Page 21 - UFRA Straight Tip Spring 2023 - Volume 24 Issue 2

ADVICE FROM THE EXPERIENCED
Life Is Good
Throughout 35 years in the fire business, I have been privileged to travel throughout the state of Utah visiting and conducting certifica- tion testing at many fire departments. I have also had the privilege to visit many fire depart- ments throughout the United States and a few other countries. When walking into a fire de- partment, I am always amazed at the universal friendliness and willingness to share.
What have I learned during this time and vis- iting these fire departments? LIFE IS GOOD! Yes, I am shouting, and it deserves to be shouted. We are members of an organization that is large enough to be found throughout the entire world. Think of that. Any one of us can enter another fire station and easily con- verse based on common experiences.
One lesson I have learned is to leave work at work. Had a bad day? Is your chief or captain really riding you hard? Perhaps a fellow firefighter? Don’t take it home! It’s one thing to discuss life and problems with your spouse. Having someone to share with is a good thing. It is an entirely different problem when feel- ings are carried into the discussion that affect marriage and family. Leave those at work. Know where to draw the line.
I know, that is easy to say and very hard to do. I have talked to firefighters who have a place by the entry door they touch on the way
into their home. Mentally, that is where they “leave work” while they are home. If they decide to, they touch it again when walking out the door for another shift, and take the problems back to work. Hard? Absolutely! Doable? Yes, with practice. Life is good. Bringing problems into the home from work is not what your family deserves.
Also consider the Three Day Rule. Whatever the problem, and your proposed response, will it matter in three days? If the answer is no,
the problem may not be worth spending extra time and energy on. Just let it go. Once again, hard? Very. Doable? Yes, with practice. Life
is too good to waste energy on problems that really will not matter.
Finally, look for the good. It is so easy to judge, criticize, make fun of, belittle, or bully. “Great minds discuss ideas. Average
minds discuss events. Small
minds discuss people.”1 Prove to yourself and others, through your discussions, that you have a great mind.
Be great! Look for the good! Leave work at work! Only worry about what is worth worrying about!
LIFE IS GOOD.
Ray Stokes, retired fire chief, Northrop Grum- man Fire Department
1. Often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt. It may have originated with Henry Thomas Buckle, quoted in Charles Stewart, Haud Immemor: Reminiscences of Legal and Social Life in Edinburgh and London, 1850–1900 (Edinburgh and London: William Black- wood & Sons, 1901), 33.
Spring 2023 | 19
Some of the best advice for current firefighters can come from those who have been there on
the line. For this column, we are seeking advice from all retired firefighters. If you have something to contribute, please send an email to Lori.Marshall@uvu.edu. Thank you for your service and your willingness to share your wisdom.