FireFighterNation

A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted a Maryland firefighter for producing and possessing child pornography.

In this interview with FireRescue editor-in-chief Tim Sendelbach, Alisa Arnoff talks about the importance of company officer involvement in personnel issues and how company officers can become more comfortable confronting problem behaviors.

Firefighters are known for risking their lives for brother or sister firefighters. Yet this admirable trait can work against us when members are tempted to look the other way in the face of moral or ethical shortcomings.

A former captain with the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District in Sonoma County has been sentenced to a year in jail for embezzling more than $63,000 from the firefighters union and using the money for San Jose Sharks season tickets, a trip to Disneyland and a divorce attorney.

With more and more fire chiefs getting in trouble for some form of undesirable behavior, it's time to take a serious look at the personnel challenges faced by the fire service. Following is a look at the FRI session "The HR Challenge: Raising the Ethical Bar," being presented by Chief Hugo Esparza, who advocates looking at personnel issues through the lens of ethical behavior.