Weekly Scrap #367 – Larry Conley: Staying in the Fight

WEBVTT
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If I gotta trust you with my life, then I guess what we need to know a little something about each other's life.
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We need some skin in the game.
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And when we had that genuine skin in the game, that paid massive dividends.
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That was a great return on the dollar.
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Firehouse Vigilance presents the weekly scrap, a podcast dedicated to the never-ending fight against complacency.
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Holymore, Firehouse Vigilance.
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It is weekly scrap number 367.
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My guest tonight is Larry Conley.
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He is a retired fire captain from the St.
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Louis Fire Department with more than three decades of fire service experience.
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He is the founder of Leadership Development Concepts, LDC, creator of the Glue and Empower Leadership Frameworks, and a national speaker whose work focuses on the human side of leadership.
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He is presented at FDIC, been on the big stage as a keynote speaker.
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He teaches leadership at conferences and fire departments across the country.
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His mission is simple: help people become better leaders, better teammates, and ultimately better human beings.
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It's been a long time in the planning and finally it's way overdue.
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I'll just say it that way.
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My brother, Larry Conley, welcome to episode number 367 of the scrap.
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All right.
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Hey, thanks.
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Thanks for having me.
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367.
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I'm about to play that.
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You know, got a a power ball or something that's like one B in dollars or something.
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Okay.
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Hey, if you hit it, we got to split it.
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That's the only thing.
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Anything I missed, anything I missed in the intro, anything you want to add that I that I there's so much to talk about when you when you talk about your body of work, but anything you want to add?
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Yeah, I I don't know.
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I just that was pretty good intro.
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I think um covered just about everything that I went from um for basinary firefighters, firefighter to Captain the Chief.
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So I think I've I've covered it all as far as that, and even better.
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Um hopefully um good friend, mentor, and instructor to um to many.
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So I like it.
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And I saw a t-shirt where some recruits might have survived Uncle Larry at some point.
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Yeah, that was the Uncle Larry's playhouse.
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So we'll probably talk about that a little bit during this interview.
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So perfect.
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That was perfect.
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That was fun.
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All right, well, I'm gonna do the sponsors and then we will get to scrapping.
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So here we go.
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UL Research Institutes, Fire Safety Research Institute offers free fire service training through their Fire Safety Academy platform.
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It's built with firefighters for firefighters, and they have hundreds of resources to help you deliver evidence-based training to document, track, and report those training hours and so much more.
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From classroom to hands-on, you can access it all for free.
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Anytime, anywhere.
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Head to frsri.org slash weekly scrap to get started.
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If you're a company officer trying to figure out, hey, what training should we do?
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FSRI.org slash weekly scrap.
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So many resources, man.
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Uh, go check it out.
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Okay.
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And the last thing I want to talk about is I'm excited, so excited about this.
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The release date is September 3rd.
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The Romagus papers are coming out on September 3rd.
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And to celebrate that, we're going to do a special scrap on Thursday, September 3rd, with the man himself, Kyle Romagus, to talk about his book, The Ramagus Paper.
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So all that being said, there we go.
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Sponsors are done.
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I love them.
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Each and every one, they make the scrap possible.
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And now I focus on my guest, Mr.
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Larry Conley.
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I always ask my guests to send over a topic of things they want to discuss.
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And brother, your list is fantastic.
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I don't know if I don't even know which one I'd want to start with.
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So I'm just going to pick uh right with what you let off with, which the topic leadership begins before the fire.
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And let you go with that is our opening salvo while the people get their questions into you.
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So go ahead.
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Well, we've always believed that uh for a long time I was I've taught we don't lost count how many recruits I've taught in um as far as in the St.
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Louis Fire Department at the community college and just um teaching, period.
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And one of the things that led to us writing the um leadership, the flagship leadership um class that we do was I was seeing all these great firefighters.
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I mean, they had the uh you know great recruits and turn into great firefighters, and they had um all the skills.
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They can throw ladders, they can deploy holes, they can they could they were badasses, you know, and they was doing it.
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But they you know, I started seeing this thing where you know many of them sucked as people.
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I was like, so so I was like, you know, that that just didn't seem to match to me.
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And um, and I was like, well, eventually that's gonna meet in the intersection somewhere.
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And when you take that oath, and and I tell the recruit class all the time, you take that oath, now you're not just picking up one part of the stick.
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I want to be a firefighter, you're picking up the other ends end of the stick as well, because now you represent whatever's on that badge or or the t-shirt you wear or the apparatus you drive with that billboard talking about who you are.
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You represent all of that.
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And then firefighters, we don't have the day off because if you live in most neighborhoods, I know in my neighborhood, we know where all the firefighters live.
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They're the ones with the trucks or the vehicles that got the firefighter sticker on there, they got a firefighter flag hanging outside.
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Everybody knows that's the firefighter.
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And um, but I don't know where the plumber lives, so I don't I'm not, you know, no, that's crapping, crapping up.
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But my point is they don't have a monkey wrench, you know, uh, you know, hanging out on a flag or something like that.
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So you know where the firefighter is.
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So my point is you're always on duty when you raise your hand, whether you are at the fire station or not.
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So I really wanted to try to do something that I felt can help because I knew how to teach all the technical stuff, but I felt like the the insidious thing that could sneak up and sniff, snuff you out would be if your personal leadership that should precede your personal, your public persona or your professional persona, um, that can sneak up and snuff you out.
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And this was even before social media back in the day.
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We're talking about, you know, about 18 years ago when I wrote this.
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Um now the social media is around and you mess up anywhere near a camera, cell phone, or anything like that before you get back to the firehouse, it's already in Germany already.
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So so now more than ever, your personal leadership needs to be fortified uh more before you even get to the hero music of being the firefighter.
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And so you trying to build it from the outside in creates a very weak foundation.
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And and since we have um, I guess, stats that can really prove that the number one killer of firefighters ain't a building falling on them or is not getting burned up in the fire, it's suicide and and and heart attacks and things like that.
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And these are things that are creeping in and and and snuffing you out, even before we get to the the sexy stuff that you um that we're known for.
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So I want to kind of address that so we could be more holistic and um let's save our lives before we get out and save other people's lives from the inside out.
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No, I absolutely love that mindset, that approach, especially like you said, identifying young.
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Like you said, they're badasses, they know what they're doing.
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But where are we, where are we as the people who are supposed to train them?
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Where are we letting them down in developing them and uh setting them up for success or or or setting them up for what they're gonna face or uh all of those things, man?
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So was that the was that the origin of glue, or did glue come later, or or is that glue itself, or yes, yeah, all the above.
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That's where glue came from.
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Growing leaders using empowerment.
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And initially we used to have a um, we still kind of use this like old school, old school to us as far as uh how we got started.
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But we it was like a brick house because St.
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Louis we call St.
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Louis Brick City because most of it's type three construction.
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So that's why we can be as aggressive as we can.
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Um, when I was on the St.
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Louis fire department, is um because you can crawl in, knock the fire down, get the deceit of the fire, uh, you know, uh get it knocked down, and within 90 days, somebody moved in, gutted it out, and got a brand new house inside because, you know, you know, we was able to save the property, unlike maybe a type five house, you got a little more damage, you might have tear it down.
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But the houses that that were in the St.
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Louis demographic, a lot of these houses have been around for over 100 years.
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A lot of them were built around the world's fair in 1904.
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Um, that's when things really started to take off in a lot of these houses being built.
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And so one day I was thinking to myself, wow, these houses have been around for centuries, you know, a long time.
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And if they've been around a long time, how does something stay up that long?
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And the craftsmanship of putting these bricks on top of each other, and then you had the mortar that kept it.
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So the the mortar was the glue.
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And I felt so I I think visually about stuff.
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So my visual thing is that if we're gonna teach uh firefighters how to maintain their house through tornadoes and storms and wind and all the things that definitely are designed to hit a house, then if it's gonna hit your house, then are you gonna be able to sustain?
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So, number one, the glue, if you're brand new, the glue is that new mortar that's gonna keep your bricks in order.
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If you're old and been around, you think you know everything, then you might need some tuck pointing.
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So, with that being the case, we were able to make sure that we had the little something for everybody to continue to reinforce and fortify their personal leadership.
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So that's where glue came from, growing leaders using empowerment.
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Because my leadership styles, I'm not a micromanager.
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If I got to micromanage you, I don't need you.
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And that's gonna piss me off that I got to micromanage you.
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And if I got to write you up or chase you around to get you to do what you gotta do.
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See, I write articles.
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So if I write you up, then you'll never work in this town again.
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I don't want to be that guy.
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So let's keep each other happy.
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You do what you're supposed to do.
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I'm gonna do what I'm supposed to do, I'm gonna stay quiet when you are empowered to do what you're supposed to do.
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Now, my job is to make sure you have all the tools you need and all the resources and all the knowledge to do your job well.
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Because when we show up at a fire, I don't have time to sit around and train.
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We train before we get to the fire.
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So when we get there, we should be as much as we can on one accord.
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So people used to tease me all the time and say, you don't hardly say nothing or yell at your guys at the fire.
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I said, I don't have to, because read the building or read the scene, then I might have to pull an Omaha, Omaha, Omaha, and uh, you know, and run an audible on this.
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But other than that, everybody knew what they were doing.
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And the genius of the St.
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Louis Fire Department is that when we show up in order and everyone has an assignment and everybody knows what they're doing, fire goes out pretty quick and people, you know, survive without too much damage.
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And um where the aggressive interior attack done correctly, not recklessly, but done correctly, can save buildings and save lives as well.
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So, so between what we tried to do on my crew and make sure that it complemented um the the theme of the of our fire particular fire department, um, it made for a good, good sweet spot to learn and be the best firefighter you can be in that system.
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No, that's awesome.
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The questions are are already starting to pile up.
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So I'm gonna get to the questions in a second.
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Keep the questions coming, they're already piling up.
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But I want to ask you about one of the things I wanted to ask you about the currency of leadership.
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I love this concept.
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And I wanted to have you a chance to explain that while they get the questions ready for you.
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So explain to me your uh concept, the currency of leadership.
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Okay, well, I'm gonna give credit to my brother David on that.
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That's kind of his brain child.
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We're always going back and forth, and sometimes based on our conversations, I'll say, ooh, that's a good idea.
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And I'll start writing and maybe submit an article, and then sometimes he'll beat me to it.
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So it's it's a great back and forth with us kind of iron show but's iron in that particular um dynamic of our of our um relationship.
