Fire Chief Freddy Howell
NSB Kings Bay, GA

I know many of you have read or heard about the book, Who Moved My Cheese? For those who haven't, you should invest in a copy of it and spend the 30 minutes or so for you to read it. This book speaks volumes about change! It has been a great help to me over the past few years with all of the changes and experiences I have endured. That's another story! From the time I entered into the fire service until now, there has been one thing which I can honestly say has never changed and that is CHANGE! Not a day goes by in the fire service, like most organizations, where we don't experience change. For example, the development of the "16 Life Safety Initiatives" which we hope helps promote change in the fire service. Let's look at the "Who Moved My Cheese" concept and how it relates to the "16 Life Safety Initiatives" and the fire service.

In the book, we meet Hem, the little character that didn't want to change. He did not want anything in his life to change. However, he soon either had to change or be extinct. We also meet, Haw who noticed how Sniff and Scurry changed to find more cheese and followed their lead. Even though it was hard, Haw changed and found that once he overcame his fear he could change and enjoy it. So, we have two characters - Hem, who didn't want or like change and was resistant to it - and Haw, who was a lot like Hem but noticed he had to change to find more cheese and be happy. So which character are you as it relates to the fire service Hem or Haw?

During the first few pages of the story you find out that Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw are happy because they have cheese and "having cheese makes you happy." We relate that to being part of the fire service and being part of an honorable trusted organization dedicated to saving lives and property. "The more important your cheese is to you, the more you want to hold on to it." The longer we are in the fire service the more we embrace the traditions and culture that it holds. We have to stay mindful of the changes just as Haw wrote on the wall for Hem, "If you do not change, you can become extinct."

The fire service and its leaders can't be afraid to change. We have to anticipate and monitor change to promote a new culture that is more safety oriented. We need to adopt procedures and recommendations that have been developed to make our business safer and our firefighters healthier. We need to acquire funding to purchase new equipment while supporting the development for better procedures, equipment and technology. Hem wrote, "Movement in a new direction helps you find new cheese." But for the fire service to move, we have to read and believe in Hem's next quote. "The quicker you let go of old cheese the sooner you find new cheese." If we don't let go of our old beliefs and change our culture, adopt and support the "16 Life safety Initiatives," then we can expect history to repeat itself. I guess that's why, Hem wrote, "Old beliefs do not lead you to new cheese."

Change is never easy nor is changing the culture and the mindset of thousands of fire professionals who may have generations of firefighters in their families. Change can be slow however, with the development and implementation of the Everyone Goes Home ® "16 Life Safety Initiatives," we are moving in the right direction. In which direction is your department headed? We have to become role models, not only as individuals, but also as entire departments so other departments will be championed to change as well. But for others to change, they have to see a difference in our behaviors, beliefs, and actions. As Haw wrote, "When you see that you can find and enjoy new cheese, you change course."

Years ago my chief came back from the National Fire Academy with a new word and concept that we all laughed about. The word was "paradigm" and the concept was "a paradigm shift." Paradigm basically means we hold particular beliefs about what is true, what is effective and what is valuable. A paradigm shift is the development of different perspectives on what we hold as true, effective and valuable. We, as the fire service and leaders, have to promote a paradigm shift. A good place to start is to follow Haw's next writing. "Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are to come." To accomplish this we should use the eating an elephant approach - take small bites at a time. For instance, implement what we have control over such as: Incident Command on all incidents with an accountability system and a safety officer, stopping unsafe acts like backing of apparatus, and the list goes on.

To sum up the book "Who Moved My Cheese" and how it relates to "Who Moved My Culture" we have to acknowledge that change happens and we have to anticipate and monitor change. When change takes place, we have to adapt to change quickly and then enjoy it again and again because one thing is constant - CHANGE! Are you like Haw? Have you adopted the "16 Life Safety Initiatives?" Or, are you like Hem?