Tag Archives: organizational risk

The solution for an inclusive and diverse fire department is NOT just recruiting more women and people of color. The SOLUTION is recruiting the RIGHT people—qualified, inclusive, diverse and safety-conscious. And yes, that includes the RIGHT white males who understand why an inclusive and diverse department increases service and safety. Recruitment is not just getting more people to apply and show up for the test. Successful recruitment is the first level of the screening process.

One thing that I do believe is that cases like this are to Fire and EMS leadership and management what the "a canary dying in a coal mine" meant to coal miners underground.

By conducting an ICOF analysis, a department’s leader would provide an objective process that can help break down those informational “silos” so that all managers...

Am I “jumping the gun” on this one? We don’t know all the facts of the case, that’s for sure, but I know one thing from my career in the municipal fire service: You don’t conduct an extensive investigation of an incident, and produce a 200-page report that documents that investigation, because you didn’t have anything better to do.

…And all of these present serious reputation risks that can hurt a department's ability to raise money, gain support for projects or attract quality candidates. What Fire and EMS organization anywhere needs to take that kind of “hit”!

I’ve always believed that people are more likely to comply with policy through their own individual effort—or through group persuasion—when everyone clearly knows what’s at stake.