Fire Service Leadership

Scott Thompson, author of The Functional Fire Company, says the functional fire company concept was not created but realized: “I realized, after many attempts at trying to view success in the organization from the top down, that it wasn’t possible. Real indicators of success in the fire service come from the bottom up. A fire department’s success is best judged at the company level.” “Many leaders and senior members have been taught the how but not the why, and they don’t understand the reasons for doing what they do,” Thompson says. “Because firefighting is such a technical activity, we must ensure that we are explaining why we do things while we demonstrate the how. It is essential that we develop critical thinking for solving fire suppression, rescue, and EMS problems.” WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: “Chief Scott Thompson combines his decades of experience and years of observation with today’s leadership skills and provides a path for the successful fire department to follow. The Functional Fire Company will take you step by step from being an ordinary fire department to one which defines excellence. --Rick Lasky, Fire Chief (ret.) Texas “I found both motivation and a guide to implementation in this book. Chief Thompson has provided a deep resource for all ranks from creating culture to setting up training structure. I highly recommend this book to anyone with aspirations of making an organizational impact.” --Brian Brush “Chief Thompson has spent his entire career focusing on training and organizational effectiveness. The Functional Fire Company is his life’s work wrapped up into a playbook which offers insight into how to make your organization perform at maximum proficiency. Experience, perspective and a never quit mentality are evident as Chief Thompson provides a unique view to solving problems in the modern-day fire service.” --Terry McGrath, Assistant Chief, Lewisville (TX) Fire Department “This book offers a living, breathing example that Chief Thompson’s principles truly work. I hope you get as much value from this book as we have received from Chief Thompson’s lessons, and that you take what you learn back to your organization.” --Garrett Rice, The Colony Fire Department (TX) Battalion Chief, A Shift