Good enough never is.
That personal belief is what drives Crawfordsville Fire Department Lietuentant Seth McCloud in all of his pursuits, but especially at the fire station.
“When we get called, we get called on people’s worst day of their lives,” McCloud said. “We owe it to them, we swore an oath to protect them. How dare we be anything else but perfect when we show up on a scene. We have to be.”
As a lieutenant, McCloud is responsible for helping train new firefighters. He believes in working side-by-side with them, encouraging them and supporting them.
“The big thing is you have to know your why. You have to know why you’re doing what you’re doing, and once you figure that out, and that can hit you at year two or it could hit you at year 15, but something is going to happen to that person in their career and you’re going to know its just changed from a job, to a career, to a lifestyle.
“You see some of these younger guys who have five, six years in and they know their job well, but they don’t really know their why, they don’t really know why they’re here, but they’re going to get into something either on a run or in a conversation with someone here and something’s just going to click.”
For McCloud, a lifelong Ladoga native, being at the CFD is a lifestyle — that “something” has already clicked for him.
“When you get put into certain stressful situations with those people it creates a bond, and you learn to count on each other, and at the end of the day it’s about each other, it’s about the people who are beside you,” he said. “That’s why, not only do we do it for the public, we do it for each other and we have to live up to a standard because if are not up to that standard, we’re not only failing the public or the people we serve, we’re failing others around us, our brothers and sisters. We have to be at the top of our game.”
McCloud is truly at the top of his game. He is a member of the Indiana Smoke Diver Association, which provides the most intense, week-long firefighter survival course available.
“It really teaches you a lot about fire service and about yourself,” McCloud said. “It makes you a better person because you learn to elevate and cancel your limits, and when I say cancel your limits, we all have that point where we are under so much stress that we think we can’t do anymore. When you cancel those limits, and it’s a mental game, you can do anything.”
When McCloud attended his training, there were 35 firefighters in his class, but by week’s end there were only 18 who graduated the course.
“Once you get your unit number that stays with you for life,” he added. “So, you’ve carved your name in stone in fire service.”
McCloud is both passionate and proud of the CFD.
“We do a lot here, not only do we fight fires, we have medical and we’re also certified in rope rescue, confined space rescue and water rescue, so we do a lot here,” he said. “Everyone is really cross-trained here. We aren’t broken out into specialized teams. We are different from other departments ... you never know what you’re going to have day to day, which is what keeps the job exciting. I’m just entering my ninth year and there’s still situations I get into that I’ve never seen before, and that’s what I love about it. It keeps it you on your toes.”
McCloud gained his initial firefighting experience with the Ladoga Volunteer Fire Department from 2011 to 2013. During that time he worked a landscaping job and pursued firefighting and paramedic classes. In May 2013, he was hired on his first try at the CFD and considers himself lucky. He remains grateful to the department and to Chief Scott Busenbark.
“I’ve been blessed to have a lot of great guys around me here ... they’ve taught me everything that I know,” he said. “I was as green as green could get when I started in 2013. I don’t think you could’ve gotten somebody who was more green than me.”
Now it is McCloud’s turn to give back — sharing his professional knowledge and drive for perfection.
“Being a training lieutenant and being able to instill values in these younger guys — there’s no greater gift than being able to teach these guys and watch them progress in their careers,” he said.
Outside of work, McCloud enjoys hunting and fishing. He also is a guitar player who has performed country music in various venues, and spent eight years playing in a worship band. However, those days have temporarily slowed for him since he and his wife, Chelsey, welcomed their first child, a son, Morgan Tyler, six months ago.
“I could have the worst day in the world and go home and see my family or pick up my guitar and I know everything will be just fine.”
