IB 24-03
I’m Not Just a Fireman, I’m Not Just a Soldier!
“Ut Alli Possunt Vivere”
Since early in my life I have always dreamed of one day becoming a firefighter. Pure Adrenaline flows inside the vessels throughout my body. It drives me to the excitement and dangers of being a person who is willing to put his life on the line for others. “Ut Alli Possunt Vivere” - So Others May Live; a motto stitched on my patch as a flight medic with the United States Army Air Ambulance Detachment out of Ft Irwin, CA. Something I lived by and believed for my whole life. I do it, not for me, but for others. I do it to show the loyalty to the brand, to people I serve.
As I progressed through my career in the Fire Service, I was fortunate to learn many lessons of leadership through bad, good, and great leaders. Each one showed me what to do and what not to do. How to serve and how not to serve. I believe in building relationships. As a Chief Officer I believe in taking the time for each person and hearing their concerns and making every effort to find a solution or making the necessary time to explain the positions of the organization in the highest of regard.
The challenge is… I’m not just a fireman! I’m not just a Chief Officer. I’m more than that!
Being in the fire service was special. It was an amazing time. I made the decision to promote because it was my calling; To serve others and lead them. I was passionate about the job. It was my Life, my Everything! I would have never left! I would be the same Chief Officer you see today working 30+ years hoping to gain a little more in their retirement. But for what? To enjoy the fruits of my labor at the age of 65 or greater?
Over the summer last year I traveled to Montana to backpack through the back country of Glacier Mountains. Three of my friends and I had spent 4 days hiking with 50lb rucks that had our tent, sleeping gear, food, and other supplies on an adventure into the mountains. As we came out of the back country our last day, we met an older couple from here in Orange County. They had just retired and were in their late 60s, early 70s. We asked them for a ride back to our vehicle which was about 10 miles North of our location (after 4 days of hiking and about 50 miles on our feet, we were looking for a break). We asked them if they were going to climb the mountain. Their response was they were not able to because of their age. This sadden me, because this couple worked their whole life to drive out to see this beautiful countryside and couldn’t enjoy it as we just did.
The point of this quick story is to tell you that we spend an entire lifetime chasing that carrot at the end of the stick called “Retirement”. From an early age we get indoctrinated to believe we are only one thing. We go to school, get a job, work an entire career only to get a small return in the end with little time to enjoy it.
I want to encourage you to pull yourself out of this thought process for a minute. You are more than what you were told you are. You can achieve far more if you can shift your mind to think bigger. To change your mindset.
In the last year, I was forced out of a career I was passionate about. Since then I have achieved more than I ever could have thought in my previous profession and lifestyle. This is not an option for everyone. And why I say that is because EVERYONE cannot shift their mind to thinking like this. So they will be the ones who stay at the bottom of the mountain never achieving Greatness or reaching New Heights.
Today, I am still referred to as Chief Stephen Davis, but I am more than that. I am an Author, a Father, a Husband, a Leader, and I am here to provide the tools and resources to anyone willing to make that shift in the way they were always taught. I am here “So Others May Live”.
My book, Alone in the Fire is my story of how I became who I am today and how those adversities have been the necessary challenges to make me even Stronger and more Courageous through my journey.
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