Fire & EMS Leader Pro The job of old firefighters is to teach young firefighters how to become old firefighters!
By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer
Rank privilege has no place in a fire department when it comes to inappropriate behavior. The other day, my LinkedIn colleague, Nancy Perry, shared a very disturbing news report about three high-ranking chief 
officers, including the fire chief, who’d been disciplined for posting lewd photos of themselves on social media while they were attending this year’s FDIC in Indianapolis.
A “good” example of the continued existence of rank privilege in the fire service. Pretty sure that if this had been a couple of firefighters or junior officers on their first out-of-town conference they would have been fired in a “New York Minute.” And probably without due process.
With increasing rank must come greater consequences for inappropriate behavior (The higher the climb, the farther the fall). This is not likely the first time these three high ranking officers had been to an out-of-town conference. It’s also not likely that this is the first time that they’ve engaged in such unprofessional behavior (While in uniform, no less) while out-of-town on fire department business (And on the taxpayers’ “dime”).
I also fault the local government leadership for basically administering a “slap on the wrist” to these chief officers, each of who was suspended from duty and received a letter of written reprimand. Can that leadership honestly expect that these fire officers will ever again be worthy of the respect of their subordinate officers and firefighters?
Self discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.”–Peter Drucker
How will those officers will be able to enact disciplinary measures, including the termination of employment if necessary, for junior members of the organization? How will they do that without the inevitable “backlash”—and possible litigation—from the aggrieved member, “Why didn’t the Chief get fired for what he did?”
Self discipline is essential to leadership, you can’t pretend to be a leader, if you don’t have some discipline in your life. After all, you are a model for others, and people looks for discipline in the core foundation of their leaders.–Peter Drucker
Those local governmental leaders should have sent a “loud and clear” message to not just the members of the fire department, but all of its governmental employees by terminating the employment of the three officers who failed at having the self-discipline required of a leader.
Harsh you say? Not in my opinion (And we all know what people say about opinions). As leaders of any fire service organization, one of the struggles that we have is maintaining discipline and good order within the ranks.
One of the more common “bitches” that I’ve heard often from firefighters—while on the job or teaching at various venues across the USA, including the National Fire Academy—is that “the rules don’t apply to everyone.” Their perception (Or in too many cases, like this one for instance, the reality) is that “rank has its privileges.”
And we wonder why too many fire departments still have a culture of “boys will be boys”?
