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Is Code of Ethics Code Blue?

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Or so the Fire Service Reputation Management White Paper Report (https://myfirecompanies.com/download.php?f=4383_orig.pdf&fc=whitepaper2010highres-Final%20for%20publication%203-8-2010.pdf) would lead us to believe.

But, it comes off as if sounding an alarm to a recent fire service revelation.

And the truth is that many of us have been discussing many of the areas of concern for some time. I can tell you that the hot topic of firefighter arson has been on the discussion boards since at least 2001 and USFA released a report on it here: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr-141.pdf

Am I to believe that people who apply for firefighter positions have to be reminded that, as firefighters, they will be held to higher moral and ethical standards?

Unless they recently crawled out of a cave, I would think that, if nothing else in the job description is known, “held in the public’s trust” would be a tacit thought at the very least.

What fire departments have to do is to screen out the candidates who might have an ulterior motive for joining a fire department, which is to use the position of trust to commit crimes. (See http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_b988d898-0962-11df-879a-001cc4c03286.html).

When departments are making poor decisions to recruit and retain members, why would we expect that same department to make GOOD decisions when a firefighter has been caught committing a serious criminal act?

Fire departments keep their dirty little secrets “internal” for one of two reasons: either they honestly believe that they have the wherewithal to appropriately deal with it or they are hiding and hoping; that is, hiding it from the public and hoping that it will go away on its own.

The Fire Service Reputation Management White Paper Report was delivered with an almost wide-eyed astonishment. No disrespect is intended, but, in my mind, it was never a question of whether our lofty moral and ethical characters were taking a hit with each new firefighter arrest, but when, as a nation of firefighters, we were going to collectively do something about it.

I resent that, once again, “lack of leadership” is being credited with this growing blight in the fire service, because in today’s society of Google search, scientific calculators, Garmin GPS, computerized cash registers and instant gratification from pass/fail and “ nobody gets cut and everyone gets a trophy for participating”, we have essentially lowered the bar, because the process where we are taught how to learn is no longer practiced. Leaders are being expected to lead people who will not take personal responsibility and if they are the future leaders, then isn’t it likely that they will invoke excuses that has become a part of their modus operandi ?

Honest, hard work to succeed has been displaced by “whatever it takes” and unfortunately, that includes cheating and breaking the law.

A few years ago, here in Illinois, a department was caught cheating on an EMT test, so instead of disciplining the individuals involved and changing the order and wording on the test questions, the entire state exam was scrapped and a new one written. It took over two years and God knows how much money and in the meantime, Illinois was without a state EMT test. Anyone who was in class at the time had to pay for and take the National Registry test. New EMT classes weren’t started because of the test issues. Look at all the trouble a few selfish cheaters caused, but what was done to them? We never heard. I would have terminated them had they been on my department.

Maybe, instead of investing money in “competitive” grants, some of that money should go to every department in the country for conducting thorough background checks, psychological testing and education programs to recognize criminal behavior in their members. We might see some positive results.

We also know that self policing, whether it be with regards to drinking/drugs, computer use, harassment claims or department assets, simply doesn’t work. Once again, we find ourselves legislating common sense and this should not be the case if we have hired reasonable people with above average intelligence.

If departments still believe that they want to police themselves, then good for them, but if that were the case and I made decisions on federal funding, then any department found guilty of any of the crimes cited in the white paper would NOT receive any federal money for the duration of length of the individual’s sentence. Sentences of probation would cost a department one year of eligibility for federal grants.

A code of ethics has always been there. Unfortunately, it took a back seat to money and manpower discussions. And it’s ironic, but ethics has everything to do with money and manpower.

Sometimes we can’t see the forest through the trees.

TCSS.

This article is protected by federal copyright laws. It cannot be reproduced in any form without the expressed written permission of the author, Art Goodrich aka ChiefReason.

Please visit: www.fireemsblogs.com and my blog at: www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on March 12, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Blago Blog

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For those of you outside of Illinois, “Blago” is short for “Blagojevich” (pronounced blah-goy-yah-vitch); the last name of our most corrupt governor.

