At work I am a member of the interagency burn team. This team is responsible for safely conducting controlled burns on partner and agency land for habitat management. As we learned in our lesson, team leadership is judged on the outcome of the team’s efforts. (Pennsylvania State University, 2013) The burn team demonstrates all the different outcomes described of team leaders.
The goal of the team is to safely conduct and manage controlled burns. Fire is a dangerous yet effective management tool. Each team member is briefed thoroughly on the goal for the day’s activities. Team members have to be adaptable and trusting of each other for the burns to go successfully.
The burn team is made up of highly trained and competent people. Each has a skill set that they excel at; when combined as a team they are effective using these skills to accomplish the task at hand. The team works together toward the stated goal, but each member had the opportunity to make independent decisions in the pursuit of that goal.
There has to be a commitment from the fire team. Weather conditions have to be just right and that can mean that if there is a last-minute decision to burn the team has to be flexible and able to report. Each team member stays in communication with the other members so that everyone is aware of what each person is doing. This is to control fire behavior as well as for safety, and it has the added benefit of strengthening the team.
When burning, dangerous situations can arise which require the trust of your fellow team members to ensure that everyone remains safe. Team members work together to ensure their own safety as well as the safety of others.
There is a sense of pride or a standard of excellence within the team to make sure the job is done right. This ensures public safety as well as maintains the resource in the desired manner.
For the inter-agency burn team to function it requires many resources. There is a time commitment, as well as equipment that is needed to do the job. The commitment is also rewarded in excellence awards and recognition.
The Burn Boss is constantly serving as a mentor to his team. He wants everyone to succeed and to rise up through the ranks. He makes sure everyone is rotated on a routine basis to teach the team new tasks as well as remind them of things that were previously learned.
It has been educational for me to be involved in this unique team. It’s brought people from different backgrounds and skill sets together to work toward a common goal. I’ve gotten to see many leadership traits in action.
Reference:
Pennsylvania State University. (2013, March 25). Angel Psychology 485 Leadership. Retrieved from: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp13/psych485/001/content/09_lesson/8_page.html