Jumpline magazine JUNE 2023 pages - Flipbook - Page 48
I was There when it Happened Continued
48
embroidered “Metro Fire Rescue” on the back. Over the years
our pants have changed but we have stayed with a gray shirt.
So, what does this have to do with the color of our trucks?
When we started working on our first of many leased fire apparatuses and we were looking at large numbers; 31 engines,
40 rescues and others, I thought this would be an opportunity
to develop some consistency in our paint scheme and striping.
In the beginning, my only concern was that the lettering and
striping be as consistent as possible on all the trucks and
that we put BIG numbers on the rig to identify it. Additionally, I floated the idea of bringing back some of our tradition of
gray uniforms by painting the roof gray rather than white which
had become the norm for our apparatus. At first, I think I was
the ONLY person on my staff that liked the idea.
As all our new officers that have come to see me
know, I preach the 51% rule. This rule is simple.
As a leader, you take input from your subordinates, evaluate the input, and then decide. As the
leader, you have 51% of the vote. This goes for
company officers and firefighters, CFOs and company officers, etc. Well, it also holds true at my
level. I took input from my staff, evaluated it, and
then made my decision as I too have 51% of the
vote. So I know when I saw the first gray over lime
F
OF n
o
lin
Dave Downey, Ret.
green livery, I liked it. The final sell was the fact that one of our
truck manufacturers said that another department saw our new
paint scheme and immediately changed its order to the same
color. I think the final naysayers on my staff were sold. So now,
as we have basically turned our fleet over in the past 6 years,
we have the same color scheme, larger numbers (still need to
be put on the platforms), and common lettering and striping.
This is part 2 of 2 in an attempt to recap a few events that
shaped the department we know today. I am sure I may not
have gotten the exact chronology of events, but I came as
close as I could. What I hope others gain from reading this is
the fact that our great department has always improved based
on new ideas and innovation and that you don’t have to make it
to fire chief to have an impact.
If you have an idea that can make things
better, take ownership, understand there
will be challenges to seeing it through,
be the champion! Remember, there are
three kinds of people; those who watch
things happen, those who wonder what
happened, and those who make things
happen.
Which one will you be?
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