When people hear I’m both a public relations professional and a volunteer firefighter, they often raise an eyebrow. “Those are worlds apart,” they say. On the surface, they’re right: One involves press releases, pitches and client crises while the other involves smoke, flames and occasionally life-or-death emergencies.

But the truth is, the skills and mindset that lead to success in PR often mirror what makes someone effective on the fireground – and vice versa. From staying calm under pressure to anticipating what’s coming next, the overlap is striking – and in many ways has made me a better professional and first responder.

Here’s what I’ve learned from wearing both hats.

Staying Calm in the Chaos

One of the first things both PR practitioners and firefighters learn is the importance of remaining calm when everything around you is chaotic. In PR, that chaos might be a client crisis: a negative news story, a social media firestorm or a sensitive announcement that has to be handled flawlessly. In firefighting, chaos is concrete – flames, smoke, a cacophony of alarms and ensuring civilians’ well-being.

No matter the situation, I try to be the most collected person in the room – that’s who people will always look to in a crisis. It’s true whether you’re standing in front of reporters or running a hose line through a burning building. In PR, if you can project calm and confidence during a crisis, your team and your clients immediately feel steadier. In firefighting, remaining calm is even more tangible: Your decisions in those moments can save lives.

Internally, our PR team has a running joke: “PR, not the ER.” It’s a reminder to breathe, step back and approach every client challenge with perspective. No matter how intense the situation feels, it’s rarely life or death. But the underlying lesson is the same: Stay calm, assess the scene and lead from that place of composure.

Knowing Your Client – or the Fire

Preparation is everything. In PR, the better you know your client – their brand, their priorities, their past behavior – the more accurately you can anticipate what they’ll need next. That forethought allows you to engage proactively rather than reactively. You can draft a crisis statement before a reporter even calls or plan a media rollout before a competitor moves.

Firefighting operates on the same principle. Understanding fire behavior, building layouts and the potential hazards inside a structure lets you anticipate what might happen next. When you know what a fire is capable of and how it’s likely to spread, you can position your team strategically and make safer, more effective decisions.

Both worlds reward those who think ahead. In PR, it might be a client meeting or press briefing; in firefighting, it might be knowing which room to ventilate first or which wall is structurally compromised. In both, preparation creates confidence, speed and, ultimately, results.

Never Get Complacent

Success is gratifying, but it can also be dangerous if it leads to complacency. In PR, landing a big media hit or securing a high-profile client win is exciting. But the best professionals don’t sit back; they use that success as a springboard for the next campaign. Every win should motivate you to think bigger, act faster and execute better.

Firefighting teaches the same lesson. Putting out a fire, rescuing someone trapped in a car or containing a hazardous material incident is life-changing for the people involved, and it’s rewarding for the responders. But each scenario is an opportunity to refine skills, train for the unexpected and improve for the next time. The fireground, like PR, doesn’t wait for you to rest on past victories.

Learning from Mistakes

No one gets everything right the first time, and both PR and firefighting teach you to treat mistakes as lessons rather than failures. In PR, a miscalculated media statement or a missed opportunity can be dissected, analyzed and used to improve the next time. Firefighting is no different. Every response, every decision, every drill is a chance to refine tactics, communication and judgment.

Mistakes are inevitable. The key is to approach them with curiosity and humility, asking: “What did I miss? How could I do better next time?” In both PR and firefighting, the people who succeed aren’t those who avoid errors. They’re the ones who absorb them, adjust and improve.

Strong Collaboration and Communication

If there’s one area where PR and firefighting overlap most profoundly, it’s collaboration and communication. On the fireground, communication is paramount. Who’s going where? Who’s doing what? Who is in command? And when multiple companies respond to the same fire, clarity and coordination become even more critical. A missed call or misread command can put lives at risk.

PR operates on the same principles. Teams need to know who’s drafting the release, who’s handling media inquiries, who’s monitoring social channels, and who is the point of contact for the client. Everyone has a role, and everyone must communicate effectively to avoid mistakes and ensure the best outcome. In both cases, strong collaboration isn’t optional; it’s a requirement.

The Unexpected Lessons

I find it remarkable that the lessons from each of these fields reinforce one another. Being a first responder has sharpened my ability to think clearly in PR crises. Staying calm during a media storm feels familiar because I’ve been in situations where someone’s well-being literally depended on clear-headed action. Likewise, my experience in PR helps me communicate better on the fireground – anticipating needs, giving concise instructions and managing the flow of information.

At their core, both worlds reward anticipation, composure, knowledge and teamwork. Both demand that you show up ready, rely on your training and trust the people around you. And both remind you that success is never final; it’s just a checkpoint on a longer journey.

Leading From the Middle, on the Fireground and in PR

Being a PR professional and a volunteer firefighter has taught me that leadership isn’t about being in charge. It’s about being calm, organized and reliable when it matters most. Whether drafting a crisis statement or responding to a burning building, the principles are the same: know your environment, communicate clearly, act decisively and never stop learning.

Eric Black is a senior associate on the Poston Communications team.