MSFCA Fire Officers Schools help build your professional networks

I had the great opportunity to be a guest instructor at this year’s MSFCA Fire Officers School in Alexandria and the first annual Fire Officers and Instructors School in Duluth. It is fitting that our organization’s primary mission reflects my passion in developing current and future leaders.

I commend everyone that made this year’s programs a success. Both schools had great attendance; registrations for Duluth neared the 300 mark. Our committee members and staff deserve special recognition and appreciation for their work leading up to and behind the scenes in coordinating instructors, networking events, and focusing on every last detail with precision. Thanks to our vendors for supporting our educational programs and showcasing the newest and best products on the market. Alexandria and Duluth were incredible host cities and I look forward to visiting both again soon.

As an instructor, I am always learning from the attendees in my each of my classes and enjoy the interaction we have on discussing issues impacting the fire service. As you may recall, my last article talked about the value of understanding the unique personality profiles of the members of your team and how you, as a leader, can use this information to build a successful team. To start of the class, we used the PACE® Palette to understand our individual personality types and everyone else in the class. With this information handy, we were able to apply our filters to better understand some of the simple and complex issues we face as organizational leaders. As the class progressed, we dove a little deeper into discussing the modern-era challenges we face in our organizations and collectively as a fire service. To be honest, I wish we had more time as we only scratched the surface.

We all acknowledge that some of the problems we encounter are easily solved whereas others are more complex. In some cases, we are faced with an ethical dilemma in which there is truly no easy “right” or correct answer and we are perplexed as to what to do next. In these cases, don’t be afraid or hesitant to reach out to a colleague for advice. The fire officers and instructor schools are excellent opportunities to network; add as many names and numbers to your phone to build upon your professional network.

I look forward to seeing you at the fall conference in St. Paul and at other MSFCA sponsored events over the next year.

Note: this article appeared in the April digital issue of the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association magazine. For other articles by leading fire service professionals, join the MSFCA today! Magazine memberships are available!

New Year’s Resolutions for the Minnesota Fire Service

It’s that time of year again: we wake-up on January 1st excited to start a new year full of self-created promises. The gyms are full, healthy food is flying off the shelves, and people are committing to doing a better job at maintaining a manageable work/life balance. The miraculous ringing-in of the New Year signals a new beginning – an opportunity to charge forward on making progress on the things we just couldn’t get to the day before.

Despite the best of intentions, only about 8%-10% of people actually achieve their New Year’s goals. The once long-sought after goals are either abandoned on the cutting room floor or saved for the following year (because we all know things will be <insert reason> next year).

Fire service professionals are skilled at emergency response tactical goal setting. We are trained and experienced at developing incident action plans (IAPs) on the fly, making split-second decisions that literally mean the difference between life and death, and bringing order to chaos. As a profession, we continually work to evolve our tactics based on proven strategies and data, sharing our successes and lessons learned with colleagues across the country.

As a profession, however, there are a rising number of issues and concerns – the elephants in the corner sort of speak – that we can’t keep punting for a future New Year’s resolution. A few include:

  • The health and wellness of our firefighters (specifically addressing cardiac, cancer, and PTSD);
  • Maintaining service levels for our customers (expecting to do more with less);
  • Recruitment and retention;
  • Funding (despite 21st in population, Minnesota ranks 45th in per-capita despite spending on the fire service);

The big issues many of us face in our organizations are most likely the same or similar across the state and country. Departments are facing an increasing demand for service, especially in EMS, but are often times struggling to maintain staffing levels (volunteer/on-call and career departments alike). Our mission to public service has remained steadfast but we find ourselves continually challenged to find solutions to significant challenges.

Research suggests that our New Year’s resolutions commonly fail because people set too many goals or the goals themselves are unattainable. As a profession, we need to continue to work together so that we have a strong, collective voice in advocating for the needs of the fire service.

As we look to the future and work at achieving our goals, I welcome your feedback and ideas on how we can continue to improve the service to our communities and taking better care of our people. As a member-driven organization, we have incredible resources and talent across the state.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year; and best of luck on tackling your New Year’s resolutions!

Note: this article appeared in the January/February issue of the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association magazine. To get your copy, join the MSFCA today!

Thank you

I am extremely thankful and full of gratitude to have been elected to serve as the next President of the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association (MSFCA).  I am very humbled for the outpouring of support I received during this election and I am thankful to have the opportunity to pay it forward as the incoming President.

As we approach the 16th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, I find myself reflecting on my journey in the fire service.  I remember every detail of that day: where I was, what I was doing, and the feeling of helplessness while listening to FDNY/NYPD radio transmissions crackle over my radio just over 50 miles away.  The beautiful skyline of New York City was forever changed as a large plume of thick, black smoke was visible from across the sound.

