Only a volunteer?

I have been a volunteer for a variety of different organizations over the years. Some large, some small. Some, I've been in charge of, and others, just one tiny part. Some have been run well, and others, not so well.

It is interesting to consider them all, and look at what problems they share.

Almost universal is this:
1. The majority of the work is done by a small group of people.

I think this can be perfectly fine, as long as everyone is clear that this is happening, AND there are built in positions in the organization for those who want to have small roles. The people who want to belong, but don't want to do much, should be in the small roles, and those who are there to work should be in the larger roles, and be the ones making most of the decisions.
Oddly, that seems rarely to be the case.
More often, there is much complaining and power play bullshit from the ones who don't actually want to work, while the ones who do the work, keep on working.
They have their excuses, for sure. Chief among which are "not everyone has the time" and "we're only volunteers."

Yeah. Well. If you don't have the time, don't volunteer. Or if you do volunteer, take your time (and other) limitations into account, and volunteer for things you actually can and will do. Seems that would be much more satisfying for you, as well as more functional for everyone.

And for what it's worth, being a volunteer does not mean that you aren't accountable for what you do, or that your standards should be any lower than a professional. It just means you don't get paid. It SHOULD mean that you do this for the love of doing it, or because you believe it worthwhile and important, both of which should create HIGHER standards.

Which brings me to the next nearly universal thing:
2. Those who do most of the work do it for personal reasons, not for recognition or for glory.

For one thing, there is little of either to go around. Those who just want the perks end up doing only those things that are publicly visible and/or recognized, and doing only enough to get that recognition, leaving the bulk of the real work to those who are content behind the scenes. Since that is by far most of the work, this is part of what leads to the first universal situation, of most of the work being done by a few people.

3. It can be hard to "fire" someone who is a volunteer.

This becomes an issue when you have someone in a position that requires certain things to be done that they simply don't do. Especially in a small organization, where there may not be anyone else willing or able to do that job, this can kill the organization in a hurry. Also, in a small organization, it is likely that everyone is at least acquainted, if not friends, and that makes it even more difficult to ask someone to step down, or leave, because of the emotional trauma involved, and because people generally don't want to hurt someone else's feelings. At least they don't want to do so face-to-face or in any way where they have to take responsibility for it.

Instead, they give them "time to work things out" and make excuses for why the person is not doing their job. Second chances, and third. Extensions on deadlines. Anything to avoid confrontation. Anything to avoid being "disliked." And usually, anything to keep the status quo. (Also see #6 and #7, below.)

Thing is, if the work needs to be done, it needs to be done. Someone eventually has to step up and change the situation, one way or another, or the organization will not be effective, if it survives at all.

4. An organization is only as good as its... organization.

If no one knows what is going on, or what needs to be done, or what has been done, things are not going to work very well. There must be good record keeping, and there must be good planning. Long and short term. The more open the records and planning process are, the better. Keeping people in the dark rarely leads to good.

Which leads to the next issue:

5. Any organization that does not trust its people will not be able to recruit or retain good people, and will not be able to function effectively.

The leaders of an organization must lead by example, must be worthy of trust, and must create and maintain an environment that fosters trust. This is true of all organizations, and especially true of volunteers. This includes open and accessible records and other information, and it includes not tolerating anyone who demonstrates that they can't be trusted to do what they say they will do. Building trust is a skill that not everyone has. Learn it, and earn it.

6. Politics should be left to politicians, but it isn't.

This is another thing that will lead to no good. Office politics. Cronyism. Cliques. Plain old bullshit. Any time decisions are made for reasons other than effectiveness, the results will be less than stellar. Whether it's outright favoritism keeping people in positions they are not qualified for, or simply don't do, or whether it's keeping qualified people out of a position because they aren't the buddy of the person in charge, the result is the same. Poor performance, and poor management of resources.

Where this becomes even more of a problem in volunteer organizations than in others is when there is little outside oversight. When people are not held accountable to any particular standards, they can get away with keeping their buddies happy rather than getting the job done, because no one outside the organization knows that is what is happening. Nor would they generally care.

