BY RICHARD MARINUCCI
Politics. When you see this word, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Most often it is not something good. Coming on the heels of the recent presidential campaign and its related negative media ads, along with some of your experiences at the local level, you probably want nothing to do with politics. Unfortunately, politics is part of the job and part of life. There is an element of it in everything we do. As a result, it is important for members of the fire service (especially those in higher ranks) to understand how politics affect what is done every single day.
To fully understand the importance of politics in the operation of the fire department, you need only look at some common definitions. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (10th edition) offers the following four definitions (among others):
1. The art or science of government,
2. The art or science concerned with guiding or influencing government policy,
3. Competition between competing interest groups for power and leadership, and
4. The total complex of relations between people living in society.
Let’s look at the definitions.
First, “politics is an art” means that not every situation is exactly the same. It can mean that every person has his own style and approach and that communities will be different. Accepting this explanation would lead an individual to develop a method of dealing with the politics in his community based on his skills and personality and the culture of the community. To operate in the political arena, you will need to evaluate the unique characteristics of your community. There is no one template that will work in every circumstance.
The next definition talks about influencing government policy. This is very important. If you are to get the resources necessary to properly operate your organization, you certainly need to figure a way to influence the policies being established in your community. In most localities, an elected board determines the direction of the community. Having that influence on a day-to-day basis is extremely important.
The third definition talks about interest groups competing for power and leadership. We see this occurring within fire departments, in local government, and in the communities themselves. Acquiring power and leadership recognition is beneficial to any organization. This is extremely vital within the organization. Although some formal leaders are established by the chain of command, other informal leaders have gained their place through their perspective on politics. Clearly, one can see the importance of this aspect of politics to local fire departments.
The fourth definition talks about relationships between people. If you talk to fire chiefs about their particular job, they will tell you that they spend much of their time dealing with personnel matters and people issues. Positive relationships help the organization function more efficiently, enable you to more easily address human resource issues, and free up time for pursuing other critical job responsibilities. Remember that when we talk of relationships with people, we are discussing all the people you come in contact with-inside the department, within your municipality, the taxpayers, everyone.
A COMPOSITE DEFINITION
If you combine all the definitions into one, it might read something like this: building relationships in a complex organization while guiding and influencing policy and providing leadership. Sounds like the job of a fire chief or any leader. If nothing else, these definitions emphasize the importance of politics to any organization. Once you recognize the importance, you can then progress to developing your political skills. It’s the job of the fire chief, chief officers, and really all the members of the organization to lead people and obtain the resources necessary to do the job. If this is so, then politics have to be the top priority within your organization. Hopefully, you’ve acknowledged the importance of understanding politics and the need to develop your skills.
SOME CLARIFICATIONS
A couple of things should be pointed out here. First, nowhere in the definitions or in any of our discussion so far are the concepts of right and wrong mentioned. Many times in the field of politics, people are looking for clear-cut answers and what might be right and what might be wrong. Sometimes these concepts don’t come into play when discussing things of a political nature. The second thing is that few people in the fire service pursue formal education or training in politics. We rely on what we have learned from others, our observations, or our instincts. This is especially true when dealing with local politics.
Something else to note at this time is that in our entire discussion so far, we have not mentioned partisanships-for example Democrats or Republicans. This article is not advocating painting donkeys or elephants on your fire trucks. What we are discussing is building relationships with all the people who interact with the fire department-those who establish policy and approve funding, provide support services, and receive our services. You need to look at the big picture and develop your political savvy.
SOME SUGGESTIONS
Following are some suggestions for developing your political skills.
• Watch others you deem successful. You can learn much by watching others who seem to do well in the political arena. This includes people in the fire service as well as those in the greater community. You can learn a great deal from other successful fire professionals, chiefs, union officials, and others with a natural instinct. Community members such as a police chief, another department head, an employee who seems to get things done, members of the community, school system personnel, members of the business community, and even a local government official who is respected by all often can offer guidance about what may work in your community. The success of these people, who seem to have a lot going for them, can be attributed to more than their competence within their job: They learned how to get along with people and how to be in the right place at the right time.
Many of them are willing to share some of their experiences with you. Even if they don’t, you can learn an awful lot by watching what they do, when they do it, how they act, and how they handle certain situations. Establishing such a network will be beneficial.
• Establish a local network of friends, supporters, mentors. Politics are not only about dealing with politicians. Think of all the people who have a role in providing emergency services in your community-employees, other city departments, the business community, civilian groups, school districts, other levels of government (county, state, federal), neighboring fire departments, regulatory agencies, hospitals, ambulance services, and so on. You should be able to make a list of these individuals in your community, to give you some idea of the magnitude of the resources that contribute to your emergency services organization. It is important to establish positive relationships with everyone.
• Know what relationships are important. The relationships we have with others determine our success because we don’t operate in a vacuum and don’t function as sole entities. Think for awhile about those who support your service. It doesn’t matter whether you like the individuals or agree with all their established policies or job functions. You have to work within the established system. To do that, you need to work with other people. Good things happen when solid relationships are built. This is not easy, nor is it quick. And, there is not always an instant benefit or positive reaction. You cannot get discouraged when there is not a quick reward. Stay the course, make it part of your regular duties, and accept what comes.
You need to be sincere, persistent, and nonjudgmental. Building relationships properly requires patience. Conversely, poor relationships can create long-term problems. Even a single event can affect interpersonal relations and can be detrimental for a very long time. People will remember the negative much longer than the positive. Sometimes the reaction to that negative relationship might not be recognized for a few years, and you may not always recognize it. A negative action may be the result of something done years before and might really be a “political payback.” Political memories can be quite long. You need to bear that in mind in all of your interactions.
