The Brunacini Way: Leadership of a Legendary Fire Chief

Phoenix Fire Chief Alan Brunacini was creative, modest, and constantly learning

Prevent harm – Survive – Be nice

-  The primary maxim of the Phoenix Fire Department

He once said that if he were in a room of fire personnel, he would be the last person a stranger would guess was the fire chief.

He was right. That was one of the secrets of his low-key but highly effective leadership.

Short, stocky, mustached, and often wearing a Hawaiian shirt, he would not have fit the dashing stereotype. That’s more of a commentary on stereotypes because, in the very real world of fire service, Alan Brunacini was a star.

Whenever I gave speeches at fire conferences, people from throughout the nation would ask about Brunacini. Other highly regarded fire chiefs said he was their mentor.

He achieved that fame and respect not simply because of his passion for the fire service and his gentle, humorous manner, but because he was a practical intellectual who kept close to the achievements and challenges. He wrote the fire textbook Fire Command as well as numerous articles. My own favorite of his books, which he slipped to me while it was still in its manuscript form, is Essentials of Fire Department Customer Service; an excellent and often humorous look at how fire departments need to serve a fictitious customer he called “Mrs. Smith.”

Numerous examples were provided of how even a well-meaning fire crew can fail Mrs. Smith by forgetting that what is just another emergency call for them may be one of the worst days of her life. Brunacini believed that the toughness required to run into a burning building had to be accompanied by the ability to comfort scared, unstable, and perhaps even unpleasant customers.

He did this by raising customer service standards, looking out for the safety of the firefighters, and by empowering the on-the-ground leadership with clear values and authority.

At a time when some other departments boasted of being “smoke eaters,” Phoenix was a leader in adopting the use of breathing masks and air tanks that helped to prevent cancer while giving firefighters more time to fight the fire.

Under Brunacini, Phoenix was the national leader in introducing a centralized response system that permitted Phoenix and adjoining cities to assist one another by dispatching available fire units to emergencies in other jurisdictions. That prevented the nightmarish and ludicrous scenarios in which a home over a boundary line might burn down despite the fact that another city’s fire station was just across the street.

Brunacini saw customer service as often requiring an extra step. An example he cited was when a cement finisher had a heart attack while paving a driveway. Someone called the fire department. Paramedics and an ambulance were dispatched. The man was given immediate treatment, then taken to the hospital. The fire captain, however, saw that the paving job has not been completed and unless it was promptly finished, there would be a mess of hardened concrete. The captain checked with another station and located some firefighters who were experienced cement finishers. They finished the paving job in 30 to 40 minutes, secured the man’s truck and tools, and then informed the patient’s family that the job was completed. Brunacini assured his readers that the incident didn’t mean that the fire department was going into the construction business, but that the incident was an example of doing what can reasonably be done as part of customer service.

The card that he prepared on “Basic Firefighter Empowerment” had the following guidance:

Ask yourself:

·         Is it the right thing for the customer?

·         Is it the right thing for our department?

·         Is it legal, ethical, and nice?

·         Is it safe?

·         Is it on your organizational level?

·         Is it something you are willing to be accountable for?

·         Is it consistent with our department’s values and policies?

·         … if the answer is yes to all of these questions, don’t ask for permission,

JUST DO IT!

I would describe “The Brunacini Way” as a skillful blend of practicality and sensitivity seasoned with a large dose of humanity and humility.

When older firefighters complained that the younger firefighters “aren’t like we were,” his response was, “Thank God. Can you remember what screw-ups we were?”

Rather than resisting the hiring of female firefighters, he created a no-nonsense recruitment program that combined merit with outreach. [I recall when Phoenix had more female firefighters than New York City and Los Angeles.]

After his retirement, Chief Brunacini maintained an impressive teaching and speaking schedule on the current and emerging needs of the fire service. He was always generous with his time, especially so with those who were new to firefighting. I suspect that is because he was a perpetual student who was always willing to learn from his audiences.

He was constantly alert to the demands of change, such as how modern, more flammable, building materials have shrunk the amount of time that command officers have to make key decisions once they’ve arrived at the scene of a fire.

My last conversation with him shifted to the subject of leadership. He said that one element deserving far more attention is benevolence. That didn’t surprise me. I’d heard stories of fire captains receiving unexpected calls that resulted in the Chief showing up for dinner with pizza, conversation, and commendations.

One of the main lessons we can learn from Alan Brunacini is the immense power of introspection; the willingness and ability to stand outside of yourself in order to see what is truly going on. That requires both courage and insight.

When Alan Brunacini suddenly passed away in 2017, there was an enormous memorial ceremony at an auditorium in Phoenix. Fire personnel from around the country attended to honor a man who had shaped them and their profession.

Everyone was encouraged to wear Hawaiian shirts.