‘This isn’t what I signed up for’: Chief Bob Horton unpacks his provocative editorial

In this episode of the Side Alpha Podcast, Chief Marc Bashoor speaks with Chief Bob Horton from Fire District 3 in Jackson County, Oregon, about his debate-stirring article, "'This is not what I signed up for': Why some firefighters simply don’t understand the job." The article charges that fire service leaders must be honest about the realities of the job when engaged in recruitment activities, as too many members join the ranks unclear on how much non-fire activity exists in the fire service. The article elicited a significant number of comments from the FireRescue1 community, mainly on Facebook. Chief Horton reacts to some of the comments, explains the role of marketing in recruitment efforts, and takes a look at the long-term identity of firefighters.