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But the currency of leadership, we we tried to use um you know money and resources as kind of a backdrop because everybody understands money.
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You know, the more you make deposits and the high, high return, high interest accounts, then the better your return on the dollar is gonna be.
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Um if you mismanage your money, then of course the more debt you're gonna have and the more debt you got to climb out of.
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So people who are constantly operating in the red are gonna find themselves always broke because you're paying, you know, um high interest rates on stuff because your credit is bad, and and you know how the whole thing goes.
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We don't have to get deep into that.
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However, if you have good credit, uh uh um to try to get stuff that pays you, you know, better dividends, then of course you um have more resources and more freedom and more credit and more trusted.
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So it's the same thing in the currency of leadership.
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Once you make those everything you do, and and since we're this is a fire show, because we can teach this universally to any industry, but in the fire service, if you're a company officer and you're making these positive deposits into your um to your crew and to your system of um of the culture that you done created at your firehouse, then you're gonna get a better return on the dollar.
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So those those deposits, um, you know, the keeping your word and and owning your mistakes and making sure you hold people accountable and things to that.
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So those are things to make positive deposits, not letting people get away with stuff that's accountable.
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Not you don't have to be mean about it, but you can address it because if people see, if if one crew member sees you letting somebody else get away with it, then that's a deficit.
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That becomes a withdrawal on that on that investment.
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So, of course, if you look at the end of your career or at the end of your tenure in that the in that particular crew, whether you are a crew member or the leader, the more withdrawals you make out of the debt, negative withdrawals out of that, then you have a deficit.
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Unfortunately, when you leave a bad deficit like that, if someone else has to come in and now run that crew because you transferred, they got to inherit that debt.
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Who wants to inherit debt?
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But of course, but if you have made positive deposits and have a great return on a dollar and it's paying dividends, then someone who comes in, you know, you give you gave them a gift.
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And then it makes it easier to run, you know, run in, be a part of the crew or run the crew because of these positive deposits that you made.
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So that's the currency of leadership.
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Either making deposits is going to get a great return on the dollar, or you're going to be constantly operating in a deficit and trying to climb out of a debt.
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And I guess you have to ask yourself, you know, where do you want to put that work in there?
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You know, right.
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No, I love that.
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Uh, I never thought about the the leadership debt, the currency of the debt you leave somebody else when you walk out the door.
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Like I that makes so much sense in that analogy because I've heard leadership debt and leadership currency before in different forms, but I've never heard that take of you could leave someone a huge benefit or you can leave them in a huge hole and no one wants to inherit debt.
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I love that.
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I love that aspect of it.
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Absolutely.
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All right, I'm ready to throw some questions at you from the audience.
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Sure.
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First one coming at you from Joe Gavita.
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He says, question why do so many people overcomplicate leadership?
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Is it a misunderstanding of what leadership is, or are we just missing the point?
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Um I think that's a good that's a good point.
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I think we can you can put as we're missing the point.
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I think like anything else, leadership, and I'm on a board for FDIC as far as reviewing um classes.
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I'm on education committee.
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I'm gonna tell you it is you know pretty saturated with you know leadership.
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And and so it's a very necessary topic.
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I don't think it's a topic that should ever go away, but it can be a little saturated.
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And it's and these days it feels like it's a new new thing, you know, almost like, you know, hey, the the is it's like what's the latest leadership thing?
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And and and when I was growing up, leadership was just kind of like I grew up in North St.
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Louis, so you know, our leadership was just it was just simple as a phrase said, word is bond.
00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:10.160
Like, and and when I grew up, I realized that the proper was your word is your bond.
00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:12.960
But the brothers, we just be like, hey man, word is bond.
00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:15.519
And that meant I'ma die before I let you down.
00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:21.279
And that was just simple leadership, just that us right here, no matter what it was.
00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:26.400
It was the the neighborhood softball team, the boy scouts or or whatever, just your friends.
00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:27.839
The word is bond.
00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:33.519
It and then start getting a little more complicated as you get older or whatever, like that.
00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:36.799
To that point, to that question, it's not that complicated.
00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:37.839
It really is not.
00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:46.720
It's just being uh, as as I talk about all the time, your personal leadership is a constant digging.
00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:51.839
I'm still doing it to this day, a constant digging to get to your best authentic self.
00:18:52.000 --> 00:19:18.000
And when you do that and continue to find um great and wonderful ways of how you are, who you are, how she's designed, what was your purpose, and you bring that to the table, then you don't have to have an over overcomplicated um dynamic of buzzwords and buzz phrases and fancy ways to deal with people because people just know.
00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:19.839
I used to look at my son sometimes.
00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:23.200
I got two sons, and sometimes they're trying to BS me about something.
00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:26.400
I just stare at them because I'm looking dead in your soul.
00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:28.319
And I know, I know you know better.
00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:28.720
Right.
00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:32.160
And they had to break it down, be like, yeah, I know better.
00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:32.640
I know.
00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:35.920
We ain't gotta have no fancy, you know, parenting here.
00:19:36.079 --> 00:19:37.119
You know better.
00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:41.200
And the next time you don't show me on no better, it's gonna be consequences, you know.
00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:44.559
So so we I didn't have to have a lot of things.
00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:58.640
So I was just telling somebody at the um wedding reception the other day, a bunch of firefighters were there, and one of the new firefighters was somebody who had did his recruit class, and he was telling me about some issues he was having.
00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:00.799
And we were talking about writing people up.
00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:06.480
And I said, in all my years of being a uh company officer and the chief officer, I never wrote anybody up.
00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:13.440
Not that I didn't, I couldn't or didn't have reason to sometimes, but I never wrote anybody up, and I was glad of that.
00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:20.000
The reason I didn't is because, and and a lot of some of us luck too, so I'll give it that.
00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:25.119
But I was always able to pull them to the side, say, come here for a minute and give them that look I gave my son.
00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:26.880
Like, come on, man.
00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:28.720
Well, that was the question I wanted to ask you.
00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:33.440
I was gonna say, did you ever did you ever break out the look on the on the firefighters?
00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:34.640
That same look you used on your son.
00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:37.039
That was the question I was gonna ask, but you answered it.
00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:46.240
Okay, let me stop doing that then.
00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:46.960
All right, no, thank you.
00:20:47.519 --> 00:20:47.920
You're good.
00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:48.880
He's emphatic.
00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:52.240
Uh Dirk, I didn't know if everybody could hear Sam or not.
00:20:52.319 --> 00:21:00.559
Sam was talking to Chief, but Dirk121 wants to know Chief, how would you advise a young officer to structure their personal life?
00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:06.160
Flags on the house and all, to benefit their team within the fire service.
00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:09.279
What personal changes have you had to make?
00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:19.839
Personal changes is number one, I've always um I've increased it more since I've been retired because I've made more time for it.
00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:33.599
But, you know, whatever your spiritual belief is, you know, take care of your, you know, one of the things I talked about in the keynote was talking about taking care of that that social, that mental, that spiritual, and your physical self.
00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:38.720
That has to be a constant circle that you uh a constant knife that you sharpen.
00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:43.519
A lot of times we don't make time for that, and then we'll get to it and we'll get back to it.
00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:46.880
And one day we'll get to it and we don't make time for it.
00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:48.720
And then it catches up with you.
00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:56.079
So when you make time for that, then it that I believe this when you they say trust the process, trust this process.
00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:59.759
When you do that, it helps you identify what's important.
00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:05.279
It helps you put your family in the proper place they should be.
00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:07.440
It helps you put your kids where they should be.
00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:10.720
It helps you put, you know, your loved ones and all that.
00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:24.559
And when you do it in proper order like that, and it becomes a very good habit that that that um that benefits you, you can't help but do it when you get to work.
00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:38.640
A lot of people have a lot of very good professional persona, but once again, like I said before, they suck as people, they suck as husbands, they suck as wives, they suck as partners, they suck as dads, they and then and then don't do this.
00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:40.960
Don't use the fire purposes as an excuse.
00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:43.039
Well, you know, I was working all this.
00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:44.000
Well, I had to do this.
00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:44.720
Well, mm-mm.
00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:48.319
There's nothing important than the foundation that you build.
00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:56.799
And um, I use this analogy sometime when I'm speaking about, I always forget what Asian country is from, but whatever it is, it's the bamboo tree.
00:22:56.960 --> 00:23:08.559
And the bamboo tree, um, when it grows, it it develops a root system uh that you don't see happening below ground for about maybe almost five years, so to speak.
00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:22.079
And then in the when it comes above earth, uh above the ground, next thing you know, in about 90 days, three months, you know, a little more than that, it just sprouts up exponentially and it stands to the test of time.
00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:28.000
But the reason it does because it's constantly building a root system that it can't be shaken shook.
00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:33.519
Skyscrapers, they don't build just a skyscraper and just throw it on the slab and throw it up, that thing will fall.
00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:37.200
They build a deep root system for the skyscraper so it can stand.
00:23:37.440 --> 00:24:17.440
So my point is that as in doing your personal, um, just like you was asking about the personal, you know, keep digging that root system, whatever that is for you, whatever your religious belief, whatever your social beliefs are, um, whatever that is, if it's principled, if it's um genuineness or authentic, if it comes from a a good place and you put in your family first, then that's the beginning of the success that will um be a wellspring when you get to anything else in life, whether you um at the firehouse or anywhere else you find yourself, be a holistic person instead of just being a good firefighter.
00:24:17.599 --> 00:24:21.200
Have them bamboo roots, man, before long before, yeah, it'd be exponential.
00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:21.920
I love that.
00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:22.640
I love that.
00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:25.519
Next one's coming at you from Dave Dubowski.
00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:27.359
He wants to know, Uncle Larry.
00:24:27.519 --> 00:24:28.240
Who is that guy?
00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:29.680
Who is that guy?
00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:35.759
Uncle Larry, as a captain at the 13s in one of the roughest neighborhoods of St.
00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:39.920
Louis, why did you insist that the bay door remain open?
00:24:42.240 --> 00:25:00.240
Well, when I first got to the 13s, um, there was um there were some people, not everybody, it was not the majority, but there were some people who had a mentality of of um, well, let me let me back the train up a little bit more.
00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:04.799
So I grew up not too far from that the 13s where I worked.
00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:13.440
So I was still near and dear to that neighborhood, and it definitely looked different than when I was a kid, than what it turned into, and it got depressed.
