"That Dreaded Time Of Year"
By CapLovesHankandKel
A/N: I don't know that I have seen a story from the Chief's POV and I wanted to give it a shot. He is telling the story of the Captain Stanley's annual review. I hope it works out well.
Nothing E! belongs to me. If it did I'd be blissfully married to Hank, Mike, Marco and Kel.
Ahh yes, it's that dreaded time of year for one Captain Henry "Hank" Stanley; it is time for his annual review.
Hank and I go back a long way and we are thought of as some kind of legends in the fire service. Indeed we are. Before I get too deep into this I have to say I have always liked Hank. Even when he burned my hat it did not cause me to dislike the man.
You have to almost respect a man that is that daring to do such a thing to his commanding officer to get a point across.
I thought about making him an example for all to see but I decided against that because to be very honest, I saw too much potential in him and I just could not do it. I have never regretted decision.
Hank has been in the fire service for thirteen years, six of them as a Captain at Station 51. He is likable, respected by his peers, a very good leader in the field, is always level headed and trusts his decisions, he would never ask his men to do something he himself isn't willing to do, has excellent instincts, is able to survey a scene quickly and quite efficiently and is just an all-around fantastic commander.
Safety first is ever present in his mind. He cares deeply about his crew and has an open door policy with them. He has a good sense of humor and uses it often in his command when it is appropriate. He's very dedicated and the type of leader any Chief would want.
Out of the field, however, he is as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs around me. He tries hard to mask it but it has been there since the day he burned my hat. I have done all I can to make the situation better but to no avail.
I have joked about it, made fun of it, laughed about it but he still seems to have an underlying paranoia about it. I have often wondered if that has held him back taking the Chief's exam because I know he has studied for it previously until he found out I was on the Oral Examination Board. It's a tough puzzle to solve.
Some of the ideas he gets are sometimes unfounded. For example, when he thought he had arthritis. In his mind, a little pain in his hands triggered that assumption. He was very worried about it yet refused to see a doctor about it. He was convinced his career in the fire service was over. Needless to say, it wasn't even close to that. He just simply overdid it with his daily work out.
Overall I give Hank a very high rating. He's an excellent leader and inspires the best from his men. He is blessed to have two of the best paramedics in Los Angeles County. When walking into the station, you get a very welcoming atmosphere from his men which I believe Hank does his best to make it that way.
He has never disrespected me even when he burned my hat. He rarely raises his voice unless he has to. Once in blue a moon he'll have to remind his men who is in charge but is never rude or done in a power hungry way. He is one of the guys yet knows where to draw the line. He is a man of honor and integrity. I am proud to have him as my Captain.
Chief Shane McConnike
End