Halfway through January
Working through what to do with this blog, being that it is a blog it is an opportunity for me express thoughts which I will do below.
Ponder VFD update first! Time is flying by, we closed out the year with 661 calls. October through December the call volume was down. Due to a few things, with the county plan our district lines changed slightly, technology says that Krum is able to respond faster to calls on Hwy 380 so our Northern district line was shifted to account for closest unit response. This in turn dropped some calls for service off of our demand. This is a blessing though as we closed out the year working through the transition from all-volunteer to a combination system. It allowed us to focus on the nuances of operating within our facility and with our equipment blended with a few full time personnel and volunteers daily. In addition, we added our ambulance. It is in service and providing ALS transport within our community. The new year brings much slower change. We will have our final full-time employee for the short term hired soon and we have a full roster of volunteers and a few part-time paramedics to ensure we maintain consistent staffing for the community.
Personal!
I was driving home yesterday shifting gears from nuances of work within a medium sized metropolitan fire department to the work I needed to do with Ponder. I do this regularly and it has become somewhat second nature. Creating lists in my head as I drive, but as I was listening to the radio (KLTY) my focus shifted and I started thinking about what I believe God is calling me to do! The K love crew was discussing 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind.” I was drawn to this for several reasons. God is not giving us a spirit of timidity, cowardice, or to be discouraged. Power is given to us live courageously, and love. We should be living for things greater than us, selfless in the love we show others. Lastly, discipline having self-control and commitment are important in living a life for God. God has equipped us to overcome fear and to live with strength, love and wisdom.
How does this relate to what I am called to do. I am committed to leading this organization as we are faced with change and growth. I must continue to develop and build the people that come through this organization. They are the future of emergency services in this great community. The future is bright, all because of God’s timing!
I serve as the Fire Chief for this great organization, blessed to work through a major transition that would not be possible without the work of great leaders of the past. As we work through this transition, I will keep my eyes open for the future opportunities that God puts before me. One of which is the potential opportunity to serve on the board of the State Firefighters Fire Marshals Association.
That’s enough of a blog for this week!
