Fire Service Management
Running a fire and EMS organization: management science, legal issues, risk and customer service.
When Job Applications Leave You Speechless
As a PSAP [Public Safety Answering Point] manager one of the BIGGEST responsibilities is hiring and on-boarding new employees. Let's face it, this profession is one where the doors are constantly swinging open with turnover. It's easy to blame the management team, but the issues with retention in PSAPs are much more rooted than what's on the surface of workplace relationships.
Overcoming the #1 Barrier to Cultural Change in the Fire Service
Why does it take so long for new equipment or work practices to become the norm in the fire service?…
Pregnant women in public safety is not something new
Your efforts to recruit and retain women for your department are doomed to fail if you don't have those policies and procedures in place now. If every one of your male officers and firefighters aren't informed and educated about how a female colleague will be treated when she finds out she's pregnant, your efforts are doomed to fail.
Getting Better Input and Feedback from Your Firefighters and Officers
They initially used focus groups of firefighters and officers to collect data but after a couple of groups the research team had already learned something about firefighters...
Reducing Organizational Risk in Your Fire and EMS Department
Firefighters and officers behaving badly. There are probably hundreds of causative factors at work, and while I'm not a trained sociologist by trade, I'm going to discuss a couple that really stand out in my mind: the use of social media and "helicopter parenting".
Sexual Harassment in the Fire Service: How Can You Not Know?
I’ve said it before in this space, and I’m saying it again, white males have created this culture in the fire service and only white males can fix it. And this is not a problem to be fixed with training and education.
Pregnant Firefighters: What Men and Women Need to Know
All fire chiefs and their officers SHOULD BE REQUIRED to read up on this case. Chicago Fire’s Nursing Mother Case…
3 Leadership Actions to Take After a Fire Service Conference You Attend
These three steps are more than just individual or group tasks. Collectively, they constitute leadership and mentoring on your part. By doing so, you’re creating expectations for attendance at future conferences by you and members of your department.
9 More Strategies for Success in a Fire Department Staff Position
A staff assignment is a wonderful opportunity for you to broaden your professional horizons beyond your “fire station centric” point of view. You might have volunteered for this assignment, or you may have been “volunteered” for it, but regardless of the scenario, take advantage of it.
15 Strategies for Success in a Fire Department Staff Position
You’ve no doubt become very comfortable with your company officer and your fellow firefighters in your fire station world. Your success thus far has been based upon your ability to work and socialize with people just like you—firefighters. Taking a staff position, e.g., an assignment in one of your department’s non-suppression work units, means you’re going to find yourself working with a more diverse group of people.
The “Management Trap”: How Fire Service Leaders Can Avoid Getting Snagged
I believe that three of the most important terms in personnel management are responsibility, authority and accountability. I’ve written about…
Scouting for Fire Officer Talent
So, if you’re “scouting” the potential officer talent in your fire and EMS organization to see where your future officers might be coming from, what should be your scouting criteria?