Author: Juan Serrano February 3, 2016

For years, the firefighter generational gap with millennials in the fire service has been a problem in the fire service.

And it doesn’t look like it will be fixed anytime soon. But there are ways to make it easier to build better intergenerational relationships.

The definition of generational gaps is “a difference of opinions between one generation and another regarding beliefs, politics, or values. In today’s usage, “generation gap” often refers to a perceived gap between younger people and their parents and/or grandparents.

If you’re not in the fire service you can imagine the difficulties that this could have in a department. You have the older generation working with traditions that “have worked in the past” and you have the younger generation that wants to implement the new and cool ideas into a department. But both mindsets have their positives and negatives attached to them.

Yes, this is a problem in my fire department, but not that big of one. I believe my fire department has done a decent job of closing that gap, but there still is one.

I currently work for a department in the western United States. I work in a municipal fire department as a firefighter/ Advance-EMT. We only around 2000 calls per year and have a staff of 48 individuals. Within the last 3 years we have hired around 20 new firefighters, which is a lot. You can imagine this new mindset had changed the department within the last couple years.

I am a millennial (Born 1982-1999) and want to give you advice and information about who we are and how we live. But I want to give you 7 tips about millennials.

How millennials grew up:

 

• Technology

We grew up with the internet. I’ve had it since I started middle school and was trained to use it in my everyday life. Soon after the internet was a must in schools, Social media started. The first big one everyone used was Myspace. Myspace had everyone connected at all times and as phones evolved we were even more connected than before.

Using our phone for hours at a time, texting during class, or sending messages through a chatting application on our computer when the teacher wasn’t looking was normal.

Communicating through some online resource became the normal way to communicate, even at the expense of our social skills.

• Time

I want things now. Not tomorrow, not in an hour, but NOW. I’m used to having things instantly. We hate waiting when we shouldn’t have to. Most of my generation don’t have patience as much as we should which could be a good or a bad thing at times.

My time is precious to me and it is something that our generation doesn’t have enough of. Not to mention that not matter what were doing in our lives we always think we’re busy.

• Try and Succeed

We have been trained to the mindset that if we try hard at anything then we will succeed at it.

Whether it be in sports, career, relationships, or just life itself, if we try hard we can get what we want in a short amount of time. I’m raised in the belief that anyone, even myself, can be an overnight success story.

• The Best Choice

I can’t say how many times I’ve had to deal with “flakes” with my generation. It’s hard to trust people because people just don’t like to commit to things.

Try to plan an event, road trip, or even a night out on a weekend and you will usually have greater than 50% flake rate due to millennials not being able to commit to things.

My generation waits until the last minute to commit to something so that all options to come across them so they can make a decision that best makes them happy.

 

That’s how we grew up and what we are used to. Though not totally different from older generations, it still is a different lifestyle. If you get some (and you will) Millenials in your department then here are 5 tips for dealing with and understanding them.

Bridging the Firefighter Generational Gap with Millennials:

 

1.  Don’t get mad at the Phone

Like I said before, we were raised to be connected all day/every day. I personally am on my phone all day, but not just for mindless fun. Yes, I do get texts throughout the day, I do like to play games on my phone a couple times during the day, I also like to watch funny videos and see funny pictures. Those aren’t the only reasons I’m on my phone though. I love to read, it’s one of my favorite pastimes and I like to read on my phone a lot, it’s just very convenient.

I see some of the older generations get a little angry or annoyed when I’m on my phone all the time and I try to explain to them that I’m actually being productive on it.

There have been many times when I have been studying on my phone and been told to put it away. It kinda leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I’m being productive on my phone and others can’t understand that.

Tip: If you are just curious about what he/she is doing then just ask your firefighter what they are doing on their phone. They may even be studying (which I do a lot on my phone). If it is really bothering you then just tell them and explain why, we will respect that, though we may not agree.

2. We like explanations

In the millennial generation, we like to know why were doing what were doing. I’ve seen this scenario gone wrong many times. One of my peers or I would ask why we do something and the older generation gets quite upset about it, not knowing it was just asked for the information because they are curious.

A little explanation goes a long way for us. When we know why were doing something then we appreciate it more. The old idea of no news is good news isn’t relevant for us anymore.

Tip: If we ask for an explanation, don’t take offense to it, were just curious. Give us feedback about our actions and how we can do better as well.

3. Teach us the Traditions

Though I haven’t been employed as a full-time firefighter for a long time, I have been around the fire service for quite some time. I’ve learned about the different and respectable traditions that the fire service has. I believe they are an important part of the fire service, though, after talking with a lot of my peers I have realized that’s not the same mindset for everyone.

For example; I’ve talked with a few inspiring firefighters that say firefighters shouldn’t have to go through a probation year (the first year a new firefighter goes through which includes some hazing, a lot of training and tests).

I don’t agree with that mindset but sad to say I am in the minority.

I think cooking with the crew(other than just cooking ofr yourself) is another important part of tradition and crew cohesion. Sadly, I think it has been lost in some departments.

Tip: Lead by example. Show and tell us why you do a certain tradition and why it’s important to the fire service. Like I said, we like information.

 

4. Work isn’t our life. 

When were off work, were off work. That’s the mindset at least. It’s different than the old thought of “your work is your life”. We like to have a very active social life while we are off work.

Being a firefighter myself, I understand that we need to stay in contact with our department quite a bit whille were off shift. Just because we don’t want to think about work while were off, doesn’t mean we don’t take our job seriously.

Tip: Don’t get mad if we don’t come in to fill for staffing levels. We have busy lives and like to be with our families. Most of my generation likes to come in and help out at work, it is just not our number 1 priority.

5. Give us some Responsibility

We like to be a part of groups or being a part of the “inner” group. We like to be involved in different projects. We also like to be challenged, as long as were not micro-managed the whole time.

I’ll say it once again, let us know how we are doing and give us updates on our project(s). We like to be told were doing a good job and our work is appreciated (when it’s actually true).

Tip: Give us a project to do. Start small and see how we do with it. If it’s a job well done then give us bigger projects.

 

So there it is. 5 tips to help to deal with millennials in the fire service. If you take my advice then you are on the right path to having great crew cohesion. It’s not to end the generation gap problem, but it will help.

Thanks for reading and if you like what you have read or has benefited you in any way then please subscribe to my newsletter.

Comment below about your ideas, thoughts, and beliefs about the post.