Forward to Yesteryear?

The other day I challenged my battalion to think about methods or technology that would essentially change the way we do business in the future (like the Fire Grenade). Today I want you to consider that things the fire service did in the past may very well catch up to us as well. The case in point is this one, where private fire contractors are being paid by insurance companies to go in ahead of regular fire assets and secure homes endangered by wildland interface fires. As you can see in the article, insurance companies are taking measures to keep from having large losses by hiring their own crews, somewhat like insurance companies did over 200 years ago. While this measure is a little controversial, the idea of the insurance companies realizing that public fire protection is understaffed and underequipped for fires of this magnitude and sending their own response is a very interesting one and something that could arguably be stretched into other venues as well. Just because we do our job one way today means nothing tomorrow. Be prepared for change by educating yourself and opening your mind to other possibilities. You might be the person who comes up with a solution to a fire service problem and radically changes the way we operate in the future.

In the meanwhile, however, you can make huge changes in another way; by minimizing firefighter deaths and injuries by using good safety practices, working as a team, and preventing problems before they begin. Use your safety equipment and practices and let’s all go home in the morning.