 

I am a student of politics. I have proudly been involved since age 17. I have worked on campaigns, supported candidates for public office, ran for public office, held public office and am currently an elected fire district trustee up for re-election.

 

I have done so in the true spirit of public service that I learned from the fire service. It has never been done for money or power, but rather, as a call to duty; to make changes that would hopefully create a better model, if you will.

 

That doesn’t make me special or different. It describes the majority of others in our state’s public service; be it politics, fire service, EMS, law enforcement and untold numbers of civil servants. Despite my cynicism, I truly believe that.

 

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely” (John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton). It does and it did!

 

Governor Blagojevich was arrested yesterday along with his chief of staff, John Harris and was charged with federal corruption, racketeering, wire and mail fraud.

 

I won’t bother to post any links. It’s everywhere! It is embarrassing to the point of humiliating.

 

I was already hearing about this slime ball in 2001; the year before his election to his FIRST term as governor. That’s right; Illinois gave him TWO chances to take Illinois to the most corrupt state in the country…and he didn’t disappoint us!

 

In a state that is highly regarded internationally for its fire service and its fire research programs, the citizens and its public servants of this state must now shoulder the intense scrutiny by the rest of the world, because of the ignorance, arrogance and ego of the state’s top executive.

 

It disgusts and angers me that the voters in this state gave him the “do over” of a second term to further erode the public trust.

 

His name will be added to the ever-growing “wall of shame”.

 

The irony to all of this is that Blagojevich ran a campaign to “clean up corrupt politics” in Illinois.

 

In fact, he stated that, with regards to corruption, it was not going to be “business as usual”.

 

He got that right. He took corruption to a whole new level.

 

And in spite of it, Illinois still has a damned good fire service and for that, I am still proud!

 

Ah, what the hell: www.chicagotribune.com.

 

TCSS.

 

 

The article as submitted is published under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella and is the intellectual property of Art Goodrich a.k.a. xchief22 and ChiefReason. It is protected by federal copyright laws and cannot be re-printed in any form without expressed permission from the author.

Posted by chiefreason on January 13, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , , , , ,

RESPECT Is Over-Rated!

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First Published 10/24/08

I want respect and I want it yesterday!

 

Well, as the song says, “you can’t always get what you want”.

 

Recently, another P vs. V thread was shut down. Web Chief always shuts them down because, like me, he KNOWS that they will end up in the toilet with the obligatory name-calling and catter-walling!

 

What is interesting to note is that, you can discuss the different issues of the different fire services and even co-mingle them a little, but as soon as you draw the line in the sand…BOOM; thread gone. Once the “doo-dah vs. hee-haw” is delineated, the thread’s days-possibly hours-are numbered. And that is not meant as a criticism, but I don’t like to see productive threads eliminated simply because we couldn’t keep the debate respectful. Hmmm; there’s that word.

 

I view the fire service and the people who populate it from a very broad spectrum. I have been involved at the local level for some 28 plus years. I have attended many conferences over those years, where I had an opportunity to interact with various fire service personalities-some highly regarded and some who thought a lot of themselves.

 

I have been participating in fire service discussions on the national/international level via the Internet since 2001. It is with this medium that I have developed a very harmonious and homogenous relationship. I can sit in the solitude of my bunker, read up on the most recent, impacting issue and then articulate my observations to the various fire service websites. For me, that’s three websites that I visit regularly. I may go to some of the others if someone has posted a link to an article or comment of interest.

 

When I first hit the Internet on a website that Web Chief co-founded, I was routinely beaten by some of the more colorful users of the time. I will never forget Mongofire99. He was from the Dallas/Fort Worth area and he taught me the importance of preparing for the debate. Captain Gonzo taught me about respectful debate. Hmmm; there’s that word again. So; I developed my skills over the next few years and you now see the end product of all of the time that I have spent researching the articles, the issues, the products, the personalities, history, tradition and related topics.

