“Always be committed to duty. Always pursue excellence. And always exemplify professionalism.”
Why did you become a firefighter?
Chief Reginald Freeman is no stranger to extreme competition and high performance. He was an all-American athlete in high school, excelling in football, baseball, and track. Chief Freeman has always enjoyed working with a team and competing at the highest level. Naturally, firefighting was the perfect career for him.
Chief Freeman brought the same level of competition and innovation that he honed in sports to the fire service.
Chief Freeman wanted to join the military like his father, but he ended up serving those who protect us as a fire chief in Iraq for the US Department of Defense. After serving from 2004 to 2008, he earned the position of International Fire Chief for Lockheed Martin. These roles provided many “learning experiences” for Chief Freeman.
“Mistakes are only mistakes if you don’t learn from them.”
Today, he’s the fire chief of the Hartford Fire Department, adjunct professor at the University of Florida and Anna Maria College, and CEO of The Freeman Group — an international all-hazards consulting firm.
What words of wisdom can you offer other firefighters?
Chief Freeman’s words come from decades of experience, “the badge on your chest and the patch on your shoulder mean something. Always be committed to duty. Always pursue excellence. And always exemplify professionalism.”
What’s the biggest change your foresee in the fire service?
The fire service is an all-hazards response service (only one-third of Hartford’s calls last year were fire-related calls). It is critical to embrace the all-hazards responsibilities that fire departments hold and deliver more effective medical assistance.
Policy-makers and those who determine the fire department’s budget each year know that fires account for a minority of the calls that firefighters go on. In order to get the full support you need, you must show that you are proficient at delivering what the community needs most.
Another area of firefighting that should be addressed moving forward is leadership. With it’s paramilitary structure, leadership in the fire service has traditionally been autocratic. However, this top-down approach is not as effective as some other leadership tactics because it closes communication feedback loops.
New firefighters are joining the fire service every day. If you’re in a leadership position in the fire service, it is paramount that you understand how all of your firefighters work most effectively so you can get the most productivity out of your company.
Early in Chief Freeman’s career, all of his peers constantly told him what he shouldn’t and couldn’t do regarding training and learning as a firefighter. Fortunately for Chief Freeman, his previous drive as an all-American athlete fed his current passion as a firefighter and he wasn’t going to let anyone stop him from accomplishing his goals.
He wanted to be the best firefighter he could possibly be. From the very beginning of his career in the fire service, Chief Freeman was taking classes and earning certifications on his off days and on his own dime. He didn’t need these certifications to be a firefighter but he needed those certifications to be the best firefighter he could be.
“Don’t let anyone tell you what you can’t do or shouldn’t do.”
If Chief Freeman had listened to those people who told him what he couldn’t or shouldn’t do, his career path would have been very different. Instead of staying in the same department and slowly climbing the ladder, Chief Freeman wanted to get out and leverage his skillset in as many ways as applying his firefighting knowledge and skills going on to serve his country, lead an internationally renowned engineering company,
Chief Freeman’s advice on following your dreams: “Think about what you want to do in your career. Then, ask yourself, ‘Is it ethically sound and morally right?’ If the answer is ‘yes‘ to both, then don’t listen to anyone who tells you not to pursue your dreams.”
You can hear from Chief Freeman and learn more about his story at the links below:
Reginald Freeman | Hartford, CT
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- ·ㅤCategory · Featured Firefighter
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“Always be committed to duty. Always pursue excellence. And always exemplify professionalism.”
Why did you become a firefighter?
Chief Reginald Freeman is no stranger to extreme competition and high performance. He was an all-American athlete in high school, excelling in football, baseball, and track. Chief Freeman has always enjoyed working with a team and competing at the highest level. Naturally, firefighting was the perfect career for him.
Chief Freeman brought the same level of competition and innovation that he honed in sports to the fire service.
Chief Freeman wanted to join the military like his father, but he ended up serving those who protect us as a fire chief in Iraq for the US Department of Defense. After serving from 2004 to 2008, he earned the position of International Fire Chief for Lockheed Martin. These roles provided many “learning experiences” for Chief Freeman.
What words of wisdom can you offer other firefighters?
What’s the biggest change your foresee in the fire service?
The fire service is an all-hazards response service (only one-third of Hartford’s calls last year were fire-related calls). It is critical to embrace the all-hazards responsibilities that fire departments hold and deliver more effective medical assistance.
Policy-makers and those who determine the fire department’s budget each year know that fires account for a minority of the calls that firefighters go on. In order to get the full support you need, you must show that you are proficient at delivering what the community needs most.
Another area of firefighting that should be addressed moving forward is leadership. With it’s paramilitary structure, leadership in the fire service has traditionally been autocratic. However, this top-down approach is not as effective as some other leadership tactics because it closes communication feedback loops.
New firefighters are joining the fire service every day. If you’re in a leadership position in the fire service, it is paramount that you understand how all of your firefighters work most effectively so you can get the most productivity out of your company.
Early in Chief Freeman’s career, all of his peers constantly told him what he shouldn’t and couldn’t do regarding training and learning as a firefighter. Fortunately for Chief Freeman, his previous drive as an all-American athlete fed his current passion as a firefighter and he wasn’t going to let anyone stop him from accomplishing his goals.
He wanted to be the best firefighter he could possibly be. From the very beginning of his career in the fire service, Chief Freeman was taking classes and earning certifications on his off days and on his own dime. He didn’t need these certifications to be a firefighter but he needed those certifications to be the best firefighter he could be.
If Chief Freeman had listened to those people who told him what he couldn’t or shouldn’t do, his career path would have been very different. Instead of staying in the same department and slowly climbing the ladder, Chief Freeman wanted to get out and leverage his skillset in as many ways as applying his firefighting knowledge and skills going on to serve his country, lead an internationally renowned engineering company,
Chief Freeman’s advice on following your dreams: “Think about what you want to do in your career. Then, ask yourself, ‘Is it ethically sound and morally right?’ If the answer is ‘yes‘ to both, then don’t listen to anyone who tells you not to pursue your dreams.”
You can hear from Chief Freeman and learn more about his story at the links below:
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