“I shall never surrender or retreat” wrote Lt. Col Travis on a cool February night to the people of Texas just days before the attack on the Alamo.  Lt Col Travis then followed this up with a speech to 180+ of his soldiers on the eve of the attack stating “We shall draw a line in the sand.  Whoever is willing to stay and fight come and stand with me” and dramatically pulled out his sword and drew a visible line on the floor of the Alamo compound.  All but one soldier crossed the line and pledged their allegiance to the battle.  Less than a week later Lt. Col Travis and all of his men lay dead on the ground in what would later become San Antonio after putting up an amazing fight against a heavily armed and fortified Mexican Army.  As we all know this battle ended up being the catalyst to Texas becoming a free and recognized State.  Lt. Col Travis and his men that decided to join him never wavered in their commitment to the cause. 

“Never Surrender and Never Retreat” is an applicable statement for the fire service today.  No not on the fireground; that’s asinine to even think; but instead in the culture and expectation of what it means to be a firefighter today.  “Never surrender or retreat” when establishing the standards expected and more importantly the standards and expectations upheld by yourself and that of your companies, battalions and departments.  High expectations are a good thing.  That’s what our customers pay us for.  Being masters of the Craft is a good thing.  That’s what the customers expect and deserve to get.

So often I see firefighters frustrated and out of their minds about others in the profession that are more concerned about catching up on the latest Netflix series than they are focusing on the Craft.  If you take 15 seconds on social media you’ll see all kinds of this frustration.  It’s a pointless waste of energy.  Instead invest that energy into what you can control.  Surround yourselves, much like Lt Col Travis did, with people who are going to make you better.  Push those who are on your company to get better.  Even if it is limited to 10-15 minutes a day.  That’s a win and it will build into something bigger.  The first step is literally and figuratively “drawing a line in the sand”.  Model the behavior that you want to see.  You have to live it with unwavering dedication.  Put your arm around the new kid.  Help instruct classes in the academy and to your department.  Get involved at the committee level and start to change things from the ground up.  These things matter.  They make a huge difference in the long battle of improvement and along the way you’ll get a whole lot better in the process.  Never forget there are others in the fire service that you have never met that stand side by side with you in the quest to deliver upon the oath and become masters of the Craft.