 

I believe that people who engage in discussion who do not research the other side of the issue isn’t interested in resolving differences. They want to simply voice their opinion and go to the next thread, building their post count along the way. They seem to believe that “you’re full of crap” is a deeply moving and thought-provoking reply to an intense discussion of some relevance to our safety, livelihood and passion to serve.

 

I use to think that the insults and name-calling came from deep within a person, until I saw them in numerous discussions saying the same things. Then, it dawned on me that they had no desire to learn; only to BURN the ones that they disagreed with. And they inject a firefighter’s “pedigree” if it suits them. It is as if they believe that they are so important that I am speaking DIRECTLY to them when I post my observations, because their reply is more often than not pointed directly to me.

 

And here, my friends, is where RESPECT comes in.

 

It is my opinion that you cannot gain respect for what we do, until we have sat at the table and listened to the “old guys” talk about the “old days”. We cannot possibly know where our departments are going if we have no idea of where we’ve been. We can’t solve the money problems or anything else, unless we have studied the politics over the years and the process to get and to spend tax money. Therefore, we have to have some respect for the process. Simply whining about money isn’t going to get us more money.

 

We will not get the respect of our peers if we find a litany of excuses when it comes time to attach the carabiners and go over the side of the tower or to bottle up and go into a smoke filled room or to hook a hydrant and to get water out of the engine.

 

We should not expect to get respect while others are busting their butts at a fire school, battering and bruising themselves, earning their stripes/earning their right to call each other “firefighter” while some of us are over at the “trinket” table buying the newest “I’m a REAL Hero” T-shirt. The back is feeling much better, thank you.

 

We cannot possibly have gained respect through the knowledge that we have acquired if we have only been “on the job” for a few short months. I admire enthusiasm in our newbies, but don’t confuse “enthusiasm” with “egotism”. We shouldn’t believe that, since we have done it once, we are the expert on it. Anyone in the business knows and respects the number of times an evolution must be done to “perfect” it. Have enough respect for the job to know that monkeys can’t do it. Hell; even monkeys know you can’t master most tasks on the first try. It takes practice, practice, practice.

 

And finally; we should have enough respect for our virtual brothers and sisters to know that they don’t want respect handed to them on a platter. There should be no uncomfortable silence when a point is made. Jokes, pranks and humor should be left to those who have established their “style” and will not be taken out of context. Even that is done out of respect for others. We should remember that good-natured ribbing on any given day can turn ugly, if the recipient isn’t exactly having a good day.

 

Respect is earned and not given. Well, at least the Marines think so.

There is this notion among some of us who believe that, as soon as you are accepted onto a fire department that respect is automatic. So, we come blowing onto the Internet scene armed with our textbook take on a range of fire ground activities and as soon as it becomes evident that there “appears” to be a lack of EXPERIENCE, the passion at the other end explodes into indignation and “I thought we were all BROTHERS” tirades.

 

The fire service has often been described as a “para-military” organization. I believe that is true. And you go nowhere in the military, unless you master every task, one at a time and then do it again. You cannot earn your stripes any other way. You have to get into the face of your fellow soldiers and challenge them to do the same as you, because if you don’t, you ALL pay the price as a unit.

 

In my mind, every unit should yield the next leaders to a man. If you are in just to get by until you retire, then the others should make sure that you wash out in your first 6 weeks. If you don’t get the commitment out of each man that they will bring you back if you can’t bring yourself back, then you don’t have the heart or the desire to succeed. And you certainly won’t get respect.

 

I happen to believe that leaders can be developed very quickly when using the right approach. I don’t believe that “years of experience” necessarily makes the best leaders. But, just like the military, there is no reason why you can’t be a leader within 2 years after enlistment, if you dedicate yourself to it. The same can be said for the fire service. I respect anyone who will accelerate their learning curve through strong commitment to hard work. I want to see the next generation succeed and not fail. I want to see them work to lead and not to clock in and go hide.

