Diane Schroder, who is a battalion chief for the Louisville, CO, Fire Protection District, joins many who are in the fire service who appreciate the diligent work that has been carried out to improve the physical safety of firefighters in so many ways. Unfortunately, not nearly as much attention has been/is being paid to the emotional safety, if you will, of the same people.
Schroder spoke to this in her Firehouse World 2020 presentation, “Is that Your Final Answer: Ethics in the Fire Service.”
Schroder contends that this isn’t surprising nor something to which blame should be assigned, given the fire service’s focus on what’s obviously tangible, the concrete. “We train for the black and white,” she said, “and we hold on really, really hard to our heritage and traditions.” However, it’s in the shades of gray where members’ emotional susceptibilities lie.
Schroder pointed out that emotional safety often drifts into the realm of ethics, and ethics directly correlates with culture.
“If you have a culture where people know that they will be accountable, then [problems that have emotional consequences] will change,” she told attendees.
In the absence of a culture of accountability, when matters that challenge ethical behavior arise, Schroder encourages the practice of L.I.P.S, or listen, interpret, pause and speak. She recounted a circumstance that occurred not long after she arrived at her new department. During a meal, a male firefighter commented that his wife didn’t believe that women belong in the fire service. Schroder listened, then asked a couple of questions to aid in helping her to interpret what the firefighter meant. She then paused—for 10 days—to ensure that her reaction wasn’t emotionally fueled. Ultimately, when she spoke about the matter up the ladder, she did so calmly, which permitted an even-handed evaluation of the instance.
“When you unpack the box, is it a personal problem, a policy problem or a cultural problem?” she explained. “It’s really important to dig down and find out the story.”
When all is said and done, “I think it goes to trusting your people,” Schroder said. She agrees with research that contends that a work environment in which people believe that they’re emotionally safe is where the best teams thrives.
“We have to focus on keeping the people we have and keeping them happy, healthy and whole.”
Rich Dzierwa | Managing Editor, Firehouse Magazine
Rich Dzierwa joined Firehouse Magazine in 2019 after four tenures with other publications. He was editor-in-chief of Consumers Digest/ConsumersDigest.com and of trade magazine Cutting Tool Engineering. He served as the consumer products reporter for BridgeNews and began his publishing career with an 11-year tenure at Appliance magazine, where he rose to managing editor after serving in other roles. Dzierwa's experience with consumer products, including furnishings, appliances, electronics and space design, has transferred to his Firehouse work regarding the magazine's Station Design columns and the Station Design Awards. Previous work also has contributed to his supervision of several surveys of fire service/EMS members, to produce unique reporting for Firehouse's audience. Dzierwa earned a bachelor's degree in English from Columbia College Chicago.