The loss of life, including that of our FDNY brothers, was staggering.  I never would have fathomed being witness to such a disaster.  Despite the tragedy of that day, stories of true bravery, heroism, and patriotism emerged.

A few days after the collapse, I found myself in NYC working alongside my best friend Dominick and a contingent of FDNY and Portland, OR firefighters.  The search and rescue mission was the priority.  We had become a team and, as the daylight faded and night fell, we became friends.

It was at that moment that I truly understood the brotherhood of the fire service.  It was the recognition that public servants are part of a fraternal family that puts service above self.

In January, 2011, three years after moving to Elk River from Connecticut, I had a chance to reconnect with many of the people I met that day in 2001.  The reunion was a visit to see William “Billy” Quick, a 23-year FDNY veteran that led our team.  He had developed lung disease as a result of working countless hours at Ground Zero and was confined to his house on oxygen, 24/7.

Time quickly passed as we shared stories, laughed, and, yes, cried.  Billy gave equal attention to each person and wanted to hear about every detail of our personal and professional lives.  We said our good-byes, each of us looking forward to the next time we would see each other again.  In typical Billy fashion, he left us with us with his iconic parting words of, “stay low and go!”

As I was getting ready to board my flight back to Minnesota, my phone rang.  Billy died.

Billy was a colleague, friend, and mentor.  He was a fireman’s fireman.  He truly cared about others and was proud to see people succeed.  I am forever grateful to the people like Billy in my life – family, friends, and colleagues alike – for their leadership, guidance, and wisdom.  I have been blessed to have been surrounded by incredible people that have inspired, motivated, and pushed me.

The success of the MSFCA is entirely attributed to the collective efforts of the engaged, thoughtful, and spirited members of the Minnesota fire service.  Every firefighter – regardless of rank – is tasked with creating a stronger, more effective Minnesota fire service.  We can continue to accomplish great things by working together.  We must be committed to developing our future leaders and continuing to build on the solid foundation that was provided to us by those that have served before.

I wish to thank Chief Butler for his time and service as Vice President of the Association.  When we both spoke after receiving the election results, Chief Butler and I are equally committed to ensuring the long-term success of the association and its members.

I am eagerly looking forwarding to beginning a new chapter of the MSFCA with Vice President-elect Tom Miller, our board, agents, committee members, and our 2,000+ members.  Chief Miller and I talked at great length yesterday afternoon and are enthusiastic about working together.  We both look forward to hearing from members and welcome open discussion and feedback.  Congratulations, Chief Miller.

I owe a great deal of thanks and appreciation to Steve Koering, my Vice President running mate.  While Chief Koering and I had worked together on a few projects before, most noticeably the Minnesota Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service, we developed a great working relationship during the campaign and recognized that we both share the same servant-leadership philosophy.  I consider Steve a colleague and a great friend.  Thank you, Chief Koering, for your dedication and commitment to the Minnesota fire service.

In closing, I hope that we all can take a moment to reflect on the people that have made a difference in our lives.  Thank you to everyone that has supported me during this campaign and throughout my entire career, especially my fiancé, family, friends, and my Elk River Fire Department team.

I am forever grateful to the many friendships that have been forged and I am very happy to call Minnesota home.  The Minnesota fire service is my family.  Thank you.

Stay low and go.

Cunningham Announces Candidacy for President of Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association

I am pleased and honored to announce my candidacy for the position of President of Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association (MSFCA) for the 2017 election.

I am extremely proud to be a Minnesota firefighter, a Minnesota fire chief, and a nine-year member of the MSFCA, an exceptional organization that is a reflection of the high-caliber of fire service professionals, both volunteer and career. While my fire service beginnings can be traced back to Connecticut where I started as a fire explorer and later became a volunteer firefighter, I am honored to be among the 21,000+ Minnesota firefighters that serve with pride, honor, and compassion.

I believe the strength and success of any organization is directly attributed to its people. The MSFCA is no exception. The association is truly a member-driven organization that is successful because of the dedication, commitment, tenacity, innovation, courage, and leadership of its membership.

It would be my honor and privilege to serve as the next President of the MSFCA. I look forward to carrying forward the tradition of excellence the MSFCA is known for, continuing the collaborative efforts to take care of our firefighters, developing innovative strategies and actionable tasks for recruitment/retention, enhancing the fire service mission, and developing current and future Minnesota fire service leaders.

I welcome open dialog, feedback, engagement, and ideas from our Minnesota firefighters and officers so that we can help pave the path for future generations.

Please check back regularly for updates, announcements, and other important information.  Be sure to follow me on Facebook (@ChiefTJohnCunningham) and Twitter (@TJohnCunningham)!