From Firefighter to Fire Chief – The Tom DeSorcy Story

1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 From Firefighter to Fire Chief – The Tom DeSorcy Story - 397 In this episode, Dr. Gasaway talks with Retired Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy about how he quickly went from being a volunteer firefighter to career fire chief. &nbsp; Tom DeSorcy joined the fire service in 1983 and became the first paid firefighter in his hometown of Hope, B.C., when he became fire chief in 2000.&nbsp; This followed a career in broadcasting in local radio and his talk show eventually was heard across Canada, via satellite from Vancouver in the early ‘90s. &nbsp;Now retired, his voice can be heard on the Firefighting in Canada - The Podcast and he lends his voice in narrating online training. &nbsp;&nbsp;Tom is married with 2 children, and 2 grandchildren.&nbsp; He is equally at home at a bonspiel (which for us lay people, is a curling tournament), on the golf course or in the kitchen, and he continues to enjoy his connections to the fire service. &nbsp; Tom’s story may be unique as he quickly went from serving as a volunteer fire fighter to becoming the fire chief almost.&nbsp; The town of Hope was surrounded by two regional district electoral areas and each had their own fire department.&nbsp; When all of these areas were amalgamated into a District Municipality, 3 fire departments existed.&nbsp; &nbsp; It became apparent that a single fire department needed to be created and thus a contract fire chief position was offered which Tom accepted the position.&nbsp; Originally this was supposed to be a 10 month contract however, Tom realized that it could be extended to a permanent position and began to seek out training opportunities to “put himself in a position to accept a job should it be offered”.&nbsp; That was in 1999.&nbsp; In 2000 the contract ran out and a permanent position was not being considered.&nbsp; This is when the existing volunteer chiefs put their pagers on the council table in a mass protest resignation until Tom was hired. &nbsp; Tom then set out on the journey to create a “modern” fire department from the current social club that existed, all the while battling resistance to change not only from within, but from the community.&nbsp; This was a struggle to say the least.&nbsp;&nbsp; It was through various associations and the networking it brought to connect Tom the outside world of firefighting.&nbsp; He adopted a “Moss and Grass” approach to leadership where he supported positive growth and ignored naysayers that stood in his way.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Today, he’s come full circle in creating a succession plan where they now have a Fire Chief and Deputy in a progressive and busy department of professional volunteers.&nbsp; During this episode we discuss: &nbsp; The unique demographic of the community of Hope, British Columbia and the challenges it creates for the fire department. &nbsp; How Tom became the fire chief when the three existing fire chiefs in the community all resigned.&nbsp; &nbsp; Tom’s thoughts on the generational changes he’s observed since joining the fire service in 1983. &nbsp; Tom’s application of his unique “Moss and Grass” leadership. &nbsp; The role fire associations played in Tom’s personal development journey. &nbsp; How Tom planned for succession and preparation for retirement. Tom’s advice for firefighters preparing for retirement. &nbsp; &nbsp; About the Host Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, CSP is widely considered a trusted authority on human factors, situational awareness and the high-risk decision making processes used in high-stress, high consequence work environments. He served 33 years on the front lines as a firefighter, EMT-Paramedic, company officer, training officer, fire chief and emergency incident commander.&nbsp; His doctoral research included the study of cognitive neuroscience to understand how human factors flaw situational awareness and impact high-risk decision making. &nbsp; Contact us www.SAMatters.comwww.RichGasaway.com612-548-4424 (office) &nbsp; Let’s Get connected Facebook: SAMatters LinkedIn: Rich Gasaway LinkedIn: Situational Awareness Matters Twitter: Rich Gasaway Youtube: SAMattersTV itunes: SAMatters Radio Stitcher Radio: SAMatters Radio Google Play: SAMatters Radio iHeart Radio: SAMatters Radio &nbsp; Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/ &nbsp; The SAMatters Show is one of the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused program on the Internet. 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