The attached is an excerpt written by a Chief Officer from San Francisco in 1943. If the text was gender and politically correct, it could be the Code for today’s Fire Officers.

To be an efficient officer you must be: first, a good disciplinarian and second you must acquire and use those qualities that characterize natural leaders of men. You must have the respect of your men, their unhesitating obedience, and if you are man enough to win it, their enthusiastic loyalty.

You must always be prepared and ready to play your part in the game, to master every situation and to transform chaos into order.

A bluffer on the other hand, who deliberately tackles situations containing unknown factors, is a sorry sight pretending to lead men in the ranks who know their part better that he does.

The bigger the man the finer his simplicity. Remember always pomposity or airs are like an inflated toy balloon. Some day a pin punctures it and the result is pathetic. Build, then, your popularity on the qualities of justice and fairness to all, inflexibility in demanding obedience, faithful performance of duty, constant vigilance for the welfare and faithful performance of duty, constant vigilance for the welfare and interests of your men, and above all, on such forethought and preparation for the conduct of your office as will inspire respect and admiration for your ability as a leader. The proper handling of men calls for patience.

The holding of an appointment does not make an officer a leader. It indicates that he should be one but it is up to him to prove that he is. Very often people who are most eager in forwarding another’s appointment to a high office quickly become his enemies. Thinking themselves entitled too much, they often require more from him, whom they have helped to raise, than is fitting. When he cannot yield to them, they are offended and enmity and suspicion arise on both sides. The appointee to the high office is justified in refusing to endure unreasonable demands made upon him, and for this should not be called ungrateful.

Politics often raises a man to a higher-ranking position than he is fitted for as a leader of men. His ego becomes inflated and he considers himself the great "I AM". Baffled and than infuriated by unimportant happenings, he is riled and shouts commands that would put an ordinary person to shame, and he often humiliates officers of less rank through his ignorance.

An officer cannot be a good officer if he is not a good leader. He may be able to fool himself and even other officers, but he cannot fool his company. Leadership is not a matter of physical size and physical quality, but of mental size and mental quality.

The best attributes in character and personality of all the great leaders include simplicity, earnestness, self control, common sense, judgement, justice, enthusiasm, perseverance, tact, courage, faith, loyalty, truthfulness and honor.

Be calm in emergency, undisturbed, and even casual in the face of danger. If you are a real leader, your men will take their mental attitude from what yours appears to be. In danger, they will watch your movements, even your facial expressions for reassurance. It is then that you should drop some casual remark, do anything naturally, showing that you are at ease and confidant in abnormal circumstances, and thus help your men to regain their wavering confidence. In time of unavoidable hardship you must avoid showing annoyance or impatience. Your forced acceptance of necessary conditions will unconsciously lead to their acceptance, too, and thereby save the strain, which results from grumbling and cussing out everything in general.

In emergency, you must show perfect control. Remember that your conduct will determine that of your men. If you are excited, they will be more so. Emergencies always call for the most accurate, determined, self-controlled work, and if your ideas become confused, nothing but disaster can result if you confusion is communicated to your men. You will gain time, and success in the end. If you regain your perfect self-control before you say one word to betray your own mental agitation. Then with calm, self-assured behavior give your directions as becomes a real leader. Directions so given are a great comfort to the men and assure steady intelligent execution.

Anger by commanding officers should be used sparingly, for its use is an acknowledgement that the occasion is too large for one’s ordinary powers. Remember that a thunderbolt is not necessary to bring down a sparrow, and if you are patient in one moment of anger you will escape 100 days of sorrow.

The officer who loses his temper and harshly chastises his men not only sacrifices a percentage of his self-control, but incurs resentment from his men. If you rob a man of his self-respect, not only does he cease to respect you but also becomes a loss to himself and his department. The use of sarcasm and the practice reprimanding a man in the presence of others are the most common and cruel offenses against a man’s self-respect.

Punishment is often necessary and it does not rob a man permanently of his self-respect if it can be administered intelligently as a corrective measure, and without undo severity, for serves to bring a man to a realization of his misconduct. When a man has paid the just penalty, his self-respect returns provided he is treated as a man who has squared his reckoning and is now a confirmed offender.

If you must reprove a man, tell him courteously that his conduct is not that which is expected from his appearance and from the estimate others have placed upon him. Under no circumstances let him feel that you regard him as a hopeless case.

 Give your co-workers a chance to talk and listen to them attentively, with interest and appreciation. Treat them with the respect and consideration due intelligent men, and deal with them, as you would like to be dealt with under similar circumstances. Avoid the manner and tones of a "boss". Never let a man leave an interview with a feeling of resentment against you or with feeling that the punishment meted out to him is unjust. Always give him full opportunity to state his case fully, warning him, if necessary, that untruthfulness will gain him nothing if found out except extended punishment. Discipline without the elements of human sympathy and understanding on the part of the leader misses one of its biggest objects – the making of men.

The constant heckling officer will surely lose the respect of his men, for he is never satisfied. Nothing is good enough for him. He keeps his men in a constant state of turmoil and ferment by nagging and faultfinding over petty details and trifles.

An organization reflects the personality of its leader and if his personality is strong, energetic and cheerful the same propensities will stamp the organization. If he performs all his duties with earnestness, diligence and enthusiasm, is always careful about personal appearance, about his cleanliness and press of his uniform, the polish of his boots, his shave and trim of hair, all of these tendencies will manifest themselves in his organization.

When you see a man set a fine example, express your enthusiasm – not cool official approval, but personal enthusiasm. Act as if you were proud of him and glad to be in his company.

An officer can be commanding, firm and just without be harsh, abrupt and pompous and without assuming undo importance. The chief factor in leadership is the leader himself. Leadership is not bag of tricks, it is a matter of personality and skill and intelligence in the leader. In large commands it is, of course, impossible for the superior to know all his subordinates. The next best thing is to have the men know him by seeing him and hearing about him, thereby establishing in them a sympathetic understanding.

One should be earnest in his work and earnest in his play. This does not mean that he must be over-scrimping, that he should rob life of all pleasure and humor. In self-control lies the secret of control over others. To command men one must learn to command ones self, for all men are able to recognize mastery in a man who is master of himself.

• Maintain and enforce discipline within your commands
• Set the example for members of your command. The RULES AND REGULATIONS AND THE MANUAL OF OPERATION APPLY TO THE CHIEF OFFICERS ALSO!
• Support fellow Chief Officers
• Network with other City Agencies
• Network with outside Governmental Agencies