Simplicity on the Far Side of Complexity in the Fire Service

“I would give a nickel for simplicity on the near side of complexity, but I would give my life for simplicity on the far side of complexity” – Both Einstein and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. have been credited with some variation of this quote.

In the fire service, it is very applicable. We, without hesitation, trust and follow the incident commander that can effectively manage an emergency with a calm confidence. We breathe easier, no matter the situation, when we hear their voice on the radio. They have earned this respect and following through a demonstration of their skills and competence over time and throughout experiences. It wasn’t the run-of-the-mill-room-and-content fire, or the typical MVA-MCI, it was the this-could-go-south-at-any-moment or walking-the-line-between-offensive-and-defensive calls where they made the right call at the right time, everybody went home safe, there were no fatalities, and all-the-while, they were “cool as a cucumber”.

These leaders respect the incident, respect the risks, respect the unknowns, respect their people…understand them all and their relative complexity due to their dedicated training and discipline…and then make the resolution of the emergency appear as a simple exercise in the basics.

This is simplicity on the far side of complexity, and it’s the only place where simplicity belongs in the fire service.