 

We live in a world where almost everything that we do has immediate results. With the advent of computers, Internet and cell phones, we can expect our information very quickly. Unfortunately, some think respect should be as quick.

 

Sorry; that’s something that technology isn’t going to fix. That process that we know as garnering respect is going to have to be done the old fashioned way.

 

And if that methodology makes me out-dated or out of touch, well then, I can respect that.

 

Respect IS over-rated IF we believe that it can be handed out like a Hallmark card and we all know that they have one of those for EVERY occasion.

 

TCSS.

Posted by chiefreason on January 12, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , ,

I Am NOT Getting Divorced; In Fact…

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First Published 8/5/08

 

It seems like the blogs have been filled with a lot of unhappiness lately; divorces, child custody issues and failed relationships. And that’s sad.

 

Like anything that is worth getting and keeping, it can’t be done without putting in an effort, gauging that effort and the effects that is has on your goal, re-assessing your goal, putting in more effort without expectation of reciprocation and doing so on a daily basis.

 

On Thursday, August 7, 2008, my lovely wife and I will celebrate 32 years of marriage. Notice that I don’t say “wedded bliss”. That would infer that we have had the “perfect” marriage and we have not. We have had our share of arguments, disappointments, setbacks, happiness, sadness and any other emotional swing that you can think of. We have, in a word, “worked” at it.

 

But, it is work well worth the effort. We have a son, daughter-in-law and beautiful grandson to show for our efforts. We have a nice home, retirement accounts and do not feel any economic pinch of higher gas prices, though they tick me off like anyone else.

 

Trust me; I’m not bragging; just counting my blessings. I realize that she has been more tolerant of me than I of her. She has put up with and gone out of her way with me more times than I care to remember. I’m not the easiest guy to live with. I have “issues”; yet, she has always been and always will be my sounding board.

 

She has “shared” me with the fire service for 28 years. The meetings, the training, the fires, car wrecks, trench collapses, searches, conferences, more meetings, hours spent on the computer and on and on. She has been tolerant and patient and supportive beyond what I had ever imagined. I have always included her in most of it, mostly information, but she has had some side benefit from it as well. When the politicians request my presence at a function, I take her with me for the social aspects and she enjoys herself, as long as I don’t leave her alone, but she has met new friends along the way as well. She has a better understanding of the political jungle that exists with issues that affect the fire service and she better than anyone knows why I think what I think and why I do what I do. And I think that is why we have stayed in lockstep for 32 years.

 

That is not to say that I don’t support what she likes to do, either. It isn’t all about me. I go antiquing with her. I go to school district functions. I help her through a bad day. I TRY to help her with her golf game. I ask her what she wants to do and will do it, if it doesn’t involve dancing; that is, fast dancing. I like to move and groove. I don’t like to dance, unless it’s SLOW dance. I will gladly press her against me and move-no, GLIDE-across the dance floor.

 

We will sit outside in the nice weather on the back patio and watch the birds and talk about a range of subjects. We will make each other laugh. We will give each other things to think about. We will challenge each other to make the other better. We will cook up ways to spend the week end. We will not succumb to boredom, though we don’t have to force ourselves to stay busy. That comes naturally.

 

And on the eve of our 32nd anniversary, she has again thrown her support behind me as I have announced that I will be running for the county board, because she understands that the county’s public safety, economic development and our kids’ education are important to me and to her and I feel that I can work to improve the human condition of the residents of our county.

 

And Kim will be right beside me as I campaign and she will be my trusted advisor when I win. She’s good at it. She’s been doing it for 32 years.

 

Can’t you just feel the love?

 

TCSS.

Posted by chiefreason on January 12, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , ,

We Don’t Do It That Way…Anymore!

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First Published 4/29/08

 

As we say “hello” to May, I wanted to give you all something to chew on.

 

So often in the fire service, we hear “we don’t do it that way”.

 

Well, I’m here to tell you that we don’t do it that way anymore and the perfect example of this statement is in how we treat our new people-recruits, if you will.