• Develop and maintain positive media relations. The media can have a huge influence on your ability to develop political strength. There is no other way to reach so many people in a short time. Further, many people rely on the media to help them develop their opinions by gathering short bits of information. The image of the firefighter and the fire department are determined by what people read or see in the media. To be effective in politics, you need to develop good press relationships. This translates into credibility for you and your organization. This can create power. Conversely, negative press can lead to a downfall and can negatively affect the image of the local agency or the entire fire service. Learn the role the media play in your community: how they affect your image and what you need to do to work with them. Remember relationships. Meet the people who cover your town. Help them do their job. Cooperate. Be nice. Use the media to build a base without becoming overly exposed.
• Regardless of your political affiliation, maintain positive relations with politicians and policy makers. Dealing with the politics of elected officials is extremely important. I’m not advocating active campaigning and endorsing candidates; I am talking about building strong relationships with the elected officials in your community. Remember, these folks establish policy that includes staffing and funding levels. Many times local people enter politics for very idealistic reasons. Many continue on and hope to get reelected. They may even aspire to higher offices.
You can help them in a variety of ways: You can actively campaign, you can contribute financially, and you can deliver votes. If you are like most typical people in the fire service, you probably can’t do enough in any of these areas to be a strong influence on a politician. It may not be wise to actively campaign, you probably don’t have enough money (if you are a typical fire service professional), and you may not have enough personal contacts to deliver votes. However, you may be popular enough in your community to influence other voters. If you cannot do much in these areas, what else can you do?
There are a couple of things. First, do your job well, and be an expert in your profession. By providing a quality service, you give elected officials something to put on their résumés, to brag about, and possibly even use for their reelection platform.
Credit the politicians whenever possible, especially when they appropriate adequate funds or support policies beneficial to your organization.
The other method for influencing politicians is through building strong relationships. Many times, those in elected positions go to people they trust and believe have the necessary skills, knowledge, and ability to provide them with honest and useful information. In short, they go to their friends and people they like.
You need to be visible and active in your community. Participate in associations. Reach out. Most people will not come to you. You need to be an expert, and you need to be respectful. You cannot build a relationship overnight. If you want to have a long, lasting effect, start early, remain patient, and develop things for the long haul.
• Be nice to all. In politics, there can be a very complex web so that you never know who has access or influence. You may not always realize the relationships between other people. There is a very simple rule here: Be nice to all. All members of the department should follow this advice. You need to maintain this demeanor through thick and thin. It has to become part of your lifestyle. Will it work 100 percent of the time? No. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not the most effective way to build relationships. People like to be around individuals who are pleasant. It’s that simple.
Working with politicians is no different from working with others. Sometimes, it may be on a little higher level and have just a bit more intensity. Besides being nice, treat the officials with respect and fairness. Recognize their position within the community. Make sure there are no surprises (which is a good rule for interacting with all your bosses). Do things that make them look good, and give them credit when credit is due.
SOME SKEPTICAL ABOUT THE VALUE OF POLITICS
Some in the fire service don’t believe that politics are necessary. They attribute any success the department/fire service may have experienced to firefighter popularity and a great public image. This has been the case recently, and it certainly was strengthened by the events of September 11, 2001. Clearly, firefighters have become extremely popular. This, however, has not always translated into more, better, or even appropriate resources to do the job. So, although the image has improved, popularity has increased without improving the appropriate relationships. And without good relationships, you are only as good as your last press clipping! An improved image has not necessarily translated into improvements across the board.
Politics are a very important part of any job. You cannot do your job if you don’t have adequate resources. Those resources come from a variety of sources. Here are a few tips that can help to build these resources:
• Recognize that politics are an important part of the job; this will help you to prepare to use politics as an effective tool.
• Identify what you need/should do, formally and informally. There is nothing wrong with making a list of the things you need to do.
• Identify the key players. Remember the key component of politics is building relationships with all in your “society.” Some people with decision-making authority or who influence those in power will have the most payback to you.
• Stay visible, and participate. Building relationships means being involved. You need to attend as many events as you possibly can outside of your organization. This does two things: It keeps you visible so that people know that there is a fire department, and it gives you an informal setting within which to talk to others.
• Control your ego. Everyone has one. Poli-ticians don’t want to be overshadowed by an appointee or another employee in the organization.
You don’t find a lot of discussions about politics in the fire service manuals or at fire service conferences. It is much more entertaining to talk about the strategies and tactics of our job-big fires and big disasters get a lot of attention, and rightfully so. But for the long-term health and development of the fire service, we need to pay more attention to the political aspects of our jobs. Very few departments are adequately staffed and have sufficient resources. Even fewer departments can provide all of the services they need to provide strictly on their own. We need to understand the importance of developing our capabilities, influencing government policy, obtaining power and leadership, and understanding the total complex of relationships among those in our society.
● RICHARD MARINUCCI has been chief of the Farmington Hills (MI) Fire Department since 1984. He was president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs in 1997-98 and the chair of the Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation. In 1999, he served as senior advisor to Director James Lee Witt of FEMA and acting chief operating officer of the United States Fire Administration for seven months as part of a loan program between the City of Farmington Hills and FEMA. He received the Outstanding Public Service Award from the director for his efforts. Marinucci has three B.S. degrees: in secondary education from Western Michigan University, in fire science from Madonna College, and in fire administration from the University of Cincinnati. He was the first graduate of the Open Learning Fire Service Program at the University of Cincinnati (summa cum laude) and was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1995.
Richard A. Marinucci will present “Politics and the Fire Chief” at the Fire Department Instructors Conference in Indianapolis, April 11-16. Consult the FDIC Official Show Program for exact date and time.
