Managing a Bunkroom: Part I – Identify Your Members

By Matthew Leonard
FDLiveIn.com

Like any organization from the smallest volunteer fire department to the FDNY, notably the largest fire department, personnel management is the backbone of moving toward success.  If an organization can successfully manage its people, the people will undoubtedly contribute to the progress of the department. There are many arguable traits that describe a good manager or leader. Fairness, respect, and the ability to listen come to mind when thinking of a successful leader. When dealing with the college aged live in, leading by example and upholding rules are very important. Young firefighters will emulate their supervisors and senior firefighters. Walking the straight and narrow, following rules, and understanding your live-ins will help you lead them to success and will make them want to follow you.

Who is the live in? Where are they from? What are their values? Why are they living in a firehouse? What are their goals? All of these questions need to be understood by you if you are the person administering the bunkroom. As the leader or manager you must know the answer to all these questions for every person under your command. Is that theory even possible? Not likely for a group of 16-20 live-ins.  Incident management says 3-7 is an acceptable span of control on an incident but this is life too. You might remember certain answers but not necessarily all these facts about each live in.

The aforementioned questions are so important for the bunkroom administrator because different people have different reasons driving them. If someone is living at a firehouse to save money and complete school their attentions might be more focused on academics than the person living in the firehouse to gain experience. While both are noble reasons and helpful to the volunteer organization the two people may have very different time commitments. Both people must be treated equally and respected for their endeavors. Knowing where your live-ins want to go helps you as the administrator structure and organize your group. Remember the younger live-ins will be the ones running the show in a few years.

While it is impossible to know everyone in the group on a very personal level each younger live-in must have a senior person whether a bunkmate or mentor who they can talk to. The first few months I lived away from home were shocking to me. I went from a high school routine of sleeping in a quiet bedroom and doing home response while going to school during the day, to sleeping in a room with constant radio chatter and loud bells and lights at night. Fortunately for me I had someone to talk to when I was a little homesick or a little nervy from mild sleep deprivation. That relationship I was afforded with a senior person was not with the bunkroom administrator but someone who I was comfortable talking to, a guide to my first few months away from home.

In summation, being a good bunkroom administrator does not mean you have to have an intimate relationship with each of your live-ins. What you do need is a well-knit network of senior people who can offer advice and guidance to the newbies. This network and its success will reflect your abilities as a leader/manager. Identify who the scholars are and pair them with other school-oriented people. Figure out which people might have the most difficult time adjusting to their new home and pair them with someone welcoming. By taking the time to just scratch the surface of your new live-ins’ personalities and intentions you can make or break their experience. Anytime you can successfully keep people enthralled in your organization you have won, and if they benefit the department as much as they benefit from the department then everyone has won. Remember at the end of the day the retention of quality people is the most important thing to the organization. The Cavalry adage of “feed the horses first, then the men, then the officers” can apply here. Make sure as the leader that the needs of your live-ins are met and they will in turn make sure the needs of the department are met.

Matthew Leonard is a FF/EMT with the District of Columbia Fire Department in Washington, DC. He is a former live-in at the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department in Prince Georges County, Maryland where he currently serves as Assistant Chief.

You can follow Matt on Twitter @takenthestairs and on Facebook: facebook.com/m.j.leonard.fire