 

Think about it and you will agree that the people my age-current leaders-can bear some of the responsibility for this.

 

Now, all of you bright and youthful ones stay with me here. Read on while I talk to my generation about YOUR generation.

 

Leaders; as parents, did we not treat our children differently than we were treated as children?

 

Didn’t we make the conscious effort to do so, because we didn’t want them to have to go through the same, rough times as we did while growing up?

 

If we made mistakes that bore certain consequences, we made every effort to teach our children NOT to make the same mistakes as we did, because WE didn’t like the consequences.

 

We taught our son to develop a certain, mental toughness and to develop a respect for laws, his peers, his teachers, other authority figures, and the value of money, hard work and God, among others.

 

We taught him that there were certain privileges that were not guaranteed, but had to be earned. He learned to understand that these privileges were triggered by first earning trust and that as parents; we wouldn’t give him the easy way out, because “trust” was very important and very fragile.

 

Once we had HIS trust, he knew that he didn’t have to lie and could come to us for anything, except the easy way out!

 

He learned that, if he didn’t want to make the same mistakes, he had to listen, learn and make the best decisions.

 

So, my question to everyone is: how is that any different than teaching new recruits?

 

Teaching the next generation of recruits fire suppression tasks or auto extrication evolutions is as easy as “show and tell”!

 

But, how do you engage them to step up, trust the tools, trust what they are learning and to apply it in an emergency setting, IF they are the constant target of criticism, demeaning remarks or are given busy work disguised as “paying their dues”?

 

How can we earn THEIR respect, if we don’t go to middle ground and throw out the “my way or the highway” mentality?

 

Yeah; it’s all life-saving, cutting edge stuff, but if your students are sitting there stewing about their latest embarrassment, then how receptive are they?

 

They are young; that is true, but they are not “kids” anymore. When they crossed the threshold to the door of the fire station, they walked into a world that, on most days, would shock the unsuspecting and paralyze the unprepared.

 

It is a world that we have lived in and survived in. We did so and still do, because our mentors, though not adverse to practical jokes, were not malicious and were most likely offering some levity to ease our stress.

 

We were passionately introduced to our current toolboxes of knowledge and skill by people who wanted us to succeed and not to wash out. They allowed us to grow and all the while, made sure that they had our backs AND our fronts!

 

For some of us, it felt like it couldn’t come fast enough, but learning a thorough grasp of the sciences was not only prudent but necessary. It is this concept that we MUST pass on to the new generation of recruits.

 

WE learned by watching, listening and then by doing! Today’s recruits have so many different mediums from which to gather information, that they absorb it and then go out and do it!

 

THAT is what has really changed; the “velocity” of the delivery of the information. We don’t “see” them learning, because much of what they learn is from outside the classroom. As leaders, we just have to make certain that the source of the information is credible; then trust it.

 

When you think about it, the learning experience just got streamlined; leaving more time to practice skill sets. After all, we should all be teaching the same, basic principles. How that is delivered should be left to the students and their instructors.

 

Classroom or on-line; if it accomplishes the goal, which is to learn, then the new recruits are farther ahead of the curve when it comes time to start fire academy or practical skills at a station house.

 

I realize that there may be a concern that some “institutions” are taking money and giving out “paper”. However; if you set up your department’s computers to enroll in classes taught through your state fire academies, then you are almost guaranteed that the information is useful and necessary.

 

In closing, let me say that, when you treat others as you would want to be treated, the respect will float both ways.

 

Never dismiss the opportunity to hear what the newest generation has learned from a recent class. Though YOU may not have learned to do it that way, “that way” might not be the way that it’s done anymore!

 

In this business, we stop learning when we stop listening.

 

I have been involved in the fire service for over 27 years and I still consider myself a “student”…a very old student!

 

I am motivated and invigorated by the latest innovations; especially where it can have the potential to save more firefighter lives.

 

The very bright future of our fire service can only succeed, if we believe we-the leaders-have done everything that we can to grow and nurture the next generation of firefighters.

