| The success of any organization is dependent, in part, on the quality of its leaders. The fire department is no exception. In fact, one could argue that effective leadership in the fire department has become more critical than ever in today's world. This critical need for an effective fire department dates back to the unprecedented terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11; Barg, 2009). On that infamous day, the New York City Fire Department (NYFD) was on the front lines, and over 300 firefighters died. Since then, other terrorist attacks have shattered our quotidian lives: the anthrax threats that occurred shortly after 9/11 in the alter part of 2001, and more recently, the Boston Marathon bombing in April 15, 2013; the Paris terrorist attacks on November 14, 2015; followed close behind by the San Bernardino, CA, shootings on December 2, 2015. We now live in a world where the terrorist organizations of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab, and Boko Haram, to name a few, dominate our headlines. Our troubled world has made critical the need for fire departments and emergency responders that are ready to respond at every moment of the day or night. And yet, the only way to ensure that the cadre of firefighters is maximally effective is via strong leadership.;To that end, evaluations on the performance of fire departments have been conducted to ascertain how well fire departments have responded to these emergencies---specifically, what steps were taken and by whom. Clearly, when firefighters are called upon, an error in judgment or poor direction may lead to irretrievable damage to property, and far worse, the loss of human life. In response to the increase in these violent attacks and catastrophic events, strong leadership development programs in the fire service must continue to evolve.;Through interviews with past and current leaders in the fire department, this researcher was able to identify leadership development characteristics specific to fire service leaders. This narrative inquiry was supported by Agyris' Learning Theory with secondary support through Schon's reflective practice theory (Schon, 1989), Kolb's experiential learning cycle (Denton, 2011), and Yukl leadership development (2013) which focus was on the collective aspect of leadership roles, and he defined leadership development as "expanding the collective capacity of organizational members to engage effectively in leadership roles and processes" (Day, 2000, p. 582). Argyris (1993) identified five principles of effective leadership development, while Yukl (2013) emphasized the characteristics of effective leadership, both with respect to the leader, the individuals who report to the leader, and the situation itself. Yukl further contended that effective leadership must include formal training, developmental activities, and self-help.;The researcher interviewed 12 fire department leaders, active or recently retired, from four regions in the United States: northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest. Five common themes and strategies emerged, which included the qualities of good leadership, ways to improve leadership roles, and what most impacts these roles. These five themes are (a) principles for leadership development competencies, (b) creation of mentor relationships, (c) forms of leadership training, (d) exhibited leadership styles, and (e) evidence of the role of family. All five themes reinforced Argyris's five principles of leadership development and Yukl's competencies of leadership development. This study contributes to the fire service leadership development literature and will inform the next generation's leaders. |
