool million into my company Spartan Concepts Inc. to fully develop our deliver of programs.

3) I would donate a million dollars to the American Cancer Society to fund research into Chondrosarcomas.  

4) I would NOT buy anyone a real green dress... That would be cruel.