By Shawn Perry
At the beginning of each fire academy, the chiefs would always visit with the academy staff and offer words of support and wisdom. A common thread in all of their advice was, “You can teach almost anyone how to throw ladders and pull hose, but don’t bring us attitude problems.” Usually, there was a follow-up meeting with human resources and labor relations to educate the staff on the basic dos and don’ts regarding staff behavior as well as basic parameters for documentation and discipline of recruits. The fundamental goal of all involved was to train fire recruits to become competent and productive probationary firefighters.
There isn’t a single firefighter in the fire service today who wants new employees to go into the field with an obvious character weakness or, more commonly stated, an “attitude problem.” Attitude, however, is probably the most difficult fire recruit component to assess in an academy environment.
Webster’s describes attitude, personality, character, and behavior as terms that are related but distinct from one another:
Attitude: a mental position with regard to a fact or state.
Personality: the quality or state of being a person; the condition or fact relating to a particular person.
Behavior: the manner of conducting oneself.
Character: a complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation.
Of the four definitions, character is the most comprehensive and applicable for this discussion because it describes mental and ethical traits. The term “traits” has the connotation of consistency and permanency regarding a person’s tendency to act. Personality is generally considered a bit more superficial in nature. You can describe a person as having a really funny personality, but it may not accurately describe his character. Character has a deeper meaning. When you describe recruits as having good or bad attitudes, you are describing an emotional component that makes up a significant portion of their character. Behavior is extremely significant, because it describes an action that may be the foundation for evaluating character. In other words, you can’t document attitude or personality, but you can document behaviors that support or describe a person’s character. This becomes critical when discipline may be involved.
Imagine you are called to task for your evaluation of a recruit and your written or verbal account simply stated, “The recruit displayed a bad attitude during the drill.” What does this mean? Absolutely nothing! Now describe the action (behavior) that led you to the conclusion of bad attitude such as, “The recruit kept looking away from the instructor as if disinterested and rolled his eyes during a portion of the instruction while the other recruits remained attentive and respectful.” Now you have described an inappropriate behavior by the recruit and have also distinguished the behavior from that of the rest of the class. This is helpful not only in documentation but in helping the recruit understand his deficiency. Describing the behavior also provides an opportunity for the recruit to explain his actions.
If recruits cannot throw a ladder because of a strength issue or exhibit an inability to operate in a confined space or on air, you have a fairly straightforward documentation issue. You simply describe their inability to meet an academy (firefighting) standard of performance (behavior) and attempt through your expertise to teach the recruits to achieve the manipulative objective. If recruits are given a reading assignment and are tested, they must meet a preestablished minimum score to pass the subject. Standards in the areas of academic and manipulative performance are backed by the following:
- Job descriptions and responsibilities.
- Local, state, and national regulations and standards.
- Precedents established over decades of expected performance by the agencies involved.
When faced with recruits who appear to have character traits that may be incompatible on the fireground or in the fire station, how do you present your case? How do you describe quantifiably (and defensibly) that recruits who appear capable of doing the job are not qualified to be firefighters because of character issues?
First, let’s look at defining parameters relevant to the fire service. Critical components of successful firefighter character should include categories such as teamwork, demeanor, initiative, appearance, adherence to protocols, and composure.
TEAMWORK
The “me generation” doesn’t work in the fire service. Individualism is neither fashionable nor effective here and never will be. We are not a football, baseball, or hockey team, but we need to work together as a team to accomplish a mission that involves much higher stakes.
How do you evaluate whether recruits in an academy environment will be team players during a critical 9-1-1 situation? How do you know recruits will pitch in adequately for duties around the fire station? Academy structure and design in the United States vary as much as ice cream flavors, but it’s all called ice cream. Academies are all about training recruits to become an effective team of firefighters, but how do we get them there? What do you do in your academy process to train recruits on the value of teamwork, and how do you evaluate their performance?