00:25:13.759 --> 00:25:24.880
But the people in in beautiful downtown Hamilton Heights, and I called it that for a reason because I wanted to cast a vision that this is still a valuable place to work and protect people.
00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:33.680
We're not just here because they get more fires, or we're not just here because uh we get more stabbings and shootings and things like that.
00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:44.400
Um, they deserve um the same care and the same service as anywhere else in the city that's uh maybe better than that neighborhood.
00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:51.440
And so um, so I was real emphatic about calling it beautiful downtown Hamilton Heights.
00:25:51.599 --> 00:26:04.480
I left the doors open because some people thought that the doors closed would protect us and protect our um belongings and all that stuff because it was considered a rough neighborhood.
00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:07.039
I was like, leave the doors open.
00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:11.519
Uh the this how this ancient house doesn't belong to us, it belongs to the citizens.
00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:14.480
And then somebody used to argue, or argue no, they pay taxes.
00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:15.599
That ain't our job.
00:26:15.839 --> 00:26:20.400
We don't show up to our we don't show up to a house and say, Did this guy cheat on his SATs?
00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:21.920
Yeah, we're not gonna pull them out.
00:26:22.079 --> 00:26:25.839
We we pull everybody out, we rescue everybody no matter what.
00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:31.279
So anyway, I left the bay doors open because kids would come by want water, whatever, like that.
00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:34.640
So instead of coming to the door with this mean spirit, like, what do you want?
00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:35.599
Can I get some water?
00:26:35.759 --> 00:26:36.240
Hurry up.
00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:39.920
And then they go get the water and then we couldn't wait for them to leave.
00:26:40.160 --> 00:26:41.440
Open the bay doors.
00:26:41.519 --> 00:26:42.480
They come in.
00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:50.480
Um, usually I participate, even though I made the assignment sometime my new guy, because I wanted him to get to know the neighborhood.
00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:52.559
But I would be downstairs most of the time.
00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:56.720
They come in, they want some water, they won't look at the fire truck.
00:26:57.039 --> 00:27:00.960
And if you give them the right supervision, you don't have to worry about them taking anything.
00:27:01.119 --> 00:27:03.680
If they do, we're gonna have to deal with it.
00:27:03.839 --> 00:27:11.359
But they respected us enough not to even challenge us like that because it was a welcoming spirit.
00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:13.359
So we done seen a lot of them grow up.
00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:16.240
We helped them with their homework, Christmas presents.
00:27:16.400 --> 00:27:21.440
Um, you know, we got we got some potato chips, we want some chips or something like that.
00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:22.640
They might watch TV.
00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:23.759
They hung out.
00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:28.319
So the open door policy, we threw the football with them or whatever like that.
00:27:28.480 --> 00:27:31.359
So the open door policy was real important.
00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:46.400
And we weren't, we wasn't scared of the neighborhood, so to speak, or we didn't drive in from God's country to work on our boat that day, and we didn't want them inside the engine house because you know, this is our engine house, this is our engine house as a community.
00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:48.480
We're just the stewards of it.
00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:50.319
We're just the stewards of it.
00:27:50.559 --> 00:27:55.680
So um, so we left the bay doors open to have a more welcoming environment.
00:27:55.839 --> 00:27:59.119
Um, some of those kids grew up and turned out real positive.
00:27:59.200 --> 00:28:06.160
I've seen some of them as they got young men and and and young ladies and and um turned out great.
00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:12.960
So that investment or the risk, as somebody might call it, was really worth it uh considering.
00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:17.119
Um we just didn't want to show up to them when it was an emergency.
00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:19.519
We wanted to build those relationships.
00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:23.200
And um, and when you did that, guess what?
00:28:23.359 --> 00:28:30.960
You also some of the intrinsic values you might not your call might not get broken to because you was the nice crew.
00:28:31.359 --> 00:28:35.759
So that was so that helped, you know.
00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:37.519
No, absolutely, absolutely.
00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:38.720
I love I love the story.
00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:45.119
I love the I love the fact that you said we can't we welcome them with welcoming spirit and that that it was reciprocated, you know.
00:28:45.200 --> 00:28:50.000
And I I think uh that that message is lost a lot of times and we forget why we're there to begin with.
00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:52.240
Uh Rob Fisher's coming at you.
00:28:52.319 --> 00:28:53.200
He says, question.
00:28:53.680 --> 00:28:55.839
I feel the uh Rob Effenfisher.
00:28:55.920 --> 00:28:56.799
I'm sorry, I said it wrong.
00:28:56.960 --> 00:28:58.640
Rob Effenfisher says, question.
00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:02.400
I feel the American fire service is in a leadership crisis.
00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:05.680
We have become distracted and confused by political BS.
00:29:05.839 --> 00:29:11.119
Our leaders are more focused on their political credit than the mission we are here for, which is saving lives.
00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:13.039
Do you think we are in a crisis?
00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:14.240
Excuse me.
00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:21.119
I don't think let me say this.
00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:27.440
Sometimes I'm careful how I answer certain things because um two things can be true at the same time.
00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:33.680
But I'm really big on how do you address how how you categorize things.
00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:39.839
I think if you I think saying it, I'm not trying to disrespect um his viewpoint.
00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:48.720
I've lived long enough that like when I came on the fire department, people were saying, Oh my God, the way these these kids are thinking.
00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:53.039
And then now I find myself being that guy, like, oh my god, the way these kids are right.
00:29:53.279 --> 00:30:03.039
It looks like that's always going to be passing the book, like you know, my kids one day gonna, they grown now, but they're gonna be one day saying, Oh my goodness, I can't believe the way these kids are thinking.
00:30:03.200 --> 00:30:11.119
So when you say that, that almost makes like it's always a uh uh a never-ending crisis, so to speak, because of that.
00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:17.680
There were issues when I was when I first came on the job, and there were issues that when I've seen people come on the job.
00:30:17.839 --> 00:30:21.039
So I don't want to necessarily say I think it's a crisis.
00:30:21.279 --> 00:30:23.920
I think that we have to communicate better.
00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:34.880
I think the the problem, uh, if you want to call it that, or maybe what's different is that information comes a whole lot faster these days than we've ever had before.
00:30:35.119 --> 00:30:51.279
When I was growing up, you you know, we all sat around the firehouse, the newspaper, and then you had the little, you know, black and white TV or the colored TV with the rabbit ears on it or whatever like that, because we just now getting cable and all that kind of stuff.
00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:59.920
And we were talking about the issues of the day based on the newspaper or whatever, and the information wasn't coming as fast.
00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:05.920
So there was, there was the conversation wasn't as intense or didn't feel as intense.
00:31:06.160 --> 00:31:19.519
Um, these days, everyone's on their phone, uh, everybody's on, you don't even watch TV in the in the kitchen anymore because everybody's on their devices and they're you know somewhere else in the firehouse and it feels like a ghost town.
00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:23.039
So here's what here's where the setup is.
00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:36.559
If everybody's in their particular corners looking at their favorite information feed, and they're believing these sound bites, and they're believing this stuff, and they're scrolling, and they got hours of that.
00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:46.960
And then when you finally come back together, you're like, you look like the person I don't like that I was scrolling in the corner over here, and that person says this.
00:31:47.119 --> 00:31:50.240
Then how can you have any kind of cohesiveness with that?
00:31:50.400 --> 00:31:50.799
Yeah.
00:31:51.039 --> 00:31:54.480
I think I started an article on that not too long ago.
00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:58.960
So my point is that can mask itself as like we're in a crisis.
00:31:59.119 --> 00:31:59.359
Sure.
00:31:59.599 --> 00:32:11.119
When maybe you could look at it as well as like, okay, if there is, then what can we do to kind of find our commonalities to fix it or concentrate on what do we have in common?
00:32:11.200 --> 00:32:18.559
And maybe the crisis doesn't look, maybe we can have another word that's not saying it's not a problem, but maybe it's not a crisis.
00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:21.039
So I think it's just how you look at it for me.
00:32:21.359 --> 00:32:21.920
Mindset.
00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:31.920
And and I love you the point about uh the separate and and you're getting on your device and the confirmation bias coming at you, just just reinforcing what you know.
00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:38.319
This it's not even reality that is reinforcing, it's just your viewpoint, you know, and and just like dividing everything.
00:32:38.480 --> 00:32:44.880
So yeah, it's just I love that fantastic, fantastic answer to a great question, uh Rob.
00:32:45.039 --> 00:32:47.359
And I love the mindset towards that.
00:32:47.599 --> 00:32:53.039
Uh Douglas Ott coming at you, another Missouri guy.
00:32:53.200 --> 00:33:01.519
He wants to know, I know you're busy, but will glue and tightrope, etc., make it into book form.
00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:03.359
Yes.
00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:05.920
That's all I got to say.
00:33:06.079 --> 00:33:17.680
Um I'm glad he said that because people have been tough talk tough excuse me, talking about this book for a long time, and it needs to happen, and I need to just sit down and do it.
00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:26.480
For a long time, I was intimidated by writing a book, but then I was talking to Rick Lasky one day, and he was like, Look, man, you got a you know, you got a degree.
00:33:26.559 --> 00:33:27.759
Now I got a master's degree.
00:33:27.839 --> 00:33:33.200
He's like, all them papers and all the articles you wrote, um, you can write a book.
00:33:33.279 --> 00:33:34.720
So I've like, good point.
00:33:34.880 --> 00:33:38.880
So, yes, to uh the simple answer to that is yes, there are they are coming.
00:33:39.119 --> 00:33:39.599
They are coming.
00:33:39.680 --> 00:33:40.559
There you go, Douglas.
00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:41.759
They are on their way.
00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:51.680
McGinn wants to know walking the tightrope requires balancing opposing demands without losing yourself, your people, or your purpose.
00:33:51.920 --> 00:33:59.680
When you squeeze it between demanding administrators and a frustrated crew, how can a leader protect their mental health and keep their purpose clear?
00:33:59.759 --> 00:34:03.359
That's a long question, but there's a lot there.
00:34:03.920 --> 00:34:06.000
Sound like this person has been to my class before.
00:34:06.160 --> 00:34:08.719
No, but but uh sounds like he's seen you.
00:34:08.960 --> 00:34:10.079
Right, right, right.
00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:16.639
Um it it once again is it gets back to the quest a couple of questions ago.
00:34:16.800 --> 00:34:33.519
You have to keep on building that root system, and when you do, it gives you that that moxie and gives you that hope, and it gives you that um foundational um strength to um to see to be able to handle both of them because they're both necessary.