Also, this leads to exceptions in the category of "firing" a volunteer. Instead of getting rid of people who aren't doing their jobs, often, a dysfunctional organization focuses on getting rid of people the "in group" does not like, regardless of qualifications or job performance.

Last, for today, but not least:
7. People HATE change.

Organizations that do not change, that do not grow, that do not continually work to improve themselves, will become less and less effective, until they ultimately fail.
People often seem to prefer this to actual change.
The status quo bias: an irrational preference for the way things are, rather than changing.
Been around at least as long as Shakespeare.


For those of you who know me, you might find it interesting that most of these observations come originally from organizations I worked with over ten years ago, rather than directly from any I'm involved with now. But if the shoe fits...

Family

I've been thinking about family lately.
In the past couple of weeks, an aunt and uncle of mine have died. I didn't know either of them well. I had met them both, but the last time I saw either one was years ago.

When I was growing up, both of my parents, for some reason that I've never known, stopped having anything to do with their families. We visited a lot when I was very young, but after I was around 6 or 7, we stopped. It may have been because we moved further away, and travel was expensive, but I don't recall them keeping in touch in other ways, either. They both reconnected with their families after I was grown, but that didn't really do me any good.

What this meant for me is that I grew up knowing I had a whole bunch of cousins (Around 35 of them? I'm not even sure.), but I didn't get to know any of them. Some of them, I knew their names, but some of them, not even that. When I was 17, I met a couple of them, but didn't stay in touch. And when I was in my twenties, I visited some who lived near where I was then, but again, didn't keep in touch. Keeping in touch was somewhat difficult then.

It isn't now.

A few days ago, I suddenly realized that it is likely that at least some of my cousins are on facebook. Not knowing their names, or who is and is not there, I didn't know how to find them. I mentioned that to my Dad, who happened to talk to one of them that day, and she said that yes, she is on facebook, and is friended with several other cousins.

Find one... you find them all, eventually.

So I did.
I sent friend requests to the nine cousins I found. So far, five have responded.

It is a little overwhelming. In a good way.

I don't know what it feels like, really, to have cousins. I remember a little from when I was 6 years old, but since then, have rarely had that opportunity to be with people who are extended family. I'm having to learn what that feels like, and so far, it feels pretty good. There is a sense of belonging, even though these people are, for the most part, strangers to me, really. I'd like to change that- the "strangers" part, anyway.

Another reason I've been thinking about family is that we've had some EMS calls lately that have been more stressful than average. A full arrest, who should have been able to be saved if any are. We had every advantage. We were right on top of that "cardiac chain of survival." Early activation of EMS, early CPR, early defibrillation... or there would have been had she had a shockable rhythm. She didn't. We were called for difficulty breathing, she arrested as we came in the door, and went right to asystole. It was very sad. I still think about her family.
We've had other calls that were serious, too, load and go, don't mess around, this person is SICK. A string of critical calls.

One of the recent ones provided me with a reminder of why I do this.

It was a diabetic issue.
Unresponsive, blood glucose the lowest I've ever seen. Barely hanging on, with his family right there worrying.
But the magic of D50 wins again.
As he woke up, and saw his wife standing near his head, he smiled the brightest, most beautiful smile I have ever seen.

And that, right there, that moment, is what it's all about.
Being able to help people have that moment, to see their family, to smile at each other again.

I nearly wept.

Family.

Don't take them for granted. Enjoy every moment together that you get.

And there it was

In early Spring, the winds change gradually, a hint of warmth one day, rain the next. Sun for a few hours, then a chill breeze. The leaves start to show, and then it snows. It's hard to know when Spring actually begins, when it's here to stay.

The same with summer. Warm Spring days and cool nights gradually shift to a little drier, a little warmer. More and more leaves, flowers, insects, until one day we wonder how the summer flew by so fast. It's impossible to set a date, a time, for when we knew it was really here.


Not so, Winter.

I woke up this morning, and there it was.

I don't care what the calendar says.

The frost on the windshield, the freeze-killed plants, said all that needed to be said.

A harbinger of times to come

This blog started out with a long list of things I wanted to write about, thoughts I wanted to share.

I discovered not too long after I started that the most interesting things to write about, and to read, are the more personal ones, and that the more personal things are often too much to share. A dilemma.


