An individual on the fireground who abandons their assigned task or team to act on their own initiative. This behavior breaks the chain of command and compromises accountability systems. Incident commanders strictly prohibit this practice because it puts both the individual and other crews at extreme risk of injury or death.
Heard on the job
Keep your crew together and stick to the assignment, we don't need any freelancers getting lost on the second floor.
Insider tip
Freelancing is one of the fastest ways to face severe disciplinary action in the fire service.