Kevin Milan, Assistant Fire Chief, South Metro Fire Rescue Authority, Colorado, USA

The lessons learned as an Africa Fire Mission instructor are many. Arguably, I learned much more from the Kenyan fire chiefs attending leadership training in November of 2019 than they possibly could have learned from me. I also learned a great deal teaching alongside Chief Hank Clemmensen who essentially wrote the book on emergency service leadership. What I didn’t realize while immersed in the Kenyan experience was the lessons learned were preparing me to deal with the COVID-19 virus as a leader in my fire department. Establishing common goals, aligning vison, and increasing respect are lessons from a leadership ‘game’ in Kenya that applied directly to managing our pandemic response. 

Through a leadership exercise Hank lead, the Kenyan Fire Chiefs tried to Win All You Can. Small groups worked together to choose options and negotiate with other teams to maximize their returns. The short-term gains and losses in the first rounds showed the Chiefs they could anticipate, but not guarantee success by looking out for their own best interest. One simple change of heart or decision by an individual dramatically altered the ‘plan’ and often ended in disaster for several groups. The final round brought the realization that only through cooperation and collaboration can everyone benefit. An attitude of winning collectively paid far greater benefits than winning for your team. 

Fast forward 90 days from Kenya, and I attended the first planning meeting for my agency’s response to COVID in the United States. The Win All You Can game was replaying before my eyes. The attitude in the meeting was we had to win; win N-95 masks, gowns, personal protective equipment, even toilet paper. The group schemed ways to end run systems, triple order, and even considered paying 800% mark ups for hard to get resources. The short-term losses and disappointments showed us very quickly that winning as a department was not going to benefit the collective response to the pandemic.  

I was able to share the lessons I learned in Kenya in a non-threatening manner. I explained how the Kenyan Chiefs learned to work together for the common good. We even ran an abbreviated version of Win All You Can with our incident support team. This ultimately led us to looking across disciplines, industries, and borders to take care of all responders.  

We were able to share the supplies we had in excess and accept alternatives proven out in private industry. We shared our strategies with hospitals and came to a common understanding: We are all in this together. This collaborative attitude with goals, vision, and respect is a recipe for success. I am forever in debt to my Kenyan sisters and brothers for teaching me a lesson of a lifetime. Thank you, AFM, for all you do – you are making a difference every day.