People First

Peter Drucker famously said, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." While this insight has been recognized for years, we often still prioritize strategy—goals, revenue, and metrics—over the people who create and execute it.

In the world of First Responders, there is no luxury of time to consider culture or strategy. It’s an instinct-driven, reflexive, and reactive environment—and it must be. But what happens to the people who spring into action, driven by years of training and experience, once the crisis is over? What becomes of them after the emergency has passed?

Post-crisis support is abundant in the world of first responders—we understand the importance of being there to catch them when they fall. But here’s a thought: shouldn’t we also focus on preventing them from falling in the first place? Shouldn’t we help them learn how to fall, or at the very least, remove the fear of falling altogether?

To use an analogy from the first responder world: it’s crucial to have the skills and tools to put out a fire, but what about the skills and tools needed to prevent the fire in the first place?

Focusing on an organization's culture—the people—is like fire prevention. While we can't prevent every post-crisis need, and we certainly don’t neglect those needs, we have systems in place to support first responders after the crisis. However, we often overlook the "prevention" side—the proactive measures that could help mitigate burnout, mental health issues, and PTSD. We neglect to build and strengthen a support system that can help prevent these challenges before they even arise.

What is a community builder doing talking about this? Well, a true, authentic community is, in many ways, the ultimate pre-crisis support system. It’s not just first responders who need community—we all do. But we should all be deeply concerned that this level of support is available to those who need it most: the first responders who rescue us in our darkest hours. They deserve a community that stands with them, not just when the crisis is over, but before, during, and long after.

The community-building program we’ve developed for first responders prioritizes people, ensuring they are in the best possible position to be there for us when we need them. I recognize that this might sound like a strategy because it is. But there’s no better strategy for a first responder organization than investing in the culture that sustains it, supporting in the most meaningful way possible those who serve.

Belonging to a genuine community reshapes the first responder experience in ways that few can yet fathom, because the tools and processes we use to cultivate this community are not just new—they are revolutionary, offering a depth of support and connection that has never existed before.