By Ben Perry
The fire chief of my department elected to retire in December 2022, and I was selected to become the interim fire chief. As expected, the hiring process took some time, but in April 2023, a new fire chief was hired. Over the five months I was fortunate to serve as interim fire chief, I gained experience, perspective, and a 10-fold increase in respect for the fire chief position.
- You’re the New Chief; Now What?
- What It Means to Be the Chief
- Rules of Engagement for the Outside Chief
- You’re an Ex-Chief; Now What?
As I closed out my time as the interim fire chief and returned to my position as deputy, I began to write my thoughts down and reflect on the lessons I learned during that period. Some of these lessons I learned through success, others through failure. These thoughts and lessons are shared in hopes that they might help a future interim fire chief find their footing.
As a disclaimer, my experience and situation may be different than others. Not all departments have multiple deputy fire chiefs; some will have an heir apparent that serves as interim fire chief, and others will have a completely different set of circumstances. I also write from the perspective of an established member of the department, not a temporary hire from an outside organization that some agencies may use. That said, chances are that some of the lessons and advice here may still apply widely and can be a source of some wisdom.
Prepare
One of the very first actions you should consider taking after being selected as an interim fire chief is to schedule some time to talk with your new boss. Depending on the agency, this could be the city manager, mayor, commissioner, commander, or other similar position. In that meeting, try to determine what goals they may have for this interim time period. This may vary widely depending on the circumstances by which the previous fire chief vacated the position and the current state of the department. Are they looking to clean the slate, just keep the seat warm, or drive radical change? Determining this intent will be crucial to your success and how you approach your time in the seat.
After understanding your boss’s intent, the next step is to determine your goals for the interim period. As a senior member of the department, I already knew quite a bit about the department’s strengths and weaknesses and its personnel. Knowing that my boss’s intent and the state of the department signaled a need for some future changes, I developed three broad goals:
- Be visible and lead with purpose.
- Prepare the department for a new fire chief.
- Unfreeze the organization in preparation for significant future changes.
Your goals may look much different than these and may be more or less detailed. Hopefully, you have a rough idea of how long you will get in the seat, which will also help you shape the goals you design. More time in the seat means the more long-term your goals can be.
One resource that I would highly recommend is IAFC’s guide, You’re the Fire Chief – Now What?, which is intended for new fire chiefs as well as interim fire chiefs to help them through their first 100 days on the job. Although not all of the elements of this guide may apply to your situation, it offers some great recommendations that may otherwise be overlooked in the whirlwind of accepting this new temporary role.
For those reading this who may not be taking on an interim fire chief role now but are a senior member of your department, now is the perfect time to prepare. You should be coming to work every day studying your boss and developing the knowledge, skills, and abilities to take over for him or her without any notice. Sometimes it happens that fast.
Making Decisions
Be the chief. Don’t be intimidated to exercise the responsibilities and authorities of the fifth bugle, when necessary. They didn’t select you for you to be silent or inactive, otherwise, they would have just left the seat empty. The department needs leadership and guidance, and they are looking to you.
However, while you should be making some decisions, try and discern what decisions should be shelved until a permanent fire chief is in place. This will vary depending on the estimated time of the vacancy and hiring process, the state and climate of the department, and leadership intent. While there are some exceptions, the larger the scale of a decision’s impact, the more consideration should be given to tabling it.
Leading the Team
It can be intimidating to be only temporarily placed in charge of your peers and teammates. Even people you were on good terms with in your permanent role will sometimes show you a different side of them. Relationships may even be permanently redefined after your time is up as interim if they didn’t like something during that time. In extreme cases, they may even choose to sabotage your efforts in hopes that you’ll be labeled a failure. Don’t let any of this stand in the way of executing your responsibilities to lead them well.
- 10 Chief Commandments
- Courage Under Fire Leadership: 15 Considerations Before Promoting
- Advice for New Chiefs
- The Fire Chief: It’s Lonely At the Top
There is a good chance that this time in your department is turbulent. Politics might be played, rumors might be spread, and backs might even be stabbed. Realize that you will have critics, and deliberately decide how you will choose to handle them. You’ll never make everyone happy. Chances are it’s the same 10% that is never happy. Do your best to focus on the 90%. You should be providing stability and a voice of reason during this transitional time, so rise above the noise and don’t sweat the chatter.
Determine what relationships you should be tending to both internally and externally. This may be a good time to reestablish communications that may have been strained or absent under the last administration, such as those with the union or community leaders. Be sure they know your position as interim and consider circling back to do a warm introduction with the new fire chief once that person is hired.
Lean on the expertise of your senior staff to help you through this time. No one expects you to be an expert in all areas that a fire chief will encounter while you’re temporarily filling this role. Your senior staff and new peers across the organization (such as the police chief or other heads of departments) may be able to help you navigate complex issues. This is not a “fake it ‘til you make it” job.
Stay humble. Do not let the perks, the parking space, or the positional authority go to your head. You are under a microscope during this period, so any bravado or sense of entitlement will be noticed quickly and tallied against you. Losing your humility is a surefire way to lose the support of those you need the most. Remember, you are the lead servant.
You’re going to be exposed to things you weren’t previously: personnel actions such as hiring and discipline, financial decisions, and possibly an increase in political exposure. Ensure you keep things that are intended for the fire chief’s eyes only held close to the vest and know who is inside your circle of trust that you can share discussions on these matters with. It may not be the same people from your permanent role.
The End Is Near
Use the opportunity to learn and grow. This is such a unique experience and one that many people will never have the chance to have. Soak up all you can from your time as the interim fire chief, and take those lessons learned back with you into your permanent role if you’re not up for or selected for the job. If you are selected for the job permanently, you’ve just had a great head-start to your time as the fire chief and will take that much less time to get down to the business of the department.
Prepare to step down and pass the reins on starting on day one. Keep a log of all of the major decisions and actions within the department during your time. This will make sure you pass on a good account of your activity and the status of the department. You may see many areas that are ripe for improvement but decided to wait or couldn’t get to it. Pass those on as well. The new fire chief will hopefully value the work you’ve done and appreciate the additional perspective.
How will your department recognize the installation of a new fire chief? In some departments, traditions and protocol may already be established, but not all will have it mapped out. Be sure to talk with your leaders and teammates to properly recognize the transition, promotion, or hiring of the new fire chief. This will help ensure a clear passing of responsibility from you to them and get them started on the right foot. They will also appreciate your effort in taking the time to prepare for this momentous occasion in their lives.
Returning Gracefully
In the event you don’t become the new chief and give up your temporary fifth bugle to the new fire chief, you will likely return to your previous permanent position. This transition back down can be a little jarring once you realize that access, information, and responsibilities don’t look the same as they did yesterday, even if you simultaneously feel relieved. You may find it helpful to schedule some time off to reset your perspective and allow some breathing room between roles.
Once you are back in the saddle, remember the weight and responsibility you felt as the interim chief, and be sure to support the new fire chief like you would want to be supported. Be sure that you stay clear of their decision space, but make yourself available for advice and recommendations. Continue to show your peers what responsible leadership looks like by your example during this reintegration period.
The Lesson
As I did, take some time after you get settled to document your lessons learned. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be amazed at the growth and opportunities that happened in just a short amount of time. It’s a good idea to write them out for later reflection and sharing with others, multiplying the developmental effects from your time in the seat.
Strategic Planning Informed by Fireground Leadership
Ben Perry is a senior noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force, currently stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He is a deputy fire chief with more than 17 years in public safety. He co-founded and hosts The FireDawg Podcast (www.firedawg.us), which publishes podcast episodes and other content for the fire emergency services community.