That said...

I meet a lot of people in this tiny town. Often, when they are having a difficult time of some kind. Sometimes, I RE-meet them on those stressful days. People I've known for years, but not well, suddenly thrown in together as they face a difficult event, and I do my best to help ameliorate it.

Sometimes it's great. We reconnect, and I walk away feeling like I was able to be some help to them.

But sometimes, it's a harbinger of times to come, when things will not end well.

A while back we had a call for an older man who had fallen. He wasn't hurt. Just needed a hand up.
This was a patient I had seen before. The last time, at his house when his wife was ill.

I had not heard at the time, but she passed away shortly after that.

So this time, at his house, she was not there.
It was heart wrenching to see how much he has changed in so short a time. His caregiver said simply "He is dying of a broken heart."

It will likely not be long before we are no longer called to that address.

That is the reality of this job.
We do the best we can to help, and then comes a time when we can do no more.

When I was younger, I had very little contact, very little realization of death. My grandparents died when I was fairly young, but I did not know them well, so it didn't have much effect on me. I knew one or two people in my first three decades who died in accidents. I was, I guess, fortunate in this.

Now, I am closer to Death. My own, as I grow older, and other people's as my calling brings me to their doors. It is nearly every day that I recognize a name in the obituaries. A patient. The mother of a friend. Someone I went to high school with. The woman down the road.

It is an interesting thing, this specter called "Death."
Everyone's final act, if rarely their goal.

The Big One

I wear a pager on my hip. Much of the time, I leave my pager "open," that is to say, so I can hear calls for other fire departments in the county, not just my own. I do this partly because I'm as curious as the next person, but also because I know a lot of people in the fire service now, and whenever there is a call, it is likely friends of mine who are putting themselves in danger.

Whenever there is an emergency that requires either firefighters or emergency medical services, the information that tells them where they are needed is preceded by tones on the pager. Listen to these tones often enough and you begin to recognize them before the dispatcher says anything. There is a department near here that has a tone that is distinctive, and is used when they need to alert off-duty personnel that they may be needed. My family calls this the "shit hitting the fan tone."

Whenever we hear that tone, we stop and pay attention. Likewise, whenever any area department is called to a structure fire. Often, when it is a real emergency, or even when it's clearly not, someone will suggest that it's "the big one."

It's sort of an emergency services in-joke. Most of the "big ones" out here in the middle of nowhere aren't really big. Big for us, or for our neighbor departments, maybe. But not much compared to a lot of other places. Some departments, a cat in a tree might be their "big one." And that's not a complaint, at all.

The thing is, whenever anyone says that, there is an underlying suggestion that it COULD actually be "The Big One." Anything can happen. Anywhere. You just never know.

I can't help but think about what must have gone through the heads of all the FDNY responders on 9/11.

It's the big one.

The REALLY Big One, no joke.

That thing, that specter in the back of everyone's minds, this is really it.

And yet, as big as it was, each individual firefighter, each EMT, each person, what they needed to do, their job, was quite simple. One thing at a time. The same as always. Set up water supply. Pull hoses. Make entry. Search and rescue. Triage. Patient care.

And that's what they did. In impossible circumstances, a situation so beyond the ordinary that there is no way to train for it. They went to work, did their jobs, and were there to help people they had never met.

Only the world came down around them.

I will never forget the moment I saw the first tower begin to fall. Slow motion. Looking exactly like one of those planned demolitions of the old casinos in Las Vegas that there are documentaries about.

Except.

Except.

My mind froze the moment I realized.

There are people in there.

People who had simply gone to work as usual that morning.
People who could not possibly escape, and who likely had time to realize that.
People with families. Husbands. Wives. Sons and daughters.

And heartbreakingly, sadder than sad, those who had gone to rescue them.

People often say that a firefighter is "willing to die for others." That they "rush into burning buildings."

Like hell.

No sane person is "willing to die."
No sane person rushes in without considering the circumstances, the risk/benefit ratio.

They may choose to take a calculated risk.
And they may underestimate the risk, for whatever reason.

No one knew what the risks were that day.
No one could imagine them.

They can, now.