00:34:33.679 --> 00:34:44.400
You have to take care of your department, but you also have to access the resources from the um political um powers that be.
00:34:44.639 --> 00:34:46.480
You can't alienate one without the other.
00:34:46.559 --> 00:34:51.599
If I'm off of my department and I'm saying screw the administration, uh I don't get resources.
00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:57.840
And if I'm saying, you know, siding with the administration says screw my department, then I don't have the trust of my department.
00:34:58.000 --> 00:34:59.920
So it's definitely a tight rope.
00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:12.159
But if I find myself um making myself genuine and principled, and that's I think that's my really key word with that is remaining principled, not right, not wrong, but principled.
00:35:12.239 --> 00:35:17.679
When I do my prayers, I always say, I don't necessarily want to be right because right it can be subjective.
00:35:17.920 --> 00:35:20.079
I want to be wise, I want to be principled.
00:35:20.239 --> 00:35:25.920
And when I'm wise and principle, sometimes most times they can go past being right about something.
00:35:26.079 --> 00:35:28.800
Because you could be, I I I use this example all the time.
00:35:28.880 --> 00:35:34.079
You could be right about something to your wife, but if you end up on the couch that night, was they really wise?
00:35:34.639 --> 00:35:35.519
So think about this.
00:35:35.599 --> 00:35:49.840
So so my point is that as long as um that tightrope will be easier to walk when you continue to train yourself and make sure your root system is strong, you're genuine, and you're principled.
00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:54.480
And when you do that, you can, you know, you can do it without the net eventually.
00:35:54.719 --> 00:35:56.639
So right on.
00:35:56.719 --> 00:35:57.360
No, I love that.
00:35:57.440 --> 00:36:01.599
And and the being right with your wife, man, that kind of hits a little too close to home, sleeping on the couch.
00:36:01.840 --> 00:36:12.000
So now, Chief, uh, you've held positions all the way down, uh obviously starting out probationary firefighter, all the way up into the chief ranks.
00:36:12.159 --> 00:36:14.559
And I love this question coming at you from Joe Govita.
00:36:14.639 --> 00:36:23.039
He says, What is something you think firefighters that are not informal leadership roles they need to understand about those that are in formal leadership roles?
00:36:23.119 --> 00:36:24.639
What's something they just don't get?
00:36:26.159 --> 00:36:38.719
Um there's a lot of stuff they don't get because I'm gonna tell you, is the um the kitchen table, which is the you know the courtroom of most firehouses, yes, and where the where the world problems are solved.
00:36:38.960 --> 00:36:52.320
Um, you sit around these kitchen tables enough, and I drunk the Kool-Aid too when I was, you know, um a firefighter, um, just come on the job and and learning things, and even after I got a few years on, excuse me.
00:36:52.960 --> 00:36:56.000
And you feel like you're right because you think it's just simplistic.
00:36:56.159 --> 00:36:57.440
Well, this is so stupid.
00:36:57.519 --> 00:37:00.400
This policy is stupid, this is dumb, or why are we doing this?
00:37:00.559 --> 00:37:01.840
If only they would just do that.
00:37:01.920 --> 00:37:04.800
They lucky I ain't the chief because if I was the chief, I would do this.
00:37:04.880 --> 00:37:11.119
And and and so I was thought that too for a long time until you get in that position.
00:37:11.280 --> 00:37:15.920
And once you get in that position, you realize it's not as simplistic as making decisions.
00:37:16.239 --> 00:37:22.880
Now, um if if you have someone who's principal, then of course you trust them to make the right decisions.
00:37:23.039 --> 00:37:28.800
You don't trust them to make the the safe decision or the safe or the decision only benefit them.
00:37:29.039 --> 00:37:40.480
I totally agree with um firefighters who find that out about their particular leader and you know call them out, maybe not as respectfully as they should, because they can hurt people with that.
00:37:40.800 --> 00:37:53.119
But there are people, there are there are leaders who are very principled and fight for the the greater good of everything and maybe have to learn how to play chess instead of checkers with different situations.
00:37:53.360 --> 00:38:11.119
And these may not be situations you understand, but that's why another reason you have to have that principled um mentality early on, just like I said, when we started talking teaching glue, we can teach it from the newest person all the way up to the most seasoned person.
00:38:11.440 --> 00:38:32.079
Because once you build that kind of reputation along the way as you climb the ranks, then people the speed of trust is better with with you, which means that if you make it this year, if Corley is the chief, and I say, Man, I know Corley to be principal, uh, he's no nonsense, he's gonna tell you like it is.
00:38:32.239 --> 00:38:35.679
If he has to do it this way, there's a there's a reason for it.
00:38:35.840 --> 00:38:37.679
I got faith in his leadership.
00:38:37.920 --> 00:38:49.199
And then you always give that return on a dollar, whether you was uh a fire private, uh captain or a chief, because you got their reputation, right?
00:38:49.360 --> 00:38:50.960
Then I trust you on that.
00:38:51.119 --> 00:38:51.920
Back to that currency.
00:38:52.480 --> 00:38:59.199
Yeah, well, some but sometimes that trust that that currency is you you done you took a good test, and that's why you're chief now.
00:38:59.280 --> 00:39:00.639
But nobody trusts you.
00:39:02.480 --> 00:39:11.039
You know, you you became a chief with uh you they need to change your name to chief deficit or chief debt, you know, because because you know you you ain't good at it.
00:39:11.119 --> 00:39:18.159
So so I can see how that can be something that you don't trust as um these leaders make these decisions.
00:39:18.400 --> 00:39:20.400
So do it, do it all the way through.
00:39:20.480 --> 00:39:24.880
Don't just wait till you become chief and then trying to now go back and be principal.
00:39:24.960 --> 00:39:30.239
Is it I ain't just say it's too late, but it's gonna be hard to turn that ship around then a lot harder.
00:39:30.320 --> 00:39:33.760
Yeah, you're starting in that hole, you're starting way deep in that hole, right?
00:39:34.079 --> 00:39:36.159
And yeah, no, we can talk about that.
00:39:36.239 --> 00:39:46.559
Uh Rob Reed 87 coming at you and says, Question, Chief, what is the investment with the best ROI, the best return on investment as a company officer?
00:39:46.880 --> 00:39:48.239
We'll stay on this currency theme.
00:39:48.320 --> 00:39:48.800
But what's the best?
00:39:49.280 --> 00:39:50.079
What's the best return?
00:39:50.159 --> 00:39:51.119
What do you think?
00:39:51.679 --> 00:40:01.679
I my my best return has always been um, and I've heard it from my from my um my different crews I've had as a company officer.
00:40:04.320 --> 00:40:07.920
One of my favorite things I used to always tell them, don't make me be a captain today.
00:40:08.719 --> 00:40:14.079
You know, and what that meant is that I've do what the expectations are.
00:40:14.320 --> 00:40:19.199
I would have, and I'm just throwing the numbers out there to make it easier to do the math.
00:40:20.159 --> 00:40:26.320
I would say these are the four non-negotiable things I want done every day, every shift, all the time.
00:40:26.559 --> 00:40:29.599
These are things, these are the four non-negotiable things.
00:40:29.920 --> 00:40:32.559
The other 96 you can have.
00:40:32.800 --> 00:40:39.119
Maybe they weren't, you know, acute, maybe they weren't things that are gonna get us hurt or in trouble or killed or something like that.
00:40:39.360 --> 00:40:41.119
But you can have those other 96.
00:40:41.199 --> 00:40:42.639
I'm gonna trust you with that.
00:40:42.880 --> 00:40:50.159
Now, if I see you messing up on the other 96, then I'm gonna ask for five, six, it's gonna increase depending on how you act.
00:40:50.400 --> 00:40:51.679
You determine how I act.
00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:57.280
You don't want me to uh, you know, be a be a be an ass, then don't don't act that way.
00:40:57.440 --> 00:41:07.519
You want me to, you know, trust your trust you, then we can act that way too, based on, you know, the details of of their experience and things like that.
00:41:07.679 --> 00:41:16.320
Naturally, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna trust a bunch of new people if they need more guidance, but within reason, that balance of season and all that.
00:41:16.719 --> 00:41:22.159
But what I really wanted to do is just always build that genuine relationship.
00:41:22.320 --> 00:41:25.519
You know, I got to know who who they were.
00:41:25.760 --> 00:41:29.840
Um, uh, I got I got a guy called me the other day, he used to be on one of our crews.
00:41:30.239 --> 00:41:35.920
He um, you know, got some things going on in his personal life, still calling me today about it.
00:41:36.159 --> 00:41:39.360
That's because of the trust we built already with that.
00:41:39.679 --> 00:41:45.599
So if I got to trust you with my life, then I guess we need to know a little something about each other's life.
00:41:45.679 --> 00:41:47.039
We need some skin in the game.
00:41:47.199 --> 00:41:53.760
And when we had that genuine skin in the game, that's that paid massive dividends.
00:41:53.840 --> 00:41:55.920
That was that was a great return on a dollar.
00:41:56.079 --> 00:41:57.519
I wasn't, I had that bound.
00:41:57.679 --> 00:41:59.039
They knew where the buck stopped.
00:41:59.199 --> 00:42:05.840
They knew, but even knowing where the buck stopped, they just never pushed the letter to that to that.
00:42:06.079 --> 00:42:09.840
And they did, they knew I was gonna deliver on what I had to do.
00:42:10.079 --> 00:42:10.480
Sure.
00:42:10.880 --> 00:42:15.920
You know, so yeah, you just didn't have to because they took care of business, they took care of business.
00:42:16.079 --> 00:42:18.159
I don't want to do, but if I but I will.
00:42:18.480 --> 00:42:20.960
Word is yeah, word is bond.
00:42:21.280 --> 00:42:22.239
I love it, man.
00:42:22.400 --> 00:42:23.440
I absolutely do.
00:42:23.599 --> 00:42:26.719
Uh, I like this one coming at you from the hump, Jeremy Humphrey.
00:42:26.880 --> 00:42:34.480
He wants to know, Chief, what's one fire service tradition you've seen fade over your career that you wish would make a comeback?
00:42:34.719 --> 00:42:36.719
And why do you think it mattered?
00:42:37.760 --> 00:42:41.679
Um, new people cleaning the toilet with their bare hands.
00:42:41.760 --> 00:42:42.800
I wish that would come back.
00:42:42.960 --> 00:42:46.480
No, bring it back.
00:42:46.559 --> 00:42:47.119
That was fun.
