Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
Captain Phil Harris. The photo from NBC. Read more here.
You may wonder why I am writing about Captain Phil Harris. This has nothing to do with firefighting…but actually it does.
Captain Phil Harris of Discover Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” has provided quality television for 5 seasons. The show is a favorite of mine and other firefighters. Harris had a massive stroke while the Cornelia Marie was in port in St. Paul Island, Alaska on January 29th. He passed sometime in the past couple of days. In the end, he was showing signs of improvement. Rest in peace Captain.
You might be wondering what this has to do with firefighting.
Here is my take…Captain Harris was a no BS Captain who expected the best from his crew. His crew relied on the Captain to keep them safe as well as put them on the crab. He relied on his crew to work efficiently and in the end they would make a ton of money in a short period of time.
Much like we rely on our Captains to keep us safe, make the right decisions, and put us in the right spot to fight fire or mitigate other emergencies…in turn, our Captain relies on us to work efficiently and take care of business.
The way in which Captain Harris carried himself on his ship was admirable. All you can ask for is a fair and equitable Captain who is willing to stick to his guns and chew your butt when you make mistakes.
The guys on those ships work a skilled trade that is learned through OJT and experience. We operate very similar although we do get training prior to fighting fire. Their job also ranks as one of the most dangerous in the World along with ours.
