Not everyone wants to be chief, you know
October 14th, 2007 by jennemede
A conversation two days ago in the car.
Rae: Mommy, what’s a fire chief?
Me: He’s the leader of all the firemen.
Rae: What does he do?
Me: He tells the other firemen where to go and what to do when there’s a burning building.
Rae: But…but that’s so BORING!
Me: (bursts out in chuckles) Why?!
Rae: He never gets to do ANYTHING then?
Me: Of course he does. Sometimes he gets to climb the ladders and spray the water with the hose if he wants to.
Rae: …still boring.
My daughter will not grow up to be an accountant. Or an editor, that’s for sure.
Posted in Imperfect Kids
October 14th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Maybe she’s too young to hear this–but the chief has to make critical decisions when there aren’t enough resources to go around. And sometimes it is the leader of the fire crew who must make them.
Real life example: two fire trucks pull up in a Southern California wildfire situation; three homes are on fire; only one can be saved with the trucks that are there. One must be chosen–and there is no time to waste. Homeowners are all begging–mine, please! The leader of the crew must make an instant decision.
Or think 9/11 scenario: you don’t know how bad the situation is or what is happening. How many people do you send where?
If she is old enough to think about hard ethical choices–then she can be told more about what a person in a leadership position, like a fire chief, does.
October 14th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Yea don’t think five is a good age to be talking about the power over life and death a fire chief has ;).
October 16th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Ask Rae if she’s interested in going to space, LOL.