 

Leaders have to be the catalysts for change, because if we’re not, then the “same, old way” will produce the same, old results!

 

Now; I want to hear from YOU!

 

TCSS.

  

The article as submitted is published under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella and is the intellectual property of Art Goodrich a.k.a. xchief22 and ChiefReason. It is protected by federal copyright laws and cannot be re-printed in any form without expressed permission from the author.

Posted by chiefreason on January 12, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , ,

I’m A Fire Service Analyst

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First Published 4/15/08

I despise the use of the term “Monday morning quarterback”.

Why?
Because it is a critical term used to describe someone who thinks that they should comment on a situation, describe what they see as wrong, feed to their own ego and offer NOTHING constructive to the situation.

I, on the other hand, as a Fire Service Analyst, review as much data on an issue or incident as I can gather, find the common threads, examine and excise as much information that will build a model for “lessons learned” and temper what I say or write with any similar experience that would add to the discussion.

Unfortunately, what I just described, is often confused with that description of a Monday morning quarterback and is qualified with the over-stated, “YOU WEREN’T THERE!” Which is to say that, since we weren’t there, we couldn’t possibly be educated enough on the incident or issue to draw upon our experience and in general terms use a similar incident to ask questions or offer an educated opinion. Please note that I said “educated”.

But, can you imagine how thin our history books and our text books on a range of subjects would be if they could only be written by the people who were there? I mean; the founding of America, the Revolutionary War, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Civil War, World Wars I and II and many other significant moments in the history of our great nation stripped, because the writer had to be there. So; you get my drift on that and its absurdity.

“You weren’t there” is a defense mechanism. It is one of those statements that lets its recipient know that they have crossed the line and into an emotional quagmire of a person who has neither the appreciation nor the foresight to garner unsolicited feedback. The mere fact that it has made the national spotlight does not give rise to a national debate. I am reminded of all of the discussions of some “cultures” and the obligatory “we don’t have that problem here”. Hey; you forgot to add ‘YET’!

They won’t have that problem, as long as someone gay or of a different race or gender doesn’t apply for their fire department. The truth here is that subtle pressure has been applied over the years to discourage anyone who doesn’t fit the template of a good ole boy from applying.

Person A: Why don’t you join the fire department? Person B: Because I don’t fit in with the good ole boys.

They won’t have that problem, as long as they don’t have a policy in place that addresses alcohol consumption and responding to a call. The culture still exists in the department that it’s OK to “have a couple of beers” and still respond. Self-policing is the order of the day, because this department can’t possibly develop, implement and enforce a policy that would insure safe and sober firefighters respond to a call.
They won’t have that problem, as long as they can continue to trowel up that swill that says “you have no idea what it’s like here. We don’t have any money to buy equipment, go to training classes and are ridiculed by our neighbors for ‘saving another basement’.” Yeah; the rest of us small, volunteer fire departments have no idea what it’s like to go without, maintain service, get up at 3:00 am to start the pancake grills, fix the old because we can’t afford new and continue on with pride.

I have just described three, very real scenarios that have played out in many, many parts of our country. Many of us have gotten past it though, because we wanted to change it. It couldn’t have been done if we hadn’t taken the time to analyze it. Pulling it all together is the end result of good analysis coupled to a good plan and finished with good implementation.

That’s why I say that I am a fire service analyst. Not only do I recognize a problem; I also can recognize a good plan. I can understand that I can learn from someone else’s mistakes and that they can learn from my mistakes, if not done with a critical eye, but instead, with an “analytical” eye.

The next time that you attempt to offer your perspective and are told “you weren’t there”; you can tell them “Oh, I have been there; I just didn’t choose to STAY there”!

Fire Service Analyst: available anytime but Monday mornings!

TCSS.

 

Posted by chiefreason on January 12, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , ,

Currently Under Construction

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(more…)

Posted by chiefreason on January 11, 2009 • Filed under: Miscellaneous • Tagged: ,