Ray McCormack on the FDIC Experience

Conference Director Diane Feldman recently spoke with Lieutenant Ray McCormack from the Fire Department of New York, who is keynoting during the FDIC General Session on “Keep Fire in Your Life” about the whole FDIC “experience.”

Diane Feldman: What does speaking at FDIC mean to you? Why did you pick your topic?

Ray McCormack: The opportunity to deliver the keynote at FDIC is an honor for me personally and a career milestone. The fire service is filled with outstanding individuals whose accomplishments are represented by those who deliver the keynote address. My keynote will speak for those who have impacted my fire service career. My voice will be the voice of many talented individuals. I selected my topic rather easily, as the title “Keep Fire in Your Life” was something I would often say to my brother and sister firefighters as we went our separate ways. The meaning being that it is important to love being a part of the fire service not just when you are on shift or on a call. A true firefighter is always about fire.

DF: How long have you been teaching the fire service? How did you get into instructing?

RM: Every firefighter has the role of teacher from helping another firefighter learn a skill to instructing a whole class. My regular role as instructor started when I was promoted and began holding company drills. The company drill is the most important link to training there is. If done properly, it not only imparts information but also fosters self-development.

DF: How many years have you been attending FDIC? What do you look forward to at FDIC each year?

RM: I attended FDIC for the first time as a member of the Live Burn H.O.T. crew under Mike Lombardo in 2001. I had written for Fire Engineering for many years but had never attended the FDIC. I have been attending ever since.

FDIC provides renewal, networking, and friendship on a level no other conference can reach. After attending the FDIC, a firefighter gets soiled by the sheer volume of classes, things to do, and knowledge gained.

FDIC is a gathering of firefighters that has no equal. The opportunity for personal growth and discovery within its framework delivers the best career energy boost you’ll ever get.

If I told no one I went to FDIC they would know just from my attitude and energy that I just spent a week here. You cannot hide the FDIC experience. The FDIC spirit is contagious; share it with those who have never had the pleasure of attending.

DF: What message would you like to give to a first-time attendee or to someone who has never been to FDIC?

RM: The most pressing issue in the fire service as I see it is leadership and safety. I have been around the fire service my whole life. The fire service needs strong leadership from the top down. I believe that we are receiving a constant bombardment of excusal messages wrapped in the banner of safety. I believe we need to examine our operational tactics and provide constant, realistic training on our core mission of fire extinguishment. We have become fractured trying to provide services that often take away from our expertise. We must have leaders who lead by example and not by textbook. Safety should be used to enhance our operations, not to handcuff them. I believe that the citizens we are sworn to protect from fire deserve a committed fire department, firefighters that will go to extraordinary and courageous efforts to save them in the highest traditions of the fire service. We have to remember that it is not about us; it is about the people we serve. “Ut Vivant Alii”-So Others May Live.