Different Views on Generational Differences

A young firefighter checks his mobile device while returning from a run

A recent e-mail blast from Fire Chief Magazine included a video interview with a training officer in a combination fire department in Texas where he shared his views on the impact of generational differences in the fire service.

While I agree with most of his viewpoints, his comment that today’s generation are only focused on “the here and now” contradicts what other researchers have found. As mentioned in my article “From the Xbox to the Box Alarm,” Dr. Renee Downey-Hart  indicates that this generation is actually just the opposite, that they are very “future focused” as she describes in her research here.

Read more about the impact of what I’ve dubbed the “Xbox Generation” and discuss it here.