00:42:47.440 --> 00:42:48.320
Smell my finger.
00:42:48.480 --> 00:43:05.519
No, but um, no, um that's a good one because it's it's I wish I could quantify it into one thing because it's it's it's more of an attitude than anything.
00:43:05.679 --> 00:43:11.519
I when I came on, it looked like it was a lot of the old guys were just they were just workaholics.
00:43:11.679 --> 00:43:22.719
I mean, and I'm not trying to promote something unsafe, but a lot of the guys didn't really the culture, let me say the culture, wasn't really to wear your mask and stuff.
00:43:22.800 --> 00:43:31.519
You know, they was just coming out of three-quarter boots, they had the cigar in their mouth and they pulling ceiling and they, you know, come on, kid, let me show you something or whatever.
00:43:31.840 --> 00:43:38.800
And that that um and and and they didn't know what they were doing at the time, but they were really succession planning.
00:43:38.880 --> 00:43:50.719
They were there was succession planning that they were doing at the time because they're showing me stuff that even even after before I retired, I'm still using stuff that I remember from some of the old guys.
00:43:50.800 --> 00:43:57.280
It was their their um their investment in wanting to show it.
00:43:57.440 --> 00:43:59.039
Let me show you something, kid.
00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:00.559
And I love that.
00:44:00.639 --> 00:44:02.800
And I don't know how much of that we have today.
00:44:02.960 --> 00:44:05.760
Number one, we don't have as many fires.
00:44:05.920 --> 00:44:06.239
Right.
00:44:06.480 --> 00:44:09.039
So the experience is not as much.
00:44:09.199 --> 00:44:13.679
It used to be if we got a fire today, we might get one next week.
00:44:13.920 --> 00:44:17.599
And I can now parlate what I learned last week to this fire.
00:44:17.760 --> 00:44:20.800
Now you get a fire today, depending on where you are.
00:44:20.880 --> 00:44:22.559
You might not get one to almost next month.
00:44:22.639 --> 00:44:26.480
You're going to get a whole lot of EMS calls, but you might not get one to next month.
00:44:26.639 --> 00:44:30.400
So it might be harder to uh to connect the dots.
00:44:30.639 --> 00:44:38.079
But I really missed that um tradition of uh kid, let me show you something because they knew something.
00:44:38.239 --> 00:44:38.559
Right.
00:44:39.199 --> 00:44:44.800
I don't think we know enough today because we think we know enough, or just tell me the clip notes.
00:44:44.880 --> 00:44:56.079
You know, one thing that if anything gets under my skin about this whole, yeah, I hate to be that guy to say, you know, these kids today, but if anything gets under my skin, it's like, uh, yeah, yeah, but why?
00:44:56.159 --> 00:44:56.960
Just get to the part.
00:44:57.039 --> 00:44:59.920
And you're trying to tell the context of why you're doing this.
00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:00.239
Right.
00:45:00.400 --> 00:45:02.159
Not just how to do it, but the why.
00:45:02.320 --> 00:45:05.440
They don't want to hear the why, they just want to hear what to do.
00:45:05.679 --> 00:45:18.159
And I'm saying that if you know the why, then no matter what what angle this particular problem comes with you, because you understand the why, you can handle it.
00:45:18.400 --> 00:45:26.960
But if you don't know that, if you just know the how to do something without knowing the why, then we throw a curveball, you're gonna fail that test.
00:45:27.039 --> 00:45:27.280
Yeah.
00:45:27.440 --> 00:45:29.920
So the old guys knew how to tell me the why.
00:45:30.079 --> 00:45:33.840
And when the why happened, then I can handle almost anything that came to me.
00:45:34.000 --> 00:45:38.719
Because I remember Bill said this or Tim said this, and and that helped a lot.
00:45:38.960 --> 00:45:50.320
So I just wish um that more, I guess if you say what tradition, I can't think of any particular tradition because some things should go and stay gone, you know, for real.
00:45:50.480 --> 00:45:50.880
Sure, sure.
00:45:51.760 --> 00:46:06.239
The way, the way I see hazing shouldn't happen, but I don't mind the the ribbing of things because I think everybody should, you know, you you need to work your the uh when people used to when new people used to ask me, well, why do I have to clean the toilet?
00:46:06.320 --> 00:46:10.800
I said, Well, the fire chief cleaned the toilets, and I cleaned the toilets.
00:46:11.039 --> 00:46:14.880
If I can't trust you with the scrub brush, how can I trust you with the fire hose?
00:46:15.039 --> 00:46:20.079
It it doesn't have anything to do with the scrub brush itself, it's a trust factor.
00:46:20.639 --> 00:46:21.760
So beautiful.
00:46:22.000 --> 00:46:29.840
So it's kind of like uh, I'll call it when I used to uh do different mentoring and teaching, I call it the Miyagi School of Teaching.
00:46:30.000 --> 00:46:32.719
You know, why am I waxing this this way?
00:46:32.960 --> 00:46:36.079
Why am I, you know, the why am I painting this way?
00:46:36.239 --> 00:46:38.400
Why shut up and just do it?
00:46:38.719 --> 00:46:44.960
So then when he challenged him, he threw a punch, he said, you know, sand the floor.
00:46:45.039 --> 00:46:46.239
And we threw a punch.
00:46:46.320 --> 00:46:47.360
He yeah, why?
00:46:47.519 --> 00:46:48.960
Because the muscle memory was there.
00:46:49.119 --> 00:46:49.760
This is why.
00:46:49.840 --> 00:46:51.119
So it all came together.
00:46:51.360 --> 00:46:57.039
So sometimes if you could you've been in this bathroom, I could tell because you did a good job.
00:46:57.199 --> 00:46:59.840
Now I could trust you with something a little bigger.
00:47:00.079 --> 00:47:07.280
But if you're too good for the bathroom, then how no, you good enough for you know deploying my hoes or whatever like that.
00:47:07.599 --> 00:47:10.880
And you don't know why, because you're not listening, you know.
00:47:11.039 --> 00:47:12.800
So I love it.
00:47:12.880 --> 00:47:15.280
The attitude, the mindset, the passing on.
00:47:15.360 --> 00:47:15.920
I love it.
00:47:16.559 --> 00:47:24.320
Dirk 121 wants to know question chief, without hitting a number, what are some of your non-negotiables?
00:47:26.079 --> 00:47:32.079
My non-negotiables are uh you have to be at work on time all the time.
00:47:32.800 --> 00:47:39.360
And and uh if you show up, uh you have to be ready to go at eight o'clock when I was in St.
00:47:39.440 --> 00:47:43.440
Louis, ready to go at eight o'clock, not arriving at eight o'clock.
00:47:43.519 --> 00:47:49.920
You had to have your equipment checked, made proper relief, uh, made sure that uh what we needed for the ship to get ready.
00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:52.079
So you had to be on time.
00:47:52.239 --> 00:47:54.719
If you was 8 01, I'm writing you up.
00:47:54.800 --> 00:47:56.239
And you might thought that was harsh.
00:47:56.320 --> 00:47:57.599
Well, it's just one minute.
00:47:57.760 --> 00:48:04.320
One minute could make the difference between somebody's life, you know, if we show up one minute because of the tone that you set.
00:48:04.400 --> 00:48:06.559
So I wanted to make sure that tone was set.
00:48:06.960 --> 00:48:10.639
Another non-negotiable was we're gonna train every day.
00:48:10.800 --> 00:48:12.719
I don't care what day it is.
00:48:12.880 --> 00:48:14.880
Some people like, you know, well, it's Sunday.
00:48:14.960 --> 00:48:16.400
I don't care if it's what day it is.
00:48:16.559 --> 00:48:18.719
We got fire, we had fires on Sunday too.
00:48:18.800 --> 00:48:25.119
We didn't tell the community, like, Sunday, if this thing is still burning tomorrow, we'll we'll help you out.
00:48:25.199 --> 00:48:28.159
But uh we're training every day.
00:48:28.239 --> 00:48:34.400
Now, it wasn't as intense, maybe on some weekends or something like that, but we're gonna train every day.
00:48:34.559 --> 00:48:41.679
And even if we did it on a holiday where we just kind of chilled, it was probably one big because maybe we're gonna watch a YouTube video or something.
00:48:41.760 --> 00:48:45.039
But we're always gonna be feeding, once again, feeding that root system.
00:48:45.119 --> 00:48:46.480
So we're always gonna be trained.
00:48:46.800 --> 00:48:51.920
That truck gotta be clean and that truck gotta be all the tools, gotta be ready to go.
00:48:52.079 --> 00:48:54.800
I didn't want, don't trust what the other shif said.
00:48:55.039 --> 00:48:58.800
Don't think we did this last time, so it should be all right.
00:48:59.039 --> 00:49:02.000
I want it fresh and ready to go all the time.
00:49:02.159 --> 00:49:04.639
That was a non-negotiable of mine, too.
00:49:04.800 --> 00:49:06.800
When we hit the street, we're gonna look sharp.
00:49:06.880 --> 00:49:10.800
We're not gonna walk around the store looking raggedy with our shirts hanging off.
00:49:10.880 --> 00:49:20.800
And and and people used to sometimes want to, before we got really big on this cancer prevention, want to walk around in a bunker, you know, like, oh I left my shoes at the firehouses.
00:49:21.199 --> 00:49:22.639
Well, we're going back to get them.
00:49:22.880 --> 00:49:29.679
Because you're gonna be we're gonna be begging these citizens pretty soon for a bind, both of our bond issues so we can get new this, new that.
00:49:29.840 --> 00:49:31.599
I want to make sure we look good.
00:49:31.920 --> 00:49:36.400
When people come in the firehouse, I wanted us to have a welcoming spirit.
00:49:36.480 --> 00:49:38.239
I don't care what their problem is.
00:49:38.559 --> 00:49:40.960
Um, we're gonna have a welcoming spirit.
00:49:41.039 --> 00:49:43.760
So we our customer service had to be on point.
00:49:44.719 --> 00:49:49.840
And when you're at the fire, know what you're doing.
00:49:49.920 --> 00:49:59.360
And if you if you punk out on me, I'm gonna try everything I can to get you kicked off my company because we we we here to we here to do a job.
00:49:59.519 --> 00:50:02.559
But all of it had to be mindset before we got to the fire.
00:50:02.639 --> 00:50:05.519
So a lot of the stuff people say, what difference do a uniform bring?
