I had long thought that the comment by Kurt Vonnegut, “I can think of no more stirring symbol of man’s humanity to man than a fire engine,” is off, as beautiful and inspiring as it is. However eloquent and sincere Mr. Vonnegut’s comment is, I now think it misses the mark. I think a more correct statement would be, “I can think of no more stirring symbol of man’s humanity to man than a firefighter.” The fire truck, as iconic, beautiful, and symbolic as it is, is but a machine. The actual firefighter, that charismatic, heroic, quintessential image of all that is good, honest, and noble, I think is far more fitting when we think of man’s humanity to man.
We have for hundreds of years enjoyed an exulted position in society in the eyes of most citizens because firefighters are implicitly trusted for our moral virtue. Rooted in tradition, the image of the firefighter combines the virtues of heroic citizen with those of the devoted public servant. The moral virtues firefighters embrace include but are not limited to courage, loyalty, moderation, integrity, and self-control. These values, to use the common word, or virtues are what make up the character of a firefighter. They provide an outline for the standards that society expects of us.
There is a school of thought that believes that we’re also born with a certain set of character traits, if you will, a certain set of inclinations and predispositions. That may well be the case, and over this initial preconditioning we have little influence. I think, however, that these inclinations have more to do with personality than character. Our personality is quite different from our character, and the two are somewhat disconnected. You can be dour and virtuous, and you can be impulsive and righteous.
Others espouse that you can mold a person’s personality and character to benefit and conform to society. This theory is in reaction to the legacy that we have from the Age of Enlightenment in which philosophers from the 1700s, such as Locke, referred to an individual at birth as “tabula rasa,” or blank slate, on which upbringing and environment would write the individual’s character and personality.
Regardless of which theory you find most authentic, both agree that with training, with example, and with exposure and habit, one can create a character as long as the subject is willing and sees a benefit in developing such a character.
For firefighters, this character should also involve fundamental values such as honesty, integrity, duty, self-control, and sympathy, to name a few. This character should involve certain basic principles such as devotion to the mission, duty, loyalty to our fellow firefighters, respect for authority, and desire to reflect the highest moral ideals. To achieve these great ideals, it is necessary to embody these virtues and principles as best we can and to practice diligently to improve on them in ourselves. We must believe in higher principles, greater ideals, and lofty considerations. Benjamin Disraeli once said, “Nurture your minds with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes heroes.”
It is possible that with the right mentoring, the right examples, and diligence, we can help good men and women become great firefighters. We can imbue people with heroic dreams, and we can be symbols of honor and integrity to our communities. Our industry has a tradition of noble heroism. Tradition is from the Latin word “trader,” to hand down. One definition of it is, “The handing down of opinions, practices, rites, customs from one generation to another by oral communications without written memorials.” Our tradition both career and volunteer has always been one of incredible contribution and devotion to duty. It has often been remarked that the highest praise firefighters could receive at their retirement or death is that they lived and worked according to the best traditions of the fire service.
Accepting the imposition of a higher standard of conduct is a small price to pay in relation to the rewards we receive for being allowed to be firefighters. Commanders, senior members, and former members have a responsibility to emulate and exemplify this higher standard of character. Instructors, especially those engaged with recruits, must not only exemplify this higher standard; they must teach, explain, and demand it of those they instruct.
We should, as our parents taught us, begin small and build on small successes. When we were kids, we did things to please others because we enjoyed making others happy. As we got older, we repeated these good behaviors out of habit. The same is possible when we set our minds to being good firefighters. We accept that we are held to a higher standard; we embrace the challenge. We fully understand what Aristotle meant when he said, “We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.”
Maybe the quality that truly separates us in today’s society is modesty. Ernest Hemingway once remarked, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.” Those of us who aspire to be good firefighters understand that living according to a firefighter’s code of moral virtue is not a burden – it is a privilege. It requires us to be better today than we were yesterday. It allows us to continue to honor our nation’s first directive from our most revered commander in chief: “Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.” President Washington would be proud of his nation’s firefighters.
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