One method of attempting to evaluate teamwork is to put a group of recruits under physical or mental (or both) duress with a common objective or challenge. This situation could occur on a regular basis during your physical conditioning program. While individual physical performance may be important regarding capabilities to accomplish fire-related tasks, we all agree that no one single person puts out a fire or extricates someone from a vehicle. Some physical fitness activities should be team-based, and your job as an instructor should be to observe behaviors of recruits while under duress. Base your observation on some of the following criteria:
1. Did the recruits perform their part at an acceptable level (defined by accepted, validated standards)?
2. Did the recruits encourage or assist others with completing the task at hand?
3. Did the recruits give up?
4. Did the recruits make excuses for any lack of performance?
5. Did the recruits blame others for lack of performance?
6. Did the recruits stay to themselves during or after the activity?
7. Did the recruits stand out in any way either positively or negatively?
8. Did the recruits work in a cooperative manner to help the team accomplish the objective?
Your job as an instructor is to promote teamwork and to explain teamwork in the fire service, but it is up to the recruits to exhibit those behaviors. Placing recruits in a stressful situation is one method of observing and evaluating teamwork, but there are less obvious yet powerful methods. Challenge the group with problem-solving scenarios including the less dramatic chores of cleaning an apparatus or tools. Again, you must establish an acceptable standard of performance so the recruits have a clear objective; but, as the academy progresses, put them in a situation to let them determine how they will function as a unit. Establish the expectation, and then observe the behavior. Unfortunately, some recruits will determine it is just a game and will meet the expectation with false enthusiasm to please the instructor or pass the test. This is difficult to prove, let alone document.
As the academy approaches operational levels such as fireground scenarios, put the recruits in various company positions, including company officer, and observe how they interact. Remember that you are not training recruits to be captains. You are looking for demonstrations of teamwork. Refer again to the above questions regarding team-related performance and describe what you observed.
DEMEANOR
Have you ever watched a group of recruits (or anyone) during a lecture? Most students are attentive, sitting in a respectful posture, and one or two people are obviously disinterested, as evidenced by their demeanor? Think of how disrespectful this appears to the instructor and how distracting it may be to others. Some would say such a person has a bad attitude, which is probably true, but how would you describe the behavior? In the case of the academy environment, such recruits need immediate feedback that adequately describes their behavior for learning and documentation purposes.
Some recruits really don’t know how they appear to others and may never have been in a paramilitary environment such as a fire academy. In some cases, however, the behavior may be so outrageous (eye rolling, arguing with the instructor) that there is no adequate excuse for this inappropriate behavior. If you as an instructor are convinced that a recruit has an “attitude problem” because of demeanor issues, examine what led you to such a conclusion. If you cannot articulate (in writing) what seems inappropriate, it is because either you lack adequate training to describe behavior or you may have an unfair bias toward a recruit.
Never discipline recruits based on a “gut feeling” or “instinct,” but attempt to describe the basis for your opinion. This can be difficult; consult with your supervisor for guidance. Once you criticize or discipline recruits without a basis to describe the behavior, you have no leg to stand on. In today’s educated and litigious society, you cannot afford to appear arbitrary or be without clear justification for actions that are punitive in nature. Remember, this isn’t necessarily about discipline. You are responsible for behavior modification to help recruits become successful probationary firefighters. Describe the behavior that leads you to your conclusion, and counsel the recruits at the earliest practical time (preferably immediately).
INITIATIVE
One of the traits of successful and productive firefighters is that they are “doers”! Although your academy is packed with curriculum, there should be opportunities for recruits to demonstrate some form of initiative—volunteering for a demonstration, staying late to work on skills or equipment, asking questions that might help clarify discussions or directions, performing work with hustle and vigor, or exceeding academy standards of any kind.
