06/06/2026
YOU HAVEN'T EVEN PASSED THE AWARENESS COURSE.
Everyone in the fire service is screaming for change. Some want to retreat to 1990. Others want to sprint toward a corporate future that doesn't work.
Here is the harsh reality You cannot have effective change without Awareness.
In Hazmat, we start at Awareness, then move to Operations, then Technician. Right now, the majority of the fire service hasn't even passed the Awareness level of our own culture. We are lying to ourselves, pretending the corporate mindset is working while our traditions and standards rot.
l've spent three years on the Third Alarm Cowboys podcast and traveling the country teaching. The issues aren't regional they are universal.
Toxic leadership, limited staffing, broken promotional processes, and budget restraints aren't new problems.
As Kelsey Trotty said on the show “There are no new problems in the fire service. They're just new to you."
The Challenge:
Stop being a victim of your department's unique issues. Become a student of the game.
Get to the Awareness level. Only then can we move to Operations and fix this.
One of my favorite quotes to tell guys when they ask how I know so much about their department.
“l've seen this movie before. I know how it ends if we don't wake up.”
Thirdalarmcowboys.com