00:50:05.679 --> 00:50:07.280
But he was just one minute late.
00:50:07.519 --> 00:50:19.840
All of that is mindset because if the mindset ain't right with the things that are not non-emergency, so to speak, then how can I trust you when it's an emergency, you know?
00:50:19.920 --> 00:50:22.000
So absolutely, no, great, great.
00:50:22.400 --> 00:50:27.760
I have some, I have some other things too, but those are the things that just popped in my head that we were talking about.
00:50:27.840 --> 00:50:29.760
I don't know, beautiful, beautiful list.
00:50:30.400 --> 00:50:33.679
Landon Parker wants to know what is your best advice?
00:50:33.840 --> 00:50:39.119
I'm sure you've had this kind of question many times, but what is your best advice for probationary firefighters?
00:50:41.119 --> 00:51:15.039
Uh if you didn't graduate from Uncle Larry's Playhouse, you ain't you ain't not no, no, um probationary firefighters, I think uh and and you most firefighters are gonna say this, and I believe it too, is um ask strategic questions, but do more listening than you do talking, you know, because um you can you can hear more that way, have an open mind um about things because um if you operate in a profession that could kill you, you need to know everything you need to know.
00:51:15.119 --> 00:51:17.360
You need to listen more than you talk.
00:51:17.679 --> 00:51:27.599
And um with that being said, um and oh another thing I want to have a game plan.
00:51:27.760 --> 00:51:34.880
Most of the time firefighters come on the job, they just I'm just gonna do this for 20 years, 30 years, and they have no direction.
00:51:35.039 --> 00:51:44.480
Have a game plan, get with a mentor as quick as you can to find someone who is where you want to be or has achieved some of the things you want to achieve.
00:51:44.800 --> 00:51:52.719
Or um, and when you do that, then find that mentor and then try to put together a sheet that lands you where you want to go.
00:51:52.800 --> 00:51:58.079
Um, when we're talking about the um glue system, one of the things we talk about is having your in vision.
00:51:58.159 --> 00:52:02.639
And your in vision is seeing where you want to go here at the beginning.
00:52:02.800 --> 00:52:13.679
And if you see where you want to go at the beginning, then you have a a better um chance of hitting it when you uh when you have a have a purpose.
00:52:13.840 --> 00:52:17.280
And then it it increases your purpose, even coming to work.
00:52:17.360 --> 00:52:22.800
You're just not showing up and riding on the back of the apparatus and just doing what you told.
00:52:22.960 --> 00:52:27.199
You you see things, you you you you you want to take classes.
00:52:27.440 --> 00:52:33.280
Now, information, there's no reason in the world you shouldn't know a lot because there's too much information out there.
00:52:33.440 --> 00:52:38.000
So you want to make sure that your mentor helps you filter what works and what doesn't work.
00:52:38.239 --> 00:52:52.000
You know, some people I've mentored have have gone on to be um captains and chiefs and got degrees and teaching their own classes now and stuff based on I set them down and said, what's your vision?
00:52:52.079 --> 00:52:52.800
What do you want to do?
00:52:52.880 --> 00:52:53.760
Where do you want to go?
00:52:53.920 --> 00:52:59.119
Let's help find your voice because one thing everyone has in the fire service is a voice.
00:52:59.280 --> 00:53:00.320
We all have one.
00:53:00.559 --> 00:53:09.679
Maybe your voice is just being a damn good firefighter who just for the next 30 years, that's what I have no desire to promote.
00:53:09.840 --> 00:53:17.039
Um, I just want to raise my family and and and do my hobbies on my day off and come and do a damn good job here.
00:53:17.440 --> 00:53:18.639
We need that too.
00:53:18.800 --> 00:53:22.239
And if that's your vision, then do that as well, too.
00:53:22.559 --> 00:53:36.079
But um listen more than you than you talk, find a mentor, track a game plan, and then don't be so stuck on that game plan because sometimes it might detour.
00:53:36.159 --> 00:53:39.119
And if it does, uh account for the detour.
00:53:39.360 --> 00:53:44.960
Because you ever seen that graph that say how people think life is, they think it's point A, point B.
00:53:45.039 --> 00:53:45.599
And that's it.
00:53:45.920 --> 00:53:48.559
But life is really point A, squiggly line, squiggly.
00:53:49.679 --> 00:54:01.679
Yeah, but but if you have a true North way of looking at things to where your compass is always pointed in the right direction, then even if you get off course, when that compass wiggles back to north, you know where you're going.
00:54:01.920 --> 00:54:09.280
And those are gonna be the most successful firefighters, and you're gonna feel more purposeful on your job when you do it like that.
00:54:09.519 --> 00:54:10.159
Well, I love it.
00:54:10.239 --> 00:54:11.519
I that's like a blueprint, right?
00:54:11.599 --> 00:54:13.199
That was like a blueprint for a career.
00:54:13.280 --> 00:54:15.199
That was better than just probationary advice, man.
00:54:15.440 --> 00:54:18.000
That's a we call it the we call it the glueprint.
00:54:18.159 --> 00:54:20.239
So okay, okay.
00:54:21.199 --> 00:54:22.079
I love it.
00:54:22.239 --> 00:54:24.719
Uh, which is a perfect opportunity to segue.
00:54:24.800 --> 00:54:25.920
I love talking about books.
00:54:26.079 --> 00:54:29.840
Uh, book or books that you think firefighters should be reading.
00:54:30.159 --> 00:54:32.079
I always love to ask this question.
00:54:32.320 --> 00:54:33.920
That's a bad question for me.
00:54:34.000 --> 00:54:46.639
If you're a fire fruit, I like reading firefighter books, but since I'm really into personal um leadership, then most of the books I read have nothing to do with firefighter, but they have to do with self-improving.
00:54:46.880 --> 00:55:02.000
And so when you do that, now once again, I got, I mean, if I could pan down to here, I got a ton of firefighter books on there, and and some of the um best books of the world have come from um people that you and I know personally, and and all that.
00:55:02.079 --> 00:55:05.920
So I am not, you know, but I'm just saying in my lane.
00:55:06.159 --> 00:55:09.199
Um, one of my favorite authors is Stephen Covey.
00:55:09.360 --> 00:55:09.760
Oh, yeah.
00:55:09.920 --> 00:55:12.159
And uh this one, uh primary greatness.
00:55:12.320 --> 00:55:14.320
And um actually I'm reading this again.
00:55:14.480 --> 00:55:23.360
This one got if if you're really reading a book, it should have dog ears and and messed up and some uh and some highlights in it as well.
00:55:23.519 --> 00:55:25.840
So I've got some highlights in here.
00:55:26.079 --> 00:55:36.159
Um one of the things I love and this one of the quotes I always uh live by in this one or try to live by they always successful, but it's more than that.
00:55:36.320 --> 00:55:36.719
I understand.
00:55:37.519 --> 00:55:44.800
It says uh Gandhi says the person cannot do right in one department of life while attempting to wrong in another department.
00:55:45.039 --> 00:55:47.440
Life is one indivisible whole.
00:55:48.400 --> 00:55:52.079
So firefighters, we like to compartmentalize.
00:55:52.159 --> 00:55:52.559
Oh, yeah.
00:55:53.840 --> 00:55:59.280
And and and sometimes you need that for real because you can't bring what you saw at work home.
00:55:59.440 --> 00:56:03.360
So it needs to stay there, but that doesn't mean it might not catch up with you.
00:56:03.519 --> 00:56:08.559
So since you realize it's an indivisible whole, you need to deal with that as fast as possible.
00:56:08.639 --> 00:56:11.679
So yeah, that's one of the things that yeah, that's awesome.
00:56:11.840 --> 00:56:16.159
That applies, that applies mentally, socially, the physical parts of the job, all of it.
00:56:16.400 --> 00:56:20.400
Yeah, another book I read lately was um Mel Robbins led them.
00:56:20.880 --> 00:56:32.480
And um, and people always talking about um people make them so bad, and this part, I was at the firehouse yesterday, I can't stand this guy, I can't stand my chief, I can't stand my captain.
00:56:33.360 --> 00:56:37.440
And and and sometimes, you know, what they do does intimately affect you.
00:56:37.519 --> 00:56:46.960
I get that because sure as a crew, we have an intimate relationship, unlike if you worked anywhere else where you don't have to work as intimely as a team.
00:56:47.440 --> 00:57:04.800
But when you when you not only let them and let me, um, I like the way she talks about um uh let me is that when you say let them, you give others the space to experience their emotions without making it your responsibility to manage or fix them.
00:57:05.280 --> 00:57:12.000
When you say let me, you find the courage to make the right decisions for you, even if it feels wrong to others.
00:57:12.159 --> 00:57:20.960
So sometimes doing the right principle thing, you're gonna be on the island by yourself if everybody is going this way and you know that you should be going this way.
00:57:21.039 --> 00:57:25.360
And you will only gonna know that if you are constantly building that root system.
00:57:25.760 --> 00:57:28.719
Otherwise, it reduces the confusion you may have.
00:57:28.960 --> 00:57:34.000
So, as firefighters, we're the most trusted, one of the most trusted professions in the world.
00:57:34.159 --> 00:57:41.280
I used to tell the recruits all the time, if we walk in and there's a thousand dollars on that dressing, it better be a thousand dollars on that dressing when we leave.
00:57:41.519 --> 00:57:47.440
Because we come into people's intimate space all the time, especially with these EMS runs.
00:57:47.599 --> 00:57:55.119
You're in people's bedroom, you're pulling heart attack victims off toilets, you, you know, some people live in very well, some people live in squalor.
00:57:55.280 --> 00:57:56.239
You can't judge.
00:57:56.400 --> 00:58:07.519
But if you don't have your personal leadership um intact and don't have your that kind of moxy, personal moxie about you, then you will, you know, you won't be a good firefighter.
00:58:07.760 --> 00:58:08.960
It'll catch up with you.
00:58:09.199 --> 00:58:17.599
Or if you ain't got your finances together because you ain't got your currency together, that thousand dollars may, I didn't see no thousand dollars.
00:58:17.920 --> 00:58:18.960
Did you see a thousand dollars?
00:58:19.199 --> 00:58:21.360
You know, so we have to be careful with that.
00:58:21.519 --> 00:58:28.320
So these are things that um when you build that root system, these are root system type of readings.
00:58:28.480 --> 00:58:38.480
When you build that root system, then it prepares you for everything else when you get above ground when you become the unshakable bamboo tree.