On the other hand, recruits who barely meet academy standards may be counseled for poor initiative-based minimal performance. Getting the captain a cup of coffee in the morning is out! In fact, forms of initiative that favor staff members directly may detract from the team concept. Do not encourage this behavior, but rather counsel the recruit immediately. You may find yourself in the chief’s office trying to justify wasting a recruit’s time to serve you or other staff members.
Initiative should involve actions that provide for the betterment of something related to the objectives of the academy either personally or for the group (it can transcend to teamwork also).
APPEARANCE
Appearance is usually more accurately described in your academy or department rules and regulations. Why does this component fall under the category of character? While rules and regulations define parameters of appearance such as personal grooming and uniform standards, there is opportunity to define the recruits by the “quality” of their adherence to such policies. Clearly instruct recruits on the expectations, and then evaluate them throughout the academy. Recruits should not show up with wrinkled or dirty uniforms or unshaven. Some recruits sweat more and may need to wash their drill ground turnouts often to reduce or prevent offensive odors. Remember, we are going to be living with these folks!
If recruits have marginal or poor appearance, you can probably conclude they will not improve once they become front-line firefighters. Conduct announced or unannounced inspections frequently, and evaluate personal appearance. Do not include physical appearance such as being overweight. If the recruit passed your department’s physical requirements to qualify for your academy, then criticism regarding physical appearance can be regarded as discrimination.
ADHERENCE TO PROTOCOLS
The fire service continues to operate under a semi- or paramilitary environment. This component is paramount to our fundamental operations at an emergency scene. When you bring recruits with no military background into an academy environment, you must teach them the need to learn and follow basic protocols. This will be more challenging for those who lack familiarity with such formal structure. The recruits must be able to assimilate the information and convert it into appropriate behavior. Adherence to protocols is about uniformity and respect for rank and structure. If recruits disregard protocols after adequate instruction, they need additional training or discipline to modify their behavior.
Chain of command is another concept that may not be familiar to many recruits and may need thorough instruction. Recruits who continually disregard chain of command may not be suitable for the fire service.
COMPOSURE
How do recruits deal with the stresses of the academy? Do they focus on the objective? Do they become overexcited and trade efficiency for enthusiasm? Do they become outwardly frustrated through body language or verbally when they don’t perform well? Do they panic in difficult training situations? Do they accept criticism well? Do they anger easily?
We all need composure during an emergency. Composure is a cornerstone of professionalism. Recruits must understand that although the public has no particular code of behavior during an incident, it is paramount that responders remain calm to help solve the problem.
EVALUATION METHODS
Fire academies generally share the same goal: training people to become competent, successful probationary firefighters. Part of this training includes the successful adoption of your department’s core values. The core values for the Sacramento (CA) Regional Fire Academy are “Honor, Courage, and Devotion to Duty.” Your core values may be similar, but these and other heartfelt terms describe the emotional (character!) part of our profession that separates us from other organizations. The components of character described above assist us in determining or predicting whether recruits will subscribe to our core values.
It is our duty to instruct recruits on fire service values. We are also responsible to observe, evaluate, counsel, and—if necessary—discipline recruits regarding their performance. Not all recruits are meant to be firefighters regardless of their success in other components of the academy.
WRITTEN EVALUATIONS
Recruits should have periodic and systematic written evaluations to provide feedback regarding all components of their performance. They should also be given an opportunity to discuss the results. Two evaluators should always be present, to provide a witness and to help facilitate the discussion. The components of character listed above should appear on each evaluation with a rating system that describes the recruits as follows: meets academy standard (S), needs improvement (I), or unacceptable (U). You may use a numeric scale or other system that works for your organization, but follow it up with documentation of supporting examples or incidents.
Note: Recruits should never hear about a deficiency in their performance for the first time during an evaluation. The best and most effective opportunity to address and possibly modify behavior is immediately following the incident (if practical). After receiving the written evaluation, recruits should be provided an opportunity to ask questions or comment on any portion. You are charged with the responsibility of quantifying and describing behaviors, but recruits should be given the opportunity to explain the behavior and articulate what they are doing to modify or eliminate undesirable traits. Ultimately, if they have deficiencies or undesirable behaviors, they must be given specific feedback on how to improve. Put this feedback in writing to protect you and the recruits from any misunderstanding in the future, particularly if discipline is involved.
