Igniting the leader within : the leadership legacy of Ben Franklin, father of the American fire service

170 Pages·1998·4.739 MB·English

by  Michael F. Staley

Igniting the
Leader Within
The Leadership Legacy of Ben Franklin,
Father of the American Fire Service
Igniting the Leader Within 11/15/02 3:18 PM Page ii
Igniting the
Leader Within
The Leadership Legacy of Ben Franklin,
Father of the American Fire Service
BY MICHAEL F. STALEY
Disclaimer
The recommendations, advice, descriptions, and methods in this book are presented solely
for educational purposes. The author and publisher assume no liability whatsoever for any
loss or damage that results from the use of any of the material in this book. Use of the
material in this book is solely at the risk of the user.
Copyright © 1998 by Fire Engineering Books & Videos, a Division of PennWell Corp.
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced
or used in any form by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopy-
ing, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems—without prior written
permission of the publisher.
Published by Fire Engineering Books & Videos
A Division of PennWell Corp.
Park 80 West, Plaza 2
Saddle Brook, NJ 07663
United States of America
www.fireengineering.com
PennWell Corp.
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Cover design by Amy Spehar
Book design by Max Design
Printed in the United States of America
3 4 5 6 7 12 11 10 09 08
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Staley, Michael F., 1955-
Igniting the leader within : the leadership legacy of Ben Franklin, father of the American
fire service / by Michael F. Staley.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-912212-71-3 (softcover)
ISBN13 978-0-912212-71-5
1. Fire extinction–Vocational guidance. 2. Fire departments–Management. 3. Leadership.
4. Fire fighters–Job satisfaction.
I. Title.
TH9119.S73 1998
363.37’023--dc21 98-36742
CIP
Igniting the Leader Within 11/15/02 3:18 PM Page v
Dedication
This book is dedicated to both of my families. Like all firefighters, I have
two. First, there’s my “real” family; and second, there are the brothers
and sisters of fire and rescue with whom I have been proud to serve and
share my life. This book is for all of you.
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Acknowledgments
I
gniting the LeaderWithin has been a joy to write, but I didn’t do
it alone. I have a lot of people to thank. First, I thank my lov-
ing wife Kate, who patiently tolerated long hours of work and
travel away from home. I thank my mother, Jo, that Army nurse
who reared me alone. I thank my father, Victor, who never saw
my life develop but who has watched over me in the many years
he’s been gone. I thank Bev Browning, my researcher and friend.
I gratefully acknowledge Bill Manning, Diane Feldman, Brian
Hendrickson, and Rob Maloney of Fire Engineering magazine for
their guidance and vision. I thank Jim Morneweck, who gave me
my start as a firefighter when he first asked me to join West Mead
District One. I thank my mentor and friend Jim Bell, who allowed
me at age 16 to be the youngest member of the Crawford County
Firemen’s Association. I thank Chief George Hamburger and the
men and women of the Erie Fire Department who told me that I
had enough moxie to become a career firefighter. I thank the men
and women of the Volusia County (FL) Emergency Medical
Services, who welcomed me in 1973, helped me develop my
skills, and saved my life in 1990. I gratefully acknowledge the
men and women from the City of Port Orange (FL) Department
of Fire and Rescue, who helped me make a positive difference
every day and who taught me much of what I know about lead-
ership. I particularly thank the E-172 crew: DE Richard Tufano,
PM Tom Bazanos, FF Jim Whitmarsh, and FF Joe DiBella, the
brother who mowed my yard for a year after my accident and
never accepted more than a drink of water. I thank Norman
Lewis, who gave me the opportunity to join the faculty of the
Daytona Beach Community College and helped me realize that I
would learn so much when I taught. I gratefully acknowledge the
faculty, staff, and students of the National Fire Academy who
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share my enthusiasm for our profession by advancing life safety
and fire prevention programs that are used throughout the world.
Finally, I thank the many friends in the fire and rescue service
who have given me the benefit of their ideas, experience, and sup-
port for Igniting the Leader Within. This work belongs to all of us.
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About the
Author
M
ichael F. Staley is a motivational
speaker and head of Golden Hour
Motivational Resources of Port
Orange, Florida. A veteran firefighter and
EMT, he has served with the West Mead
District 1 Volunteer Fire Department of
Meadeville, Pennsylvania; the Volusia
County (FL) Emergency Medical Services;
and the Port Orange (FL) Department of
Fire Rescue. In 1990, he was critically
injured in an accident involving two cars at
the Daytona International Speedway. He
made a miraculous recovery and now travels
around the United States and Canada deliv-
ering a message of hope, encouragement,
and motivation to various organizations.
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