“People are not going to remember all of your accomplishments. They won’t remember how you performed in the 7th inning. What they will remember is how you treat them.”

Why did you become a firefighter?

Chief Todd LeDuc’s passion for firefighting came from an incident that took place long before he climbed the ranks to Executive Assistant Fire Chief of the Broward County Fire Rescue service.

At age 16, Todd LeDuc was speaking on the phone with his grandmother when the phone went silent. He told his dad and they rushed to her house, which was just down the road. When Leduc and his dad arrived, they found that she had collapsed and was having a gastrointestinal bleed.

They called 9-1-1 and paramedics arrived within minutes to provide advanced life support (ALS). Thanks to a quick response and effective care from the paramedics, LeDuc’s grandmother survived and had a full recovery.

Seeing the paramedics carry out ALS so effectively to save his grandmother left an impression on young Mr. LeDuc. He enrolled in an EMT course at a local hospital shortly thereafter. He had to wait two years before earning a job at his local fire department but that didn’t stop him from joining for ride-alongs and falling further in love with firefighting.

Mr. LeDuc completed his paramedic training at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. He decided to move south after one too many Nor’easter storms, earning a job at Broward County Fire Rescue.

After 29 years of service, Chief LeDuc enjoyed his one day of retirement at age 50 before getting back to serving those around him. Today he is Chief Strategy Officer at Life Scan Wellness and he recently published his book Surviving the Fire Service which provides tools for how to manage and reduce risks in the fire service.

What advice do you have for other firefighters?

Never stop learning.

The complexities of firefighting are increasingly challenging every year. Firefighters must continue to learn and adapt as society’s needs change.

“As we have more and more challenges facing the fire service, we need to continue to learn. From civil unrest to a global pandemic, 2020 has demonstrated that we need for firefighters for much more than just fighting fires.”

Chief Todd LeDuc

In addition to learning how to better take care of others, firefighters are learning how to better take care of themselves. Thanks to resources like Chief LeDuc’s Surviving the Fire Service, firefighters have more tools to understand and combat the occupational health risks of firefighting.

“The only way to stop the cycle of losing firefighters to preventable health risks is by educating them early.”

Chief Todd LeDuc

There are certain things that are out of the firefighter’s control about the dangers of firefighting but there are many more things that are in his or her control. It’s imperative to ensure firefighters understand those risks and work to mitigate them.

What is the biggest change you foresee in the fire service?

Technology.

Chief LeDuc wrote an article for Firehouse in 2014 in which he predicted the advent of robotics in fire suppression. His thoughts were that robots would not take away jobs from other firefighters, but they would reduce risk and improve safety.

Lo and behold LAFD deployed a robot to fight a fire for the first time just last month. Chief LeDuc was confident in 2014 and he is even more confident now that technology will drastically change the fire service in the near future.

“Thanks to this new technology, we’ll be able to do our job more safely, efficiently, and effectively. “

LeDuc is encouraged that more and more individuals and organizations in the fire service are realizing the importance of technology in improving firefighter health and safety. Thanks to this new technology and greater understanding of the occupational risks of firefighting, there is more focus on firefighter health, safety and wellness than Chief LeDuc has seen in his entire career.

LifeScan Wellness leverages technology to protect firefighters by providing annual check-ups. Just this year at Broward County Fire Rescue, LifeScan Wellness had two cancer saves: 41-year-old captain and a 59-year-old officer. LifeScan is on pace to see 50,000 firefighters for physicals this year.

“We need to leverage every piece of technology to our advantage and I see it coming to fruition sooner rather than later.”

Chief LeDuc’s story is for those who have aspirations to climb the ranks in the fire service.

As Chief LeDuc climbed the ladder early in his career, he was very results-oriented. His Type-A personality and commitment to getting the job done boded well for his resume but not for overall chemistry amongst his crews.

When LeDuc was deputy chief, his fire chief shared some wisdom with him that transformed the way he led people. “People are not going to remember all of your accomplishments. They won’t remember how you performed in the 7th inning. What they will remember is how you treat them,” LeDuc’s fire chief imparted upon him.

Since his chief shared that information with him, Chief LeDuc has worked hard to accomplish his objectives while remaining compassionate and nurturing to his team.

To this day, TL is obsessive in learning about his team to go out of his way to say happy birthday or visit the family member of a crewmate in the hospital.

“You get more loyalty, performance, and better results. They know that you’re there for them and they’ll be there for you.”

Chief LeDuc stressed the point that relationships aren’t transactional. “It’s best to not look for anything in return when you do a favor for someone else. Then when you need help with something, you’ll have an army of people ready to help you.”