Reflective Essay: A Career As A Public Safety Leader

Ask a firefighter what keeps him or her awake at night, and you are likely to find a common theme, incidents without a positive outcome: A huge uncontrollable fire destroying everything in its path; a man suffering a heart attack who doesn’t receive EMS support in time; a fellow worker lost in the line of duty; a terrorist attack that takes innocent lives. These are real fears that confront every first-responder in the world, but the truth is that careful planning, training, and education creates a sense of confidence and converts situations like these into stories with happy endings. As a public safety leader in a rapidly growing suburban community that is beginning to face some of these very incidents, it is incumbent upon me to provide the direction and leadership to face these challenges and to be successful as well.
We live in a world where leadership styles must constantly change and fresh ideas are always in demand. Professionals in every field, especially the fire service, must be aware of these changes and possess the flexibility and imagination to stay ahead of the trends. This has never been more true during the current social and political environment in our country. A leader must constantly strive to improve. This improvement must come in the form of education, training, and personal acuity of the personnel they may be …show more content…
I work hard every day to be recognized as a leader of action. I’m not speaking of a random, unorganized, and chaotic action, I’m speaking of a deliberate, measured and intensely organized and when required and aggressive and intensely focused action. The choice to leave the safety and security of a comfortable office or command vehicle to put on my personal protective equipment and help fight a fire, mop a floor, or clean a bathroom says a lot about a person’s character. My goal is simple show that I am a leader but not above everyone