Cliques and Groups

[GetALife]

Does your department have cliques of members that hang out together or have very tight knit groups? How does this affect fire department business off the fireground such as meetings, voting, and other functions?

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

If you look at Jesus' disciples, you will find mention in the Bible of them forming into groups.

Every group ever has had these cliques. It all depends upon how you define clique? If I have two very good friends on the FD and I hang out with them in and out of the FH, does that make it a clique? And what do you do about it? You're dealing with adults. You can't tell them to go play with somebody else.

If the FD is managed properly, management should be able to transcend the power of a clique. If the clique manages to get people into management and get things passed, is it a clique? Or is it a clique called the majority?

[intraining]

Originally posted by GetALife
Does your department have cliques of members that hang out together or have very tight knit groups? How does this affect fire department business off the fireground such as meetings, voting, and other functions?

funny that you posted this, but i have just started volunteering at one of my local departments, and one of the first speeches we had from our volunteer coordinator was exactly about this issue, and i have also seen it happening firsthand. i do honestly believe it affects the firehouse as a whole and creates little problems where they shouldn't be. i obviously haven't been there long enough to know exactly what is going on, but i am just trying my best to get along with everyone and not get sucked up into the drama. i just want to do the best job that i can at what i have always dreamed of doing, not involve myself in petty, childish games.

[EoneTiller]

When i walk into our firehouse for a meeting or drill I can see all the little cliques there. there are the old timers in one area talking about whatever they talk about, also got the jr's usually in one area, also got the officers always talking with each other, then you got the "cool" guys of the firehouse hanging out. It doesnt effect how they vote or perform on or off the fire scene.

[RyanEMVFD]

my dept is still small enough where we don't exactly have this problem. we do have a small group of firefighters that joined right about the same time that like to hang out together. this has worked to our advantage thus far. we all pretty much get along with each other enough where we don't have problems.

[pumper41]

It's all "Volitics" folks - "Vollie Politics" if you did'nt get it.

[HFDEXP777]

Originally posted by pumper41
It's all "Volitics" folks - "Vollie Politics" if you did'nt get it.

boooooooo haha just kidding pumper