Seven or eight years ago, as Chief Willy was signaling that his days as chief were numbered, I decided I wanted to be the next Chief of Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. If there was a town in Wyoming that could embrace a woman fire chief, it would be Jackson Hole.
To prepare, I started an intense reading effort on every leadership book I could find. My days as a battalion chief and fire marshal were long days and by the time I rolled into my Hoback home there was never time for reading so I got a subscription to Audible books, a "free" credit every month. I would play my books driving back and forth to inspections, north to Moran when I was their battalion chief (BC) liaison, then west when I transistioned to the Station 2 and Station 6 BC liaison, and then on the drive south, homeward bound. To this day, I cannot discern which was the more odious drive; the 28 miles north to Moran in the summer or the 7 miles to Wilson on the crowded, backed up two lane highway to Wilson. Both routes always yeilded copious amounts of reading time.
As I ticked through the plethera of leadership titles, I learned many things and began to see similarities in books. These similarities, I knew, were the blocks to the foundation of good leadership. Take care of your people, be a good listener, be empathtic, insist on integrity, be accountable, be confident, be humble.
There were two weeks before the deadline for application. I had filled out the application and I knew my strengths and my weaknesses. But as the days ticked closer, I realized I loved the job I had so much, I just really didn't want to leave it. My application was not get submitted.
And for the next five years, I had the privelage to serve under the best fire chief of all, Chief Brady Hansen. Chief Hansen understood he didn't know much about my job as fire marshal and he told me as much. We would meet once a week (when he remembered) and I'd fill him in on things I thought important, he would do the same. Chief Hansen gave me free reign to run the Prevention Bureau and be a battalion chief the way I thought it best served the community. He encouraged continuing education and memberships into national organizations. He taught me so many good leadership skills.
The day would come when I would understand he would be leaving at his five year mark which was just after my 20 year anniversary of being in the fire service. After careful consideration, my early retirement was planned for May 2022 with Chief Hansen's retirement later that October.
Today, Jackson Hole Fire/EMS is under the reign of what will certainly go down in organizational history as the most wretched leader the organization has ever had to suffer. Aggressive, confrontational, bully, and vile are descritive words of his leadership style. None of the books I read provided these words as leadership building blocks.
Many in the organization remark at my good timing to getting out. I would not have lasted a month under this type of tyranny. You would have seen the orange glow of that bridge burning from way up in Moran.
If I were Chief, I would lead with three priorities. The number one priority would be serving the community. Everything we would do would have to pass the "does this serve the community" question first. When responders complain about being split up into groups of two at two stations rather than one group of four at one station, they would know the right answer by how each answer best serves the community. All know that taking a rescue truck out of service, selling it for pennies on the dollar, does not serve the community and stands as one of the most heinous acts this Chief has mindlessly succeeded at while yanking away a valuable resource from the people in south Teton County.
The second priority on my list would be taking care of our people. All people; the operational staff, the volunteer cadre, the administration staff, fleet maintenance, the prevention bureau. Each of these groups have different needs and no one has spent much time listening to their needs. A recent administration office upheaval is yet another act of the sword from the current chief. Moving everyone's cheese is not a great leadership act.
The third priority would be fiscal responsibility with this community's tax payer dollars. Most staff recently received overdue raises. Most but not all. Again, taking care of everyone is of paramount importance. Selling a quarter million dollar functionable rescue truck for pennies on the dollar is hardly fiscally responsible. Sending no representation to the many state wide meetings, to the Fallen Firefighter memorial, to train, to build relationships - although it takes finances to make these things happen, it is hardly fiscally responsible to not spend that money for these priceless investments in training and relationship building.
There are good leaders and there are bad leaders. My heart goes out to everyone at Jackson Hole Fire/EMS while they try to do their job under a heartless, angry, vindictive, bully. There have been some good changes under his sword but the price everyone is paying is far too high. I admire the tenacity of those who choose to stay. To endure the threats, the fear, the negativity, to have to pick up your office space and get crammed into a new and smaller space - they hold on because they know the importance of their job, they know how they can help in an emergency and they know they can prevent tragedies. These are the true heros of this community; no matter what job title they fulfill. Their stress and anxiety is real and I hope their wait-time is short.
Running into a fire, working a car crash on icy roads, and wondering if a crawl space is filled with live gas are easy tasks compared to what we are asking of everyone now at Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. Take care of yourselves, take care of each other. You are in a low frequency/high risk moment in the department's history.
Take care.
Take care.
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