Commanders Intent

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." - General George S. Patton

A Commanders Intent is a tool used by the leaders of our armed forces to define and articulate a goal for a particular mission. The Commanders Intent provides the big picture of what a successful operation and outcome will look like.  It is not a prescriptive document, rather it states the objective and  provides general parameters to guide and shape the strategy and tactics, while leaving the details to subordinates.  The Commanders Intent states the end goal, and allows the troops to do what needs to get done to accomplish it.

A Commanders Intent consists of three components:

1. details critical information (who, what, where, when, why)
2. the ideal end state
3. conditions under which operations should cease

With just this basic information our personnel should be able to make the best strategic and tactical decisions to accomplish the goal.  There is no need for, or room to, micromanage every step of the operation or decision that is made.

To confidently and reliably issue a Commanders Intent relies on trust. The leadership must trust that the employee can make the right decisions, and the employee must trust that the leadership will not punish for bad decisions made.  With the many differing backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints of personnel within the modern day fire service, and the litigious society we live in, perhaps trust has become an area we are most lacking in.  This is why we see micromanagement, and write policies and procedures that are very prescriptive based - describing every action or step to be taken for a given situation or set of circumstances. 

In his book, The Navy SEAL Art of War, Rob Roy lists 5 ways that trust can be achieved:

1. Commit to hiring the right people.
2. Make people accountable to one another.
3. Clearly and frequently articulate expectations.
4. Give employees decision-making power.
5. Give employees an ownership stake.

[ For a practical exercise for building trust within the organization see, Circle of Safety - Does Your Organization Have It? ]

 What would our operations and leadership look like if we took the Commanders Intent approach and trusted our personnel to accomplish the goal? 

"SEALs know that the unbending bedrock of these concepts is trust.  To confidently convey intent without micromanaging it, a leader must implicitly trust that his followers are properly manned, planned, and equipped to handle the mission." - Rob Roy

Additional Resources

• "Commanders Intent and Concept of Operations" - Article from Military Review (Nov/Dec 2013)
• "Manage Uncertainty With Commanders Intent" - Article from Harvard Business Review (Nov. 2010)
• Take Command: Lessons In Leadership: How to Be a First Responder in Business-  book by Jake Wood
• The Navy SEAL Art of War - book by Rob Roy
• Standard Operations Training Group (SOT-G) - leadership training and team devolopment

WNYF - 5 Take Aways from 1st/2016 Issue

WNYF - With New York Firefighters is the official training publication of the FDNY.  This publication should be required reading for any fire service professionals that are serious about their job, careers, and professional development. The quality, relevance, and applicability of the articles is first-rate.  The magazine is zero advertising, no frills, all training content.  The featured fire calls, recurring columns, and FDNY section profiles, provide administrative and operational insight that can be applied to your own operation. 

The magazine recently started publishing in a digital format, as well as, print. They also have started two additional publications, ProEMS and ProFIT.  To subscribe or receive more information go to, FDNYpro.org.


5 Takeaways from WNYF 1st/2016

1. This issues marks the 75th anniversary of the WNYF publication. The 1941 issues featured a story about FDNY firefighters sent to England to learn tactics from the London Fire Brigade as they were undergoing German airstrikes.  The FDNY was thinking ahead in a big way, to ensure that the citizens of New York City would receive the highest levels of protection.  What are our departments doing and learning from others around the world?  Are we taking all the steps necessary to provide our citizens the highest levels of care?

2.  There are three activities that FDNY firefighters engage in to ensure readiness and preparedness for fires in mega-high-rise structures: fire inspection data/information, 90-day familiarization drills, and multi-unit drills.

3.  Recommended resource for fire department response to building collapse, Collapse of Burning Buildings: A Guide to Fireground Safety, by Vincent Dunn.

4.  To prioritize and manage a collapse operation, the acronym SCLUFS can be used:

     S - signal - request all necessary resources and units

     C - command post - establish command

     L - life - account for all affected individuals

     U - utilities - shut down and control utilities

     F - front - manage street and apparatus placement and access

     S - sectoring - establish sectors and assign sector supervisors

5.  FDNY utilizes a 10-step plan for all technical rescues:

• Preparation
• Response
• Assessment
• Hazard control
• Support operations
• Gaining access
• Disentanglement
• Packaging
• Removal
• Termination

You can subscribe now and get instant access to the digital edition, and back issues at FDNYpro.org. 

Read other WNYF Takeaway posts --> WNYF - With New York Firefighters (3rd/2015)

     

The Art of ARFF (part 8) - Terrain

Terrain refers to the topographical features of a geographical location. To discuss terrain is to discuss the lay of the land. When we are conducting pre-plans for fire and emergency response, the terrain plays an important role.  Terrain elements consider the location of roads, vegetation, bodies of water, overhead obstructions (power lines, trees, canopies), and exposures.  We want to look at how the terrain and surrounding structures will impact fire behavior to the structure and how a structure fire will impact the surrounding terrain and other structures.  When assessing exposure hazards - terrain elements that will expose a structure to fire risk -  factors considered are differing building heights, distance between structures, wildland/urban interface settings, and the proximity of high-hazard operations or contents.  The goal is to create a plan to limit risk from these exposures.

