Last week, at the Officer Development Course, Chief Training Officer Sweet asked for our help with an unrelated topic. He said that he wanted to gather advice for the new recruits he is training on how to fit in when they get to their new crews. It seemed everyone had something to say. My suggestion was based on an idea that Deputy Chief Duncan gave me several years ago when he was the Chief Training Officer.

The idea goes like this. Coming to work is like putting money in the bank. When you start out, your bank account is very low so you have to make big deposits in order to make your account grow. You make big deposits by doing all the extras around the station and by working hard in training and on the fireground. Sometimes you will meet a Firefighter who has been making deposits in his account for many years. He doesn't have to make the big deposits anymore because he already has a nice balance. In fact sometimes this old Firefighter is able to sit back and relax while the rookie is making deposits because he can live off the interest of his account.

This analogy is a simple way to explain why more is expected of you as a rookie then when you are a First Class or senior Firefighter. After years of making deposits the interest builds up to the point where you can cut back on the size of your deposits and still maintain a positive cash flow. If you try to live off your interest when you have no money in the bank, you will quickly find that the bank manager (your Captain) gets upset with you.

I explained this concept to my crew and they liked it very much (especially the bank manager). It started a lot of jokes about who was into the overdraft situation and who was working on their second or third mortgage. It made for some fun, but it also made me think about taking this analogy further.

The Training Division likes to use the phrase "you have to own this information". By that they mean you don't just know enough to get past tomorrow's quiz but that you fully understand it. To "own" the information you have to put in the time to really know whatever the subject is. Using the banking analogy, it is like buying something on lay-away. You see something you want and you start making payments on it in the form of practice and study. Eventually, you pay off the cost and the information is yours. After that you don't have to make payments on it you can just bring it out and use it whenever you need to.

A good example of this is donning your SCBA. At first it is difficult to meet the time limit and to get everything right, but as you practice, you get better and eventually you become so proficient that you can say you own it. You no longer have to make payments by practicing. You can just do it whenever you want to. If you want to upgrade to a faster model then you will have to make more practice payments to achieve it. And, just like so many other things in life, sometimes you have to pay for a little bit of maintenance if you've neglected your skills for too long. But, the maintenance cost are never as high as the purchase costs unless you've lost the skill completely. If you've been using your skills, then the maintenance costs are almost nothing.

For a recruit with a brand new bank account, the biggest fear is the year end audit. That's when he or she has to go back to the Training Division and open their bank book. The Training Officers want to test how much of a balance you have in there. You would be wise to make regular deposits throughout the year rather than try to make one big deposit just before you sit down to write your class exam.

The more I think about this the more I see ways it can be applied. If the bank manager is nice he will help you through the rough spots by letting you miss a payment or two but their will be more penalties and interest to repay when you are back on your feet. If you miss too many payments the bank manager will take your account to the directors of the bank (i.e. Chiefs) and ask them to close your account. The directors don't like to lose customers so they usually put you on a strict payment plan and if you miss a payment there then they close your account.

If our bank has a credit card system then I'd have to say it was in the Acting Officer program. Like a credit card, you have to show you have the ability to pay before they give it to you. Your Captain's Exam is like the application. If you pass the exam the board gives you your card. You go back to the station and start spending with the card before you have all of the skills and knowledge needed to be a Captain. The only way to get those skills is to do the job of a Captain. Just like when you were learning to don your SCBA, you have to work at being a proficient Captain. It is similar to the way you establish a credit rating. You have to get credit to prove you can pay for credit. Likewise you have to be an Acting Captain to prove you can do the job of a Captain. Just like with a credit card, some people go crazy and start living beyond their means. They can't make their payments and then the family (your crew) starts to suffer. If you come from a loving family they can help you out, but if your family is dysfunctional (or, more likely, becomes dysfunctional because of your overspending) then everyone suffers. In the end the bank will come knocking on your door and ask for the card back.

My last point will be that just like the bank, the Fire Department has a long memory. If you missed your payments early in your career it will follow you and make it hard to get that credit card you want or even to draw some of your interest. You don't want to become labeled as a bad risk.

Likewise, you can be a great customer and have a hugh account but if you draw down that account too quickly, the manager will get on your case. You should manage you career like you manage your bank account. Always try to put more in than you take out.