00:58:38.719 --> 00:58:39.599
Beautiful.
00:58:39.920 --> 00:58:44.320
No, and I love I love uh human motivation, human psychology, self-improvement books.
00:58:44.400 --> 00:58:47.280
That's my I love reading them, so I can I agree with you 100%.
00:58:47.519 --> 00:58:51.199
Like I said, love the fire books too, but I that's what that's that's what I love to read about.
00:58:51.280 --> 00:58:52.320
It fascinates me.
00:58:52.880 --> 00:58:54.400
And there's still questions.
00:58:54.480 --> 00:58:59.360
So here's the thing we as far as topics that Larry sent, we got to two of them.
00:58:59.440 --> 00:59:04.559
So there's another eight that we haven't even touched on, which means you have to come back on the show.
00:59:04.719 --> 00:59:08.239
Now, at some point, we have to plan it and make sure it happens.
00:59:08.400 --> 00:59:10.480
And okay, uh point two.
00:59:10.800 --> 00:59:13.519
We do a thing on here called the five questions for firefighters.
00:59:13.599 --> 00:59:14.559
It's your tradition.
00:59:14.719 --> 00:59:17.679
There are no right answers, they are only your opinion.
00:59:18.079 --> 00:59:18.559
Right.
00:59:18.719 --> 00:59:22.400
And the points are arbitrary, passed out by me with the help of the live audience.
00:59:22.480 --> 00:59:26.239
So, Larry Conley, are you ready for the five questions for firefighters?
00:59:26.480 --> 00:59:28.960
Yep, I'm ready for five questions for firefighters.
00:59:29.199 --> 00:59:29.920
Here we go.
00:59:30.239 --> 00:59:34.159
You have a time machine, but you can only use it for one thing.
00:59:34.400 --> 00:59:39.280
You can go back in time and talk to young Larry Conley and give him one piece of advice.
00:59:39.440 --> 00:59:40.719
What would it be?
00:59:42.000 --> 00:59:50.079
I would tell young Larry Conley to make sure that as he's building his fire career, don't do it at the expense of your personal life.
00:59:50.239 --> 01:00:13.039
And um, and there were times I had runs in my career where I did that, you know, and um so I can look back regrettably, and sometimes my kids suffered, my marriages suffered and things because I was chasing what I'm trying to um try to achieve, you know, the status in the fire service.
01:00:13.199 --> 01:00:19.199
So don't is it they it says biblically, I don't I don't know it as poetically, but I do know this.
01:00:19.360 --> 01:00:22.400
Don't was a man to gain the world and lose his soul.
01:00:22.639 --> 01:00:27.440
So um, so I had to recover from a lot of that.
01:00:27.679 --> 01:00:33.519
So um, so I would just tell young Larry that don't don't chase and rank is not wrong.
01:00:33.920 --> 01:00:41.199
But if the ambition is at the expense of your personal life, then um make sure you try to build them as even as possible.
01:00:41.280 --> 01:00:54.320
And if you have to default on one, then default on make sure your private life is in order so you don't become chief and then do something permanent with your life that's not good for anybody.
01:00:54.639 --> 01:00:58.159
No, no, and I hope that people hear that because not just young Larry Conley.
01:00:58.400 --> 01:01:04.159
I mean, obviously, if we had a time machine, we'd use it, but I hope people can hear that because that's a powerful, powerful piece of advice.
01:01:04.320 --> 01:01:05.840
Max points right out the gate.
01:01:06.000 --> 01:01:08.719
Number two, number two, it's job town, it's time.
01:01:08.800 --> 01:01:12.719
You gotta think of that scene from backdraft where he slaps that tape into that cassette deck.
01:01:12.960 --> 01:01:15.760
What song are you playing while in route?
01:01:16.719 --> 01:01:17.760
Well, I got two.
01:01:17.920 --> 01:01:19.119
One as he's coming.
01:01:19.199 --> 01:01:23.599
So Ohio players has a song called Fire, and I love that song.
01:01:23.840 --> 01:01:24.159
Fire.
01:01:25.199 --> 01:01:33.679
Now, they're talking about a they're talking about a woman, so I know that sounds, I know it doesn't match going to a fire, but it gave me some levity because it's exciting.
01:01:33.840 --> 01:01:40.239
The adrenaline is up, first alarm, fire in the house, people trap, you know, you like, ah, yeah, what am I thinking?
01:01:40.559 --> 01:01:48.400
I'm thinking along the way, you know, I'm thinking my consideration, time of day, what kind of house it is, what kind of neighborhood, you know, that kind of deal.
01:01:48.559 --> 01:01:52.880
So that was kind of just that upbeat kind of thing just gave me a little levity.
01:01:53.199 --> 01:02:01.599
And then as we're getting closer, it transitioned to um, I guess, um, Tom Petty's song, I won't back down, because I needed that.
01:02:01.679 --> 01:02:17.280
That when I got in there, I know that whatever is gonna happen, you know, I might not leave, I might not leave her, or or somebody might not leave her, but we ain't gonna back down until I won't back down.
01:02:17.760 --> 01:02:20.000
All right, so but I won't back down.
01:02:20.079 --> 01:02:21.840
No, no, I won't back no anyway.
01:02:22.000 --> 01:02:22.800
You get me singing.
01:02:22.960 --> 01:02:26.559
Um, but gun to your head, you get to pick one, one to put on the list.
01:02:26.639 --> 01:02:28.320
Because this will go on the Spotify playlist.
01:02:28.400 --> 01:02:31.119
So which one, if you had to pick one, which one are you picking?
01:02:31.440 --> 01:02:32.320
It won't won't back down.
01:02:32.800 --> 01:02:34.000
Tom Petty won't back down.
01:02:34.159 --> 01:02:36.639
And Sam, that's never been put on the list, has it?
01:02:38.719 --> 01:02:40.960
Nope, he's gonna turn on okay.
01:02:41.119 --> 01:02:41.840
Okay, so there you go.
01:02:42.000 --> 01:02:44.880
Okay, well, in that case, I bet Earth Wind and Fire hasn't.
01:02:45.840 --> 01:02:46.960
I mean, not Earth Wind.
01:02:47.039 --> 01:02:48.880
Oh, I hope Lisa is no, but go ahead.
01:02:49.199 --> 01:02:49.519
Right on.
01:02:50.559 --> 01:02:51.119
Good deal.
01:02:51.199 --> 01:02:51.440
Oh, okay.
01:02:51.599 --> 01:02:52.320
Yeah, good taste.
01:02:52.719 --> 01:02:56.320
Let's yeah, max points for uh yeah, we'll go on to number three.
01:02:56.480 --> 01:02:58.000
Cold weekend at the station.
01:02:58.079 --> 01:03:01.280
I didn't think Tom Petty was on there, so Sam is the one who keeps track and he lets me know.
01:03:01.519 --> 01:03:08.320
Cold weekend at the station, rig checks are done, training is done, PT is done, food is simmering on the crock pot.
01:03:08.480 --> 01:03:12.800
Basically, what I'm saying is it's a lazy day at the station, but you're not being lazy, right?
01:03:13.119 --> 01:03:18.639
And so, what is you're sitting in the day room, you're clicking through on the remote, and what's that movie that you click through?
01:03:18.719 --> 01:03:24.000
You've seen it hundreds of times, but it's that movie that no matter where it's at, you're gonna finish the movie.
01:03:24.079 --> 01:03:25.599
What's that movie for you?
01:03:25.840 --> 01:03:33.440
Yeah, I know you're gonna say I got to pick one again, but I gotta say the bunch of well, you know, I I got a dynamic life, so I get it, I get it.
01:03:33.920 --> 01:03:41.599
One is one is Maverick, uh, and and that and even though I used to love Top Gun, Maverick just knocked it out the box for me.
01:03:41.679 --> 01:04:01.519
And I just love the Maverick character because you it maverick is so good at improvising and doing Maverick stuff, but what it reminds me of is that in order to do Maverick stuff, he had to have the basics down pat so good that he he did it until he couldn't get it wrong.
01:04:01.679 --> 01:04:04.079
Not till he got it right, but till he couldn't get it wrong.
01:04:04.239 --> 01:04:08.559
He had to be a genius fire fire uh fighter pilot.
01:04:08.719 --> 01:04:21.119
And so that way when it came to doing the tricks where you know, I'm gonna stop, he's gonna fly right by, then he can get behind him and take out and you know, scratch three, uh, you know, and you know, all the words to the movie, you know.
01:04:21.360 --> 01:04:24.000
So I love, but well, I was thinking about it one day.
01:04:24.159 --> 01:04:32.480
Maverick ain't that good just because he just decided, you know, I'm gonna fly five fly fighter file um flight fighter jets.
01:04:32.639 --> 01:04:40.239
He's good because he was he had to practice relentlessly, and I want to be that version of him on the fire scene.
01:04:40.400 --> 01:04:40.719
Right on.
01:04:40.880 --> 01:04:52.800
I wanted to be that version of him, and then the other one, and you could use this and now this the officer and the gentleman, because whenever I did the the recruit class, Uncle Larry's Playhouse, then of course I was I was Lou Gossett, you know.
01:04:52.960 --> 01:04:53.440
Right on.
01:04:53.679 --> 01:04:54.320
I can see it.
01:04:54.400 --> 01:04:58.880
Yeah, I always had a couple of male nases in the group that had to you know had to check, you know.
01:04:59.039 --> 01:05:01.760
So no, I love it.
01:05:04.639 --> 01:05:04.960
Okay.
01:05:05.440 --> 01:05:06.639
You got a favorite?
01:05:08.719 --> 01:05:09.440
Lou Gossett?
01:05:10.880 --> 01:05:16.000
I guess I guess if I'm sitting at the firehouse, it's more likely we're gonna get a fire, so it has to be Maverick.
01:05:16.320 --> 01:05:17.119
Okay, okay.
01:05:17.440 --> 01:05:20.400
If I'm about to go teach a recruit class, it's gonna be off center.
01:05:20.880 --> 01:05:22.400
Lou Gossett, yeah, bring it in here.
01:05:23.440 --> 01:05:24.000
I love it.
01:05:24.159 --> 01:05:27.599
Max points for Top Gun Maverick and and the and the uh what's it called?
01:05:27.679 --> 01:05:30.880
The consolation prize for for officer and gentlemen.
01:05:31.119 --> 01:05:31.920
Beautiful.
01:05:32.159 --> 01:05:34.320
Uh number four, max points, by the way.
