FHWorld17: Breaking the Hazing Trend

The fire service is steeped in history and tradition, and many of those traditions are universally accepted and appreciated for how they help build the brotherhood. But what about those traditions that are questionable in nature—a tradition like hazing the new guy?

In his Wednesday Firehouse World session “Why Do We Eat Our Young: Breaking the Hazing Trend,” Reuben Farnsworth of RockStar Education and Consulting shared his experiences with hazing in the EMS community and how we can sometimes discourage new providers, setting a negative tone for their experience and perpetuating a destructive tradition.

“Rite of passage—I hate that phrase,” Farnsworth said. “Some of our traditions belittle the new people. I don’t buy that that forms a sense of brotherhood. We need to give our members the tools to succeed.” Instead of focusing on “initiating” a rookie, Farnsworth suggested “adopting” a rookie, taking on the role of a mentor to guide, teach, support and encourage.

He underscored that breaking the hazing trend doesn’t mean you can’t have fun or play practical jokes with your crew. The key is that it just can’t cross a line to the point where the new member doesn’t feel supported, where there’s a lack of trust or where they are ultimately pushed out of the first responder community altogether.

Farnsworth argued that so many of the hazing traditions are passed down from generation to generation, meaning it’s up to the current generation to stop the cycle. “Someone has to stand up and say ‘no,’” he said. You might not change the culture of the organization—and it certainly won’t happen overnight—but you can influence the next generation or class of responders, so they treat those after them with respect.

One reason why it is so important to focus on support rather than hazing or intimidation is because of the difficult nature of fire and EMS calls. First responders are exposed to horrific scenes—scenes that can stay with them and even lead to PTSD. Many cope with this through dark humor; others with drugs or alcohol.

“We’ve got a whole generation of people who don’t want to talk about their feelings,” he said. “But there’s nothing wrong with saying you need help.” Taking it one step further, he encouraged offering help so that EMTs and firefighters feel supported and know they have someone they can talk to about those difficult calls or issues they are experiencing in their lives. This will ultimately help them be more resilient in their careers.

Farnsworth reiterated that the fire service is a family and “If we’re going to say it’s a family, then we need to act like a family”—and that means treating each other how we would want to be treated.