Since that day, I have met people who were there. People who have stories to tell, about how they were able to survive when others didn't make it. Stories they don't often tell. It isn't about them.

It's about those who can no longer tell their stories.

We lost a lot of good people that day.

Let their sacrifice inspire you to make a difference in the world. We're left with a lot of catching up to do, to do all the good they might have.

Do something in their memory today.

EVERY day.

Three years

As of today, there have been 1040 residential fire fatalities this year, compiled by the US Fire Administration's Quick Response Program. This list is compiled from the media, meaning that there are undoubtedly fatalities that aren't on the list because they didn't make the newspaper. You can see the list here.


Three years ago today, our house burned.
Last year, I posted a description of the events of the day.

Today, we still have not gone through all the boxes of stuff that was packed up by the cleaning company, but we have gone through a lot of them. We have donated, given away, and thrown away a lot of it. While not down to the level we hope to eventually reach, we have far less "stuff" in our house now, and that's a good thing.

As of last month, when my daughter joined, we now have three of the four of us in the fire service. While I had been interested in the fire service for most of my life, and my oldest had some interest before our fire, there is no escaping that the fire was quite... motivational.

It is the beginning of the school year, of the academic semester at local colleges, and this means that a lot of people are going to spend their days in large buildings with crowded conditions, and a lot are going to be living in dorms, also often crowded, or at least, high occupancy.

Take fire safety seriously.
While the most common causes of residential fires may be unattended cooking or that all-too-famous "carelessly discarded cigarette," causes that might be avoidable, they do not all begin that way. Sometimes, there is no warning.

What happens is this: an emergency, by its nature, happens suddenly. You don't have time to think, to decide, to make rational choices. You may be in an unfamiliar building. You may be asleep. There is no way to know.

Make your plans NOW, before things go wrong. Practice them.
You may want to make changes in your house. More smoke detectors. Fire extinguishers. Escape ladders. Furniture arranged so that windows are accessible. Less clutter. Care with the placement and loading of outlets or extension cords. Appliances unplugged when not in use.

If it feels like you are so prepared that no matter what happens, escape will be easy, so you don't need to worry about it- that would be great!

I guarantee you that you do not want to suddenly find yourself inside a burning building, with no protective gear, holding an empty fire extinguisher, facing a fire that is growing exponentially, hoping that your children and pets are already outside. You do not want to hear the fire destroy everything it reaches, or see your house full of smoke down almost to the floor. You don't want to stand in your yard, waiting for help to arrive, wondering if you will have anything left, or where you will go, what you will do. You don't want to hear the firefighters with a chainsaw on your roof.

Trust me on that.

Paying it Forward

In the past few years, I've had some financially difficult times. More than once, online friends- sometimes people I barely know- have come forward to help me out right when I needed it most. A miraculous save. Appreciated far more than I could ever express to them.

I have an opportunity to pay some of that forward, and I'm asking anyone reading this to consider helping, too.

One of the blogs I read is written by a fellow EMT-B who goes by the name of Epijunky.

Contrary to the sound of her name, she's more than a trauma junky, for sure. Her heart is in great patient care, whether it's an emergency or a transfer, and she expresses it with soul and wit, even when she's sometimes a little crispy around the edges. She often brings tears to my eyes, and she reminds me why it is that I do this.

Since I started reading her blog, she has more than once mentioned wanting to be a paramedic, and recently, she passed the entrance exam to be accepted to the school near her. She was worried about the exam, but those of us who have gotten to "know" her online had no doubts at all.

Then the bad news hit, and she was going to have to call it quits for financial reasons.

Fortunately for all her future patients, one of her blogfriends has put together a donation account on paypal so everyone who cares about her and/or thinks she would make a great paramedic, can chip in a little to help make it happen. It only takes a little from each person to help her out a whole lot.

So I'm asking you to consider it. Go on over to Bernice's blog and look for the donation button.

I know how hard it is to need help. And I know it's even harder to ask for it. I know Epi would never ask for herself, so I'm joining the group of people asking on her behalf.

And Epi, if you read this... I also know how hard it is to accept help. Just do it. It's not really for you, it's for all the people you will be able to help. They need you.