Fire Fighters Beget Officers
DEPARTMENTS
Volunteers Corner
In most fire departments, there is a promotional chain with fire fighters rising to the various officer ranks. To be promoted, experience, training, passing an exam, winning an election, or any combination of these may be required. Some individuals make good officers; others do not.
One of the major problems in the promotional arena is inadequate promotional preparation programs for fire fighters wishing to become officers.
The fire fighter is the “private” of the department, the one who engages in the hand-to-hand battle with fire. The fire fighter is a trained, skilled technician who works with hose, ladders, SCBA, forcible entry tools, rescue equipment, etc., under the direction of the company officer or chief.
The officer, on the other hand, ranges from the “sergeant” to the “general” depending upon the size and organization of the department. However, in all cases, the officer is the BOSS. It is the officer’s responsibility to direct and lead the fire fighters in carrying out the tactical decisions that bring fast, effective extinguishment. The officer must also perform those administrative duties assigned to the position, such as training and report writing.
Ineffective officers: In many fire departments there are formally appointed officers who are ineffective. When this happens, it is not uncommon for an informal leader to control the fireground. The officer in charge can lose control to an informal commander if good suggestions from the lower ranks are not followed (because the officer did not think of it) or if a plan has not been developed for the situation.
If new officers do not take on the role of commanders to form overall strategic objectives and manage available resources, or act as supervisors during tactical operations to implement the strategic plan by the supervision of subordinates’ actions, they will lose control and, in fact, be replaced. The department with an inept formal officer should remove the individual as soon as possible. This is not only for the good of the department, but assures the safety of all fire fighting personnel and the welfare of the community. A chief can hardly expect efficient workers if they are managed poorly.
Changing roles/changing duties: A major problem with new officers is adjusting to the change in roles. The new officer is no longer the doer but the director. The officer is no longer working with his hands and tools but with his head and with people. The officer must exert leadership by making decisions and giving clear, concise commands that direct personnel to carry out the desired tasks with little or no confusion. One must move from task orientation to planning strategy and implementing tactics along with supervision and administrative duties.
It should not be forgotten that the day-to-day administrative activities of an officer can have an equally dramatic effect on the successful completion of the fire department’s mission. The officer’s inability to see that preventive maintenance is performed on schedule may lead to delays or even disaster. The seemingly routine, often poorly executed, and sometimes neglected (it’s boring) filling out of a fire report may spell success or failure in an arson case ora lawsuit. The officer cannot hump the hose, direct the nozzle, or operate the pump and be performing as a competent officer. One must not get tied down to details attempting to describe the desired action completely, but must give general instructions for the subordinate officer to carry out. Give orders to companies to perform as a team, do not try to direct individuals.
Some shortcomings of new officers: Due to a lack of knowledge, training or self-confidence, some new officers will shirk command rather than accept it. Some fail to stay with their plan of attack long enough to see if it is working. Others will procrastinate or hide while the building is destroyed to avoid making a decision that could be wrong and make them look bad.
Another problem is the officer who fails to sector the fire or delegate responsibilities, fearing that he or she will be accountable for subordinates’ mistakes. New officers (especially chiefs) sometimes fail to let their officers know what their level of responsibility on the fireground is BEFORE the fire. The chain of command and span of control should be clearly defined for all.
There is also the officer who becomes excited and cannot give good orders, who babbles incoherently or goes into shouting tirades. With most of these, the informal commander comes to the forefront or the situation deteriorates to free enterprise fire fighting, mass confusion and a major loss.
In essence, the fire fighter is generally ill-prepared for the role he or she is cast into. The system has not provided training, background or experience to be a first-line supervisor or a department manager. A well-known axiom of the “Peter Principle,” that popular, however somewhat cynical view of managers in the real world, states that it is not uncommon for an individual, for example, an outstanding fire fighter, to be promoted above his or her level of competence.
In other words, it does not necessarily follow that an excellent worker will be a competent supervisor since he or she may not be prepared or capable. In addition, many new officers neglect to further their education in incident command, supervisory skills, communication, personnel management or administration.
There is tremendous pressure from the erroneous idea that it is a sign of weakness to go back to school after a promotion. Look around at the next training class you attend, how many high ranking officers are there? Is the instructor providing information that would be beneficial to these officers?
Only by providing educational and realistic experiences in handling people and controlling incidents and administrative functions through simulation and problem solving for both prospective and newly appointed officers will the fire service begin to solve the officer problem. The challenge goes out to the individual to either be ready to make the change from doer to director and properly prepare for the position by education and training or not seek the promotion at all. The challenge also goes out to the training agencies to develop and deliver the courses necessary to assist those striving for the higher fire service supervisory levels.
