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24 April 2026
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Featured FRI Magazine article: Doing the right thing by Wayne Bailey, USA
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This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: Doing the right thing written by Wayne Bailey, USA (FRI Vol 3 no 12). We will be sharing more technical/research/tactical articles from Fire and Rescue International magazine on a weekly basis with our readers to assist in technology transfer. This will hopefully create an increased awareness, providing you with hands-on advice and guidance. All our magazines are available free of charge in PDF format on our website and online at ISSUU. We also provide all technical articles as a free download in our article archive on our website.
Doing the right
By Wayne Bailey, USA
When I type the word ‘Discipline’ in the Google search engine, I find this; “The practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, using punishment to correct disobedience. A lack of proper parental and school discipline”.
Synonyms are control, training, teaching, instruction, regulation, direction, order, rule and strictness.”
Self-discipline is the core ingredient of self-respect. If a firefighter lacks self-discipline, self-control or self-respect, even if he’s the officer in change, in fact, he will not be the true leader.
In my early teen years, discipline was not positive. When I was being ‘disciplined’ for something, it was because I had failed to return home on time or skipped school. Having discipline to be home on time would have kept me out of a lot of trouble. Learning discipline in my late teen years helped me be a better person and it was due to good parenting with discipline.
Jim Rohn said, “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
You can write your goals on a white board, see them every day, however, if there is no action associated with your goals, it’s just writing on the wall.
When you set goals, write a date on when it will be accomplished. This will help you build discipline. Some thoughts to ponder:
Mental status
How do I mentally discipline myself? Taking on extra job duties and not expecting anything back in return like a promotion or money.
Emotional thinking
Thinking from your head and not from your heart. The work we do sometimes that involves children or vehicle crashes that are unbelievable to most, however, it’s something you do every day. You have to have a mindset and discipline to do the job and the event should never keep you from doing the job. If so, it’s time to move on. Your feelings should not drive your actions. Use your head and occasionally use that gut feeling when nothing else make sense.
Actions are greater than words; always keep you mind sharp. Do a jigsaw puzzle, word puzzle found in a local newspaper, going back to school and developing study habits will also help keep you disciplined. The more actions one sees, tells the people you have a higher degree of discipline.
Lou Holtz, a successful football coach, college football analyst for ESPN, was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame with an overall college record of 249–132–7. He has been quoted hundreds of times and had this to say; “Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the trade-off they’re making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as punishment. And that’s the difference.”
Which are you? Doing the work now to make it happen or seeing discipline as punishment? Time will tell.
Doing the right
By Wayne Bailey, USA
When I type the word ‘Discipline’ in the Google search engine, I find this; “The practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, using punishment to correct disobedience. A lack of proper parental and school discipline”.
Synonyms are control, training, teaching, instruction, regulation, direction, order, rule and strictness.”
Self-discipline is the core ingredient of self-respect. If a firefighter lacks self-discipline, self-control or self-respect, even if he’s the officer in change, in fact, he will not be the true leader.
In my early teen years, discipline was not positive. When I was being ‘disciplined’ for something, it was because I had failed to return home on time or skipped school. Having discipline to be home on time would have kept me out of a lot of trouble. Learning discipline in my late teen years helped me be a better person and it was due to good parenting with discipline.
Jim Rohn said, “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
You can write your goals on a white board, see them every day, however, if there is no action associated with your goals, it’s just writing on the wall.
When you set goals, write a date on when it will be accomplished. This will help you build discipline. Some thoughts to ponder:
Mental status
How do I mentally discipline myself? Taking on extra job duties and not expecting anything back in return like a promotion or money.
Emotional thinking
Thinking from your head and not from your heart. The work we do sometimes that involves children or vehicle crashes that are unbelievable to most, however, it’s something you do every day. You have to have a mindset and discipline to do the job and the event should never keep you from doing the job. If so, it’s time to move on. Your feelings should not drive your actions. Use your head and occasionally use that gut feeling when nothing else make sense.
Actions are greater than words; always keep you mind sharp. Do a jigsaw puzzle, word puzzle found in a local newspaper, going back to school and developing study habits will also help keep you disciplined. The more actions one sees, tells the people you have a higher degree of discipline.
Lou Holtz, a successful football coach, college football analyst for ESPN, was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame with an overall college record of 249–132–7. He has been quoted hundreds of times and had this to say; “Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the trade-off they’re making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as punishment. And that’s the difference.”
Which are you? Doing the work now to make it happen or seeing discipline as punishment? Time will tell.