01:05:34.400 --> 01:05:35.039
One, two, three.
01:05:35.119 --> 01:05:42.079
Number four, what is the one habit that you believe separates the average firefighters from exceptional firefighters?
01:05:43.280 --> 01:05:59.039
Um you think the average firefighter is going to make sure all the boxes are checked on what needs to be done, what's required, so they can say, well, you know, we did that.
01:06:00.480 --> 01:06:05.039
Firefighters are gonna say, okay, we did it, but let's maybe do it again.
01:06:05.199 --> 01:06:10.639
Or, or yeah, now we got it down packed like um we just got this discussion with Maverick.
01:06:10.719 --> 01:06:12.960
But hey, what if I did it like this?
01:06:13.039 --> 01:06:14.960
Or what if I did it with my eyes closed?
01:06:15.039 --> 01:06:35.599
Or what if I always love we had we had a couple of people on the uh in um when I was in deputy chief in Collinsville who were very good at saying, um, yeah, I know what the requirement is, but let me throw a monkey wrench in here because we don't know what monkey wrenches we're gonna run into on the fire scene.
01:06:35.760 --> 01:06:37.519
So let me simulate some monkey wrenches.
01:06:37.760 --> 01:06:37.920
Sure.
01:06:38.079 --> 01:06:39.679
So we had some great people on the St.
01:06:39.760 --> 01:06:47.199
Louis Fire Department doing it, and we had like a couple of people who were really good in the Collinsville, Illinois fire department who did the same thing.
01:06:47.360 --> 01:06:49.760
They throw some monkey wrenches and some training.
01:06:50.079 --> 01:07:00.880
And the guys, when they were able to either either got stumped by it or figured it out, but they figured it out, they was ready for some more monkey wrenches, so that made them exceptional to me.
01:07:01.039 --> 01:07:01.199
Right.
01:07:01.360 --> 01:07:08.480
And that lieutenant who handled who threw the monkey wrenches in, or the captains, or even some privates who did it, you know.
01:07:08.639 --> 01:07:15.280
I got one um one of my mentees, Captain Jessica Jackson, just got um promoted back in January.
01:07:15.440 --> 01:07:19.440
And I've been mentoring her for the over the last 20 years or whatever.
01:07:19.599 --> 01:07:21.760
She's the master of monkey wrenches, you know.
01:07:21.840 --> 01:07:22.960
Okay, that's cute.
01:07:23.119 --> 01:07:24.639
Okay, we got that down pack.
01:07:24.800 --> 01:07:25.920
That's what the book says.
01:07:26.079 --> 01:07:26.960
Let's try this.
01:07:27.280 --> 01:07:29.199
And it's just amazing to watch.
01:07:29.280 --> 01:07:33.280
So that's the difference between that um average and exceptional.
01:07:33.440 --> 01:07:33.920
I love it.
01:07:34.000 --> 01:07:34.400
I love it.
01:07:34.480 --> 01:07:36.000
Easy max points on that, man.
01:07:36.320 --> 01:07:39.360
Yeah, just not checking the boxes is not enough.
01:07:40.079 --> 01:07:42.480
Number five, max points four for four.
01:07:42.559 --> 01:07:45.679
Number five, heavy fire and searchable space.
01:07:46.079 --> 01:07:51.039
Would you rather be assigned to the nozzle or first in on VES?
01:07:51.920 --> 01:07:53.280
Is that really a question?
01:07:53.360 --> 01:07:56.079
Like the nozzle, man.
01:07:56.320 --> 01:07:57.199
You know, okay.
01:07:57.440 --> 01:07:59.360
Yeah, if I got to do VES, that's fine.
01:07:59.440 --> 01:08:09.199
This is we we practice that in training, so it's a good thing, and and and it's a reward if you you know definitely find someone you can rescue and pull them out of home's way, you know.
01:08:09.360 --> 01:08:11.920
So, but I felt like I was about to get the look.
01:08:12.000 --> 01:08:14.719
I felt like I was about to get the look that he gave his son.
01:08:16.800 --> 01:08:22.560
Ain't nothing like having it, uh having it hose, and you you hear that water coming, you know what's getting ready.
01:08:23.039 --> 01:08:35.039
Yes, and you start knocking it down, darkening it down, you can feel the little steam, and it's and then you know, it's so I'd rather I'd rather do that than than the other, but um, it's all good.
01:08:35.199 --> 01:08:36.319
But rather good than all.
01:08:36.640 --> 01:08:37.760
No, great answer, great answer.
01:08:37.840 --> 01:08:38.319
And I did.
01:08:38.399 --> 01:08:39.760
I really thought I was gonna get the look.
01:08:39.840 --> 01:08:41.760
So five for five, max points.
01:08:41.920 --> 01:08:42.720
There it is.
01:08:42.960 --> 01:08:48.079
That officially with the max points puts 367 scraps in the books.
01:08:48.239 --> 01:08:54.720
Larry Conley, man, I can't thank you enough for being a such a phenomenal guest, b, already agreeing to come back.
01:08:54.880 --> 01:09:03.439
But uh also if someone wants to get a hold of you, find out more information on bringing you in for a class or more information on when when that book is coming, what's the best way?
01:09:03.600 --> 01:09:04.960
What's the best way to do so?
01:09:05.279 --> 01:09:11.279
You can check us out on um www.glue nationldc.com.
01:09:11.760 --> 01:09:15.439
Um, I'm on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.
01:09:15.760 --> 01:09:22.000
Um, I don't think I don't do it, do the tick tick tock thing yet, but um, I think I'm on there, but I don't know how to use it.
01:09:22.079 --> 01:09:26.239
But but I'm definitely on all the social medias, so you can reach out.
01:09:26.319 --> 01:09:43.359
People reach out to us via social media, they come on the website, and you can reach us at 314-282-5078, and um, we'll come wherever we've we've been to Alaska, we've been to Nairobi, Kenya with this, we've been and everywhere in between.
01:09:43.520 --> 01:09:51.279
So, and uh actually Alaska and um Africa was in the same same year at that time, so it was like we went to the city.
01:09:51.439 --> 01:09:52.880
You would do it some globe traveling, yeah.
01:09:52.960 --> 01:09:54.399
Yeah, so traveling.
01:09:55.119 --> 01:09:57.760
Yeah, so it was it was a good it's been a good ride.
01:09:58.159 --> 01:09:59.520
Beautiful, beautiful man.
01:09:59.600 --> 01:10:01.119
I I I love the conversation.
01:10:01.199 --> 01:10:02.159
I can't wait to do it again.
01:10:02.239 --> 01:10:02.880
I really can't.
01:10:03.199 --> 01:10:05.279
Uh so thank you, thank you for spending the evening.
01:10:05.920 --> 01:10:09.680
Housekeeping, go to patreon.com slash the vigilantees.
01:10:09.840 --> 01:10:11.039
Best part is the after party.
01:10:11.119 --> 01:10:13.199
If you're a vigilante, you get to come to the after party.
01:10:13.359 --> 01:10:16.560
Chief Chief Conley is invited to come hang out.
01:10:16.960 --> 01:10:19.359
Uh, coming up next week on the scrap.
01:10:19.520 --> 01:10:22.960
Everybody, all the scrappers, you get a break from me.
01:10:23.199 --> 01:10:30.560
And one of the sexiest people I know, Nick Ledeen, is going to host the show, and he is going to interview Keith Stakes.
01:10:30.640 --> 01:10:41.439
So I'm I'm feeling a little bit of FOMO because I don't get to interview Keith Stakes, but Nick is amazing, and there that that's gonna be an amazing episode as far as all the FSRI information and data and all of that stuff.
01:10:41.520 --> 01:10:42.399
They're gonna nerd out.
01:10:42.479 --> 01:10:45.760
If you are into the nerdy stuff, ban, that's one.
01:10:45.840 --> 01:10:52.640
Uh, two weeks from today, I will be back, and it'll be none other than Gary Lane, also known as the unstoppable Larry Gain.
01:10:52.720 --> 01:10:54.159
So you know you do not want to miss it.
01:10:54.239 --> 01:10:55.439
So that's the next two weeks.
01:10:55.600 --> 01:11:02.560
The summer of 2026 continues with just like home run after home run after home run.
01:11:02.800 --> 01:11:04.319
Thank you once again.
01:11:04.800 --> 01:11:07.199
September 3rd is Kyle Romagus.
01:11:07.439 --> 01:11:09.600
The release date is official.
01:11:09.760 --> 01:11:12.880
Kyle Romagus, the Romagus papers are coming out.
01:11:13.039 --> 01:11:13.920
Mark your calendars.
01:11:14.000 --> 01:11:16.720
I'm gonna be hitting everybody up to share it and talk about it.
01:11:16.800 --> 01:11:20.479
Uh, and on September 3rd, there is gonna be a scrap special.
01:11:20.640 --> 01:11:25.359
Kyle Romagus coming on the show to talk about the book and the purpose and how he wrote it and all those things.
01:11:25.439 --> 01:11:26.640
So it's gonna be a good time.
01:11:26.720 --> 01:11:27.520
Mark your calendars.
01:11:27.600 --> 01:11:28.479
You do not want to miss that.
01:11:28.640 --> 01:11:29.600
Thank you, Sam.
01:11:29.920 --> 01:11:32.319
Uh, and thank you once again, Larry Conley.
01:11:32.560 --> 01:11:40.239
I cannot say enough how much it means to me for you to come and share your evening, being such a phenomenal guest, fielding all the great questions.
01:11:40.319 --> 01:11:41.039
So thank you.
01:11:41.279 --> 01:11:42.960
All right, thank you for having me, Ron.
01:11:43.439 --> 01:11:46.560
Audience, you make the scrap magical each and every week.
01:11:46.640 --> 01:11:50.159
The show would not exist without you showing up and throwing those questions at the guests.
01:11:50.319 --> 01:11:52.079
So thank you so much for tuning in live.
01:11:52.239 --> 01:11:53.039
I love you all.
01:11:53.279 --> 01:11:55.520
Remember, mutts don't scrap.
01:11:55.680 --> 01:11:59.439
I hope the tone stays silent unless it is burning.
01:11:59.600 --> 01:12:03.279
This job is not safe, so stay smart out there.
01:12:03.600 --> 01:12:05.680
Thanks for listening to the weekly scrap.
01:12:05.760 --> 01:12:07.760
Please subscribe and please share.
01:12:07.920 --> 01:12:10.079
We'll see you at the next episode.