Those Worthless Kids

By Bobby Halton

Every now and then, we hear someone say that the troops today are not what they were when we were young, that they lack a certain quality or that they don’t have the same kind of appreciation for the job that we did. At one point or another, we’ve probably all said something like that, but why? Why do we repeatedly hear disparaging remarks from good firefighters about the next generation of firefighters? What are we really looking for in a good firefighter?

Are today’s firefighters really different, or could this mindset have something to do with just being human and the normal evolution of one’s ability to assess and reflect in relation to accumulated wisdom and knowledge? George Orwell, the author of 1984 and Animal Farm, had this to say: “Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.”

A lot of very intelligent people have said about the same thing. Take, for example, the following quote: “Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.” Socrates said this 400 years before the birth of Jesus!

So clearly, this is not a new dilemma for us or our current generation of firefighters. A different view came in 1919 from Chief John Kenlon when he was asked about the character of the men of the New York City Fire Department. He was asked about their bravery and character and said the following:

“They have to be or they wouldn’t be in the department. Every man is a quick thinker, something absolutely essential in a firefighter. They have initiative and yet not too much of it to be good soldier-firemen, and such a thing as cowardice, of course, is unknown among the fire laddies.

“Sometimes we find men too clever to obey commands, and then they make wretched firefighters. But bravery of the bravest? How can I say who is bravest when all my men are brave? It is merely a matter of opportunity that distinguishes the firemen, and if I were to say that such a one is bravest because of such and such a deed, I would be wronging his fellows.

“But the firemen of today are professionals of the purest type, for firefighting has become the most scientific of propositions. The civil service examinations grow more exacting each year, and already the physical requirements for firemen are 50% higher than those for West Point.

“They are a clean-lived lot, marrying early and raising large families. Their daughters become school teachers and musicians and their sons go to college and become lawyers, doctors and enter all the other professions.

“But, despite the professionalism in the firemen of to-day, the spirit of the men is just as strong as in the old days when it was the risk, the adventure, the hard swift, danger loving life that induced men to enter the department. It is a peculiar sort of enthusiasm the men have to-day—reborn in them, it seems to me, from the volunteers of the old days.”

Chief Kenlon was absolutely correct in 1919, and if he had said it yesterday, he would have been just as correct. It’s important that we identify what we are looking for in terms of character, qualities that make a good firefighter, and then try to reinforce those qualities. We should engage in telling stories that highlight those great qualities and virtues that we hope to find in every firefighter.

The great American philosopher James Q. Wilson in his studies identified four traits that identify quality individuals. They are as follows:

First is sympathy, which proves to the world that you care for the feelings of others and that you can be empathetic to another’s suffering. It is our sense of sympathy that drives us to our most noble endeavors. They say the most powerful human emotion is for self-preservation, and so it is fitting that our most elaborate and sincere tributes and monuments are made to those who have intentionally given their lives for others. They do this out of a sense of sympathy.

Second is punctuality, which proves to the world that you have a sense of duty. We need to be at our station and ready for duty whenever we are expected. And for some firefighters, especially those in leadership roles, that expectation is 24/7. When we accept these positions, we accept that expectation.

Third is self-control/discipline, the ability to subjugate one’s desires, the ability to control one’s fears and thereby remain able to think and make decisions. Self-control is the ability to refrain from behavior that would bring discredit to the profession or would prohibit one from responding appropriately.

Fourth is fairness, to include equity, reciprocity, and impartiality. In embracing fairness, we must expect complete impartiality, regardless of who calls for help—whether they be rich or poor, whether they be like us or different from us, we will treat them with the same respect and dignity as we would our own family.

Wilson also pointed out, “A good character arises from the repetition of many small acts, and begins early in youth. That habituation operates on a human nature innately prepared to respond to training.” Clearly, rather than complain and throw stones, those of us who recognize the potential in all of today’s firefighters need to include training on character and the necessity of good virtue as well as training on raising ladders and advancing hoselines. The peculiar sort of enthusiasm of today’s firefighters is just as strong as it has ever been and is growing stronger.