Chief Concerns Richard Marinucci
Firefighters and fire departments have a hard time saying no. When asked to help, the answer is usually yes and then an effort is made to comply.
This is a noble trait. But, at some point, the question has to be asked: Are resources available to accomplish the task? For example, if an individual is committed to doing something that would be considered a full-time job, would you expect him to take on another job requiring the same commitment? If you did, what would your expectations be regarding the quality of job performance? There are times when certain things cannot be accomplished or the outcome is mediocre at best.
Added responsibilities, limited resources, expanding run volumes, training opportunities, and a finite amount of funding restrict the level of competence of individuals and organizations. You cannot be all things to everyone. We see this happening in fire departments and other related businesses where expansion exceeds capabilities to the point that everything is watered down. With the exception of larger departments, fire service personnel are expected to be generalists, knowing a little about a lot.
To stick with bigger organizations for a moment, if you work on a truck company, you require certain skills. Since you are not required on a regular basis to perform other parts of the job, you can focus on the expected tasks to be performed. This does not mean you do not need some basics in all aspects, but it does mean you can get better at your craft. Think of it as a musician. You can learn to play many instruments, but to be really good at one, you need to focus your efforts.
So for many in today’s service, the job requires competence in fire (obviously), emergency medical service, special rescue, leadership, and other skills depending on the risks faced by the community. When the run volume reaches a certain point, maintaining a high level of competence becomes more challenging. Many departments find it difficult to schedule training around emergency response, and those that do often find crews being called from the training to respond to the public. Without continual skills development, something has to suffer. You end up sending firefighters to do things they may not be properly prepared to handle. This will affect the service provided and can place unnecessary risks on the most valuable resource: your personnel.
What does this really mean? There is no doubt that the fire service will continue to either be asked to expand its services or will volunteer to do so. Some of this is necessary as the world continues to change and always will. Adapting to changing roles is part of everyone’s responsibilities, especially an organization’s administration and management. Part of this responsibility is to be candid when discussing how expanding responsibilities impact the department and realistically appraise capabilities to perform the work. Honest feedback is necessary and must be delivered with tact and diplomacy. Facts and data also are critical. There are limitations on what can and cannot be done.
In cases where firefighters and specific companies are too busy to learn new things, the chances for errors in response will be greater. For example, building construction is constantly evolving. Each change affects how the building will react under thermal assault. If information is not provided to responding crews that should be factored into decisions on tactics and strategies, successful outcomes are not likely. Structural integrity must be a major consideration. There must be time to study building construction, alter tactics, and train on alternative methods to accomplish objectives. Departments on overload with respect to job responsibilities, especially those grossly under resourced, may not adjust to the changing work environment.
There are many standards and regulations that require compliance by those in the fire service. As new responsibilities are added to the job, standards and regulations along with policies and procedures will follow. There is an ever-increasing number of these coming from organizations like the National Fire Protection Association and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. When something goes wrong, claiming you were unaware of the requirements of the job is not a defense. Failing to know the content of standards and regulations can have significant negative consequences should something go wrong. This is yet another factor in the challenges facing the fire service when accepting additional work.
Tools and equipment are needed to do almost everything asked of a fire department. Departments must know the right tools to acquire for the jobs at hand. They must have the funding to purchase the same. Take time to research the best options for each task. Once a decision is made as to what is needed, there must be familiarization and training. This obviously takes time and requires subject matter experts to do the training. Time and money are needed. This must be evaluated prior to saying “yes” when asked if the fire department can to do more. Doing more with less is rarely possible. When it is, it is the result of technological advances, which require more expenditure.
Another consideration regarding this is storage and deployment of new tools and equipment. How much space remains in your apparatus compartments? If you are typical, all existing space is being used. Can you create space on your apparatus? Are there items no longer important that can be replaced? Too often, departments do not pare down their equipment cache, and compartments get more crowded. This will affect tool deployment, possibly slowing an operation unnecessarily. Do you acquire additional vehicles or continue to expand the size of what you have as you replace your rolling stock? There are so many questions that need to be asked (and answered) when more is added to your job responsibilities.
The roles and responsibilities of fire departments are ever-expanding. The resulting challenge is maintaining a level of competence that delivers the quality of service that emergencies demand. Many departments are asked to do more even though staffing has not been adequate for previous duties. Organizations need time to train for serious events, yet run volumes may not allow this in understaffed departments. It is time to begin the discussion as to the future of the fire service with respect to its ability to deliver high performance. Piling on tasks without evaluating capabilities must stop. Competence levels must be honestly evaluated, and organizations must consciously accept additional duties.
RICHARD MARINUCCI is the executive director of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) and chief (ret.) of the White Lake Township (MI) Fire Department. He retired as chief of the Farmington Hills (MI) Fire Department in 2008, a position he had held since 1984. He is a Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment and Fire Engineering Editorial Advisory Board member, a past president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), and past chairman of the Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation. In 1999, he served as acting chief operating officer of the U.S. Fire Administration for seven months. He has a master’s degree and three bachelor’s degrees in fire science and administration and has taught extensively.
