I recently had one of those “I never thought of it that way,” moments about diversity and inclusion in an organization, particularly fire departments, because I did serve with the Chesterfield (Va.) Fire and EMS Department for 26 years before retiring as a battalion chief. See if any of what I'm about to share with you “strike's a similar chord.”
Read More »Diversity
Non-Dominant Group Members Need Champions, Not Just Mentors
The key difference between mentors and sponsors is that mentors are “one-way streets”, giving their chosen mentee a gift of wisdom, time, and advice. Sponsorship requires reciprocity and commitment; sponsors serve as champions.
Read More »Firefighter Camps for Girls in 2020
By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer So, the other night my fire service colleague, Sue Jones, a Fire Prevention Officer with the Ottawa Fire Services, posted the following message on Facebook: “Last night, at the Fire Chief’s Commendations and Awards Ceremony, I was honoured [sic] to receive the Fire Chief’s Ambassador Award for my efforts with Camp FFIT. I think ...
Read More »The Diversity “Dog Whistle” in the Fire Service
Last time I checked, it's 2019. Isn't it about time to retire the diversity "dog whistle?" Why is it that so many white males in the fire service still hear "diversity" and their Pavlovian Response is "Diversity is fine, but not at the expense of quality and competence?
Read More »Build inclusiveness in your fire department and they will come
By: Marlene Kostyrka, Assistant Chief, Charleston (SC) Fire Department As I scroll through social media these days there seems to be a glaring issue with people skills, in the fire service. My motivation for writing this blog is a personal mission to provide information on inclusiveness and how the lack of it creates an internal risk that will take years ...
Read More »Men could stop sexual harassment in the fire service tomorrow
By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer Update: I’ve updated this post because I was moved by the courageous post I read today from a fire service colleague, Angie Hughes, Captain (Ret.) Baltimore County (Mary.) Fire Department. Or today, if it’s early enough in the day. Men in the fire service need to “step up” and call out sexist and misogynistic ...
Read More »Why aren’t fire departments getting better at inclusion?
By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer So, I was on the road headed towards FDIC 2019 in Indianapolis and some random thoughts began running through my head concerning fire service organizations and sexual harassment and inclusion and how are these things all intertwined. And how does the fire service work to eliminate that entanglement? Former U.S. Forest Service Battalion Chief ...
Read More »Women in the Fire Service: Carrying the Burden of Being Female
So, if a strong and articulate and bright woman can feel like this over the course of her career (Remember, she rose through the ranks and retired as a captain), how are other women dealing with these issues and anxieties?
Read More »Camp FFIT gives real fire service experience to young women in Ontario
They learn that to truly be successful in this career—especially for a woman—you have to be physically fit and mentally sharp at all times. ‘Cause as a firefighter you’ve always got to have your eyes and ears open and taking it all in, and if you don’t you could get yourself or someone else seriously injured or killed.
Read More »The role of scholarship in fire and emergency services
Chief Avsec highlights the importance for scholarship and research in the fire service with this post that features a new research paper from Firefighter Lydia Wilcox on the topic of women entering the fire service in Ontario, Canada.
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