Just as terrain refers to the physical land layout, leaders establish leadership and cultural terrain within our organizations.  Based on how we lead our people we are either creating a culture that exposes them to risk, failure, and defeat or we are creating a culture that will limit their exposure to risk, ensure their personal success, and professional victory.  

"Now an army is exposed to six severe calamities, not arising from natural causes, but from faults for which the general is responsible..." - Sun Tzu

In Chapter 10 of The Art of War, Sun Tzu, lists these six "exposures" that our personnel could be subject to.  The six exposures discussed are: flight, insubordination, collapse, ruin, disorganization, and rout.

Flight.
"If one force is hurled against another ten times its size, the result will be flight of the former."

When an incident - fire scene or management issue - exceeds the the departments assets the personnel involved will feel overwhelmed and defeat will be imminent.  It is the leaders responsibility to know the capabilities of his personnel, assets, and resources.  Specifically, the leader must know when these are not adequate for the fight.  It is the leaders responsibility to know when to request additional assets, provide additional knowledge or human resources, or seek counsel and advice.  As leaders, we must be knowledgeable enough to know that we need assistance, and humble enough to ask for it. 

Insubordination.
"When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is insubordination."

This statement should not be taken to mean that leaders and officers should suppress the development of their people, but just the opposite.  It is critically important that the leader works and trains just as much, or more, than his personnel so that his knowledge and growth will continue and he can be on par with the knowledge, skills, and abilities of his men. As officers and departmental leaders we are expected to lead.  We are the ones that have to make the hard decisions and stand by them.  When officers do not do this the men will not follow.  They will, instead, follow the man who can do this.  They will follow the man who does maintain and continually develop his knowledge, skills, and abilities - both, in the practical functions of the job and in leadership skills. 

Collapse.
"When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is collapse."

An officer is only as strong as his people.  The officer can be the strongest, smartest, most knowledgeable, best capable, but if his team cannot keep up then defeat will come.  Victory cannot be won on the officers strength alone.  To prevent collapse, it is the officers responsibility to continually make his personnel better. It is the leaders responsibility to bring the people up to, and hold them accountable to, the highest standards of excellence.

Ruin.
"When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and...give battle...from a feeling of resentment...the result is ruin."

Sometimes it is easy for officers to get tunnel vision and only think about what they can see from their perspective.  The Chief, however, has a larger view and understands all the connecting parts.  The Chief's actions and orders are based on facts and his knowledge of the whole picture.  When officers become disgruntled with commands they do not understand, or make decisions based on their limited perspective (commonly referred to as, "freelancing"), ruin will come.  A Chief can mitigate this exposure by explaining what can be explained, and officers can mitigate this exposure by submitting to their authority.

Disorganization. 
"When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganization."

An officer's orders must be given with confidence and decisiveness.  If they are not, they will not be followed. Every man must know and understand his role on the team, and within the organization as a whole. He should be given clear guidance as to the functions of his position, and how he can attain to other positions.  Serious thought and consideration should be given to the make-up of shifts and personnel. The "ranks" should be formed with the right mixture of experience, skill, and leadership ability.

Rout.
"When a general...neglects to place picked soldiers in the front rank, the result must be rout."

This phrase speaks to the importance of putting the right men on the "front lines", having the right people in leadership roles.  Our jobs are not easy, we are faced crises and emergency events,  we have to make hard decisions, we have to do the hard work of steering the organization.  If the weak or timid are on the front lines, then "disorderly retreat", rout, will ensue.  Chan Yu paraphrases this line as, "Whenever there is fighting to be done, the keenest spirits should be appointed to serve in the front ranks, both in order to strengthen the resolution of our own men and to demoralize the enemy."

The principles for creating a victorious leadership and cultural terrain can be summarized in these lines from the Sun Tzu:

"The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.  Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death."

Other articles in this series:

• Part 1 - Laying Plans
• Part 2 - Waging War
• Part 3 - Attack by Strategem
• Part 4 - Tactical Dispositions, Energy, and Strong Points
• Part 5 - Maneuvering
• Part 6 - Variation in Tactics
• Part 7 - The Army on the March
• Part 8 - Terrain
• Part 9 - The Nine Situations
• Part 10 - Conclusion

Fire Safe Hangar Space [FREE COURSE]

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What do you need to know about aircraft hangars?

Aviation facilities come with their own unique challenges, fire protection requirements, and construction guidelines. This course walks you through each of these and will enable you to:

• understand and identify the protection, construction, and maintenance requirements for aircraft hangars.
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• implement a plan of action to ensure facility compliance

The course content is built specifically for fire inspectors, code officials, life safety consultants, facility managers, and airport operators.

This course provides many FREE resources and templates, including the NFPA 409 - Resource Guide.

Course Objectives:

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3. Create a plan to maintain compliance