Research indicates that, compared to their peers, mentored personnel perform better on the job, advance more rapidly, and report more job and career satisfaction. A successful mentoring relationship can have far-reaching benefits for both the mentor and the protégé.

For the protégé, mentoring:

• Expands professional expertise.
• Increases the likelihood of achieving personal success and contributing to the department's success.
• Helps avoid pitfalls through exposure to real-life examples and lessons learned.
• Enhances feelings of worth and value to the department.
• Builds confidence through achievements and their recognition by the mentor.
• Provides counsel and support in navigating professional challenges.

For the mentor, mentoring:

• Provides a personally rewarding experience of helping develop new leaders.
• Provides great satisfaction in seeing the protégé succeed.
• Improves skills and techniques learned through the experience and training.
• Provides an essential service to the fire service profession that is valued by organizations and respected by colleagues.

“Mentoring and succession planning is mission critical for the success of any fire service agency. Our great fire service heritage is largely tied to the fact that mentoring and the sharing of best practices have taken place in many ways over the years.”

“Throughout my 28-year fire service career, I have had the privilege of being mentored by several outstanding fire service leaders. This mentoring has benefited my career immensely. I also have had the opportunity to mentor others that has resulted in many positive career and organizational outcomes. The newly created Chief Officer Mentoring Program incorporates CFOD information and many other components that provide current and future fire chiefs and chief officers with a proven and validated professional development guide.”

Chris Riley, MS, CFO, MIFireE, Fire Chief
City of Pueblo Fire Department, Pueblo, Colo.