PEER EVALUATIONS
Our academy borrowed and modified a program used by the Sacramento Police Department to help recruits better understand how they are perceived by their peers. At the mid-point of each academy, recruits are required to fill out an evaluation of their peers. The evaluation is anonymous and nonpunitive; however, it is a powerful tool to help recruits understand how they “fit in” (or don’t). The peer evaluation is a series of questions about characteristics that describe the recruits, followed by a rating system and comments section. The questions revolve around competence and character issues, culminating with the question, “Would you want this person as your partner?”
Recruits also fill out a self-evaluation and mark “self” on the questionnaire. It is particularly interesting and revealing to see if recruits’ self-evaluations match the results of the group. This is where perception and reality meet (or don’t!). The results are gathered and reviewed by the staff. Summary statements are generated, and the staff then reviews the results with each recruit individually.
Again, have at least two staff members present. In most instances, the results match the observations of the staff; however, there are usually a few surprises—positive and negative. Recruits are given (verbally) the summary statements and a discussion ensues. Again, this is nonpunitive but can have a significant impact on recruits who do not necessarily understand how others perceive them. Recruits with significant negative evaluations may require extensive discussion with follow-up to check on their own “perceived” progress.
The categories of the peer evaluation include the following:
- Professionalism.
- Leadership.
- Integrity.
- Effort.
- Trust.
- Attitude.
- Poise.
- Ability to accept criticism.
- Ability to get along with others.
- Teamwork.
- What could recruits do to improve?
- Would you want this person to be your partner?
The last question is the bottom line, but the other questions build clues describing the recruits’ strengths and weaknesses. It is important when reviewing the results that you emphasize the positive and negative points. In fact, many recruits have only positive ratings or comments; they should be given the feedback as such.
BE A ROLE MODEL
Although character is not listed as a specific curriculum subject, your role as an instructor should include personal and professional behaviors that support the expectations you place on recruits. Your most effective teaching tool regarding character is how you represent yourself. In other words, be a role model. This does not mean that you should compete with recruits or attempt to prove your superiority. You do not have to be the best at everything to be an effective instructor. Remember, they are the students and you are the teacher. You are expected to be competent and knowledgeable, but if you make a mistake or don’t have all the answers, show integrity by admitting the mistake or seeking the right information. This may be the biggest opportunity you have to earn their respect and develop their trust.
At the end of many academies, former recruits would tell me that they appreciated the instructors who would participate and “put it on the line” in physical fitness activities or special drills. If you try to fake your way out of a situation, you have all but destroyed your ability to be an effective role model. Control your ego! Review the categories listed above, and evaluate yourself. Lead by example!
Fire academies have a responsibility to teach fire recruits how to become effective and successful firefighters. Knowledge, skills, and physical fitness components make up the curriculum of all fire academies, yet there is more to being firefighters. If you have the responsibility of teaching and evaluating the performance of fire recruits, you also have the responsibility of shaping the future of your department. Like most training officers, you have probably been in a fire station and wanted to come to the academy to make a difference or in some way “protect” your department’s values and culture.
You must have a set of tools to help you go from “gut feelings” about recruits to constructive, descriptive language about recruits’ behaviors. These learned skills ultimately lead to decisions regarding fire recruit character and suitability for the fire service. Use the guidelines above to assist you in character assessment and to become a more effective training officer.
Shawn Perry is a captain and 12-year veteran of the Sacramento (CA) Fire Department, currently assigned to Engine 7. The assistant fitness director since 1993, he has an M.S. in exercise physiology from the University of Illinois and a B.S. in human performance from San Jose State University. He has authored numerous articles relating to firefighter fitness.
