There always seems to be a hot topic in the news that deals with ethical leadership. Those of you who have kept up with current events on firehouse.com over the past year have seen a number of ethical issues played out in the news from the fire service.
We have seen a wide range of questionable ethical situations, from chief officers charged with falsifying documents (usually r?sum?s) to other chief officers being charged with negligence crimes in the death of firefighters while conducting training exercises.
In Arizona, one of the biggest ethical concerns in recent months was the fact that a firefighter has been charged with starting the Rodeo fire, the largest fire in the State's history, just to ensure that he would get a heftier paycheck this past summer. Another incident to emerge from that fire was when a chief officer was disciplined for misuse of departmental equipment in protecting a personal vacation home located near the burn area.
Let me make it clear that I am not passing judgment on any of the individuals concerned in these cases; I am merely reporting the incidents as they occurred. I sincerely hope the fire personnel who face these charges are proven not to be guilty of breaking any laws. We all know that there is usually more to the story than what we read in the local newspaper, and that details that might exonerate an individual are sometimes sacrificed in order to make the story a little "juicier." Nevertheless, as Tom Peters said, "Perception is reality to the one doing the perceiving." It is often more difficult, and sometimes even more important, to address the perception of wrongdoing than the act in question.
At the very least, ethical issues make for some lively discussions around the kitchen table, do they not?
What about your fire department? Is there something on the books that provides direction to every member as to how to conduct himself or herself when faced with an ethical dilemma? Is there guidance for people to know how to act in the gray area between what is legally wrong and what is unethical? If so, who developed these guidelines? Do they cover every possible contingency? Do they change over time, as societal norms seem to do, and, if so, how often are they re-examined?
Let me toss out a few ethical situations that have always stimulated interesting discussions in some of the classes I've taught. Bounce a few of these off your fellow firefighters and see if they do the same at your station.
How do you personally feel about a local restaurant that offers a discount to firefighters in uniform? Is there a difference between your personal feelings and the department's policy? Does the department even have a policy on the subject? Should it?
What is the department's policy on fighting fires immediately outside the jurisdiction's boundaries? What if the area were in an unprotected zone, with no fire department or district being responsible to provide service there? Again, is there a difference between the department's policy and your personal feelings?
Let's say that you're assigned to Fire Prevention and you work extensively to help a contractor work through a particularly sticky problem with regard to building codes. After helping him out, you find a couple of tickets to the big game on your desk along with a note of thanks from the contractor. Are there any problems here?
You're out for a night on the town with your spouse and you witness a fellow firefighter using illegal drugs at a party. What do you do? Do you have an obligation to take any action?
Here's one of my favorites. A firefighter comes to you and asks you to write a letter of endorsement that would help him or her to land a higher paying job with another department. You would not be unhappy to see this firefighter leave your department for a number of reasons, including some suspicions you have about the firefighter's character. Do you write the letter, and give your problem to another department? Or should your loyalty be to the fire service in general?
Leaders, and I mean leaders at every level of the organization, not just those wearing gold badges, need to help the department address these issues. It isn't enough to say that members of our departments must obey the law. In fact, that ought to go without saying. We have to give our people the tools that will help them sort their way through those problems that are more than just clearly black and white.
Life is much more complicated than it used to be and our problems are no less complicated. In terms of organizational ethical behavior, we need to adopt a stance that obeys the spirit of the laws we adhere to, and not just the letter. That's the only way to ensure that we, as individuals, will do the right thing when we are faced with those nasty circumstances when there seems to be more than one right way or worse, when there doesn't seem to be a right way at all.
Related:
- Leadership: Ethics and the Code Enforcement Process
- Leadership: "Under-Promise; Over-Deliver"
- Leadership: When Firefighters Start Fires
