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Stand
Up for What You Believe
 Steve
Abraira recently retired as the fire chief of the Dallas Fire-Rescue
Department. Prior to that, he served as the assistant chief over the
Emergency Response Division of the Miami Department of Fire-Rescue.
When presenting at the
Alabama Fire Chiefs’ Conference, he shared his “TACTICS” for becoming an
effective leader in the fire service. Abraira also lectured about the
importance of character development in gaining the respect of
subordinates.
Steve used the acronym
TACTICS to explain his ideas to fire chiefs and other leaders of the
fire service about how to become more efficient in managing their
departments. The following are Abraira’s TACTICS:
Technically
Competent—You should know what you are
doing and walk in the shoes of those you lead before you can lead them
in the right direction. Experience is often more valuable than the level
of education a person has achieved.
Always do
the right thing—Although this may be
difficult to do at times, it is necessary for others to respect your
leadership.
Commit to
your troops—Your employees will see your
dedication if you stay committed to them and want what is best for them.
Trustworthy—A
leader should behave in a way that demonstrates to subordinates that he
or she can be trusted.
Inspiring—As
he intended his lecture to inspire conference attendees, Abraira
challenged attendees to inspire their employees.
Communicating—Steve gave numerous examples
of how he communicated with his “troops” that included riding on calls
with them, spending time at the fire stations to develop rapport, and
holding meetings so fire fighters could express their ideas and concerns
directly to the chief and others who would implement changes.
Stand up
for your troops—You should go to battle
for your employees. Take a stand for them and for the strengthening the
policies that affect their safety and performance.
Mr. Steve Abraira
provided useful information for the fire chiefs and leaders at the
conference to take back to their departments and for implementing his TACTICS. Steve’s
stories about his experiences as a fire chief were evidence that his
TACTICS benefited his department in many ways.
Article by: Heather
Houston
Photos: AFC Staff
2/12/007
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