A long time ago, the Rainbow Ridge Fire Department faced a significant problem. Despite its volunteer members’ dedication and hard work, the department needed help to keep up with the demands of the community it served.
Unfortunately, sparsely-attended training sessions were haphazardly thrown together, and there was little focus on hands-on learning. As a result, many department members were ill-prepared for the challenges of fighting fires and saving lives, creating a risk to the public and firefighters.
One day, Chief Joe took over at RRFD. His team knew that to make a difference, the department needed to change its approach to training. So, the officers introduced a new habit: hands-on training for each session. Instead of sitting in a classroom and listening to lectures, every member worked on learning to use each piece of equipment safely and how to work as a team.
At first, it took extra effort for the department to adjust to this new way of doing things. But with each passing day, the members of RRFD saw the benefits of hands-on training. They knew how to use each tool properly without thinking; they had a system of knowing who was doing what job before arriving at an emergency, and the tools were more frequently inspected and maintained to ensure they were ready in a crisis.
The department began seeing actual results as the months and years went by. It grew from 25 volunteers to 50 unpaid professionals while Joe was the department’s chief. There were no significant firefighter injuries or worse. Half of the department earned State Firefighter I certification. And the neighboring departments began to include RRFD in their dispatches requiring additional resources. Previously, the neighboring departments called paid departments from farther away to respond because they didn’t trust the competence of RRFD.
Because of this one simple habit, the RRFD transformed from a struggling volunteer department into a department of unpaid professionals respected and trusted by the community it served. It was a true success story that showed the power of anchor habits in achieving greatness.
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The Franchise Owner’s Dashboard helps you identify and define the habits that lead your franchise’s success. Email luke@bellavistaexecutiveadvisors.com for your dashboard.
