Live at FRI: A Tough Talk about Ethics in the Fire Service

Based on what he’s read in daily news reports, particularly over the last few months, Mark Light, CEO and executive director of the IAFC, believes that, on average, two or three fire chiefs or chief officers are arrested each week for engaging in some form of illegal behavior.

That’s a pretty stunning estimate–an estimate that underscores the need for a serious discussion about ethical behavior in the fire service. This is exactly why I wanted to talk to Chief Hugo Esparza of the Plano (Texas) Fire Department about his FRI session “The HR Challenge: Raising the Ethical Bar”. The panel discussion–which included presentations by various members of the IAFC’s Human Relations Committee–tackled the growing number of HR challenges faced by the fire service, and how these challenges may be addressed through the lens of ethical behavior.

Seeing the Need for a Tough Talk
Although the issue of bad behavior in the fire service isn’t a particularly new one, it is one that’s getting more and more attention, particularly with social media outlets putting everyone’s activities and opinions on display 24/7. And as Esparza explains, with the fire service facing growing criticism related to pension and overtime issues, now is the time for serious discussions about ethical behavior in the fire service–even if those conversations are uncomfortable.

But where to begin? Esparza said that the discussions about an FRI session of this nature began during an IAFC Human Relations Committee meeting last year. “As leaders of the fire service, we felt that ethical behavior is something that we–individually; it can’t be collectively–need to go back and reassess in terms of what our role is as a fire chief, as a leader in the department,” he says. He explained that many of the issues relate to diversity/inclusiveness; recruiting and hiring; finances, such as abuse of overtime; social media; and labor-management relations. “So as we talked about it, we chose ethics as one of the overarching themes for our committee, believing that if we focus on ethics, we could bring about better or improved behavior, professionalism, and fairness in the fire service, and that would take care of a lot of the problems and controversies that we have,” he says.

He acknowledges that some of these topics can be unpleasant or awkward to talk about, but adds that when they are broached from the perspective of ethics, the issues can be simplified. “I think that’s a global theme that everybody can relate to, no matter who you are, no matter what your position is, or your ethnicity or your rank,” he says. “If we all acted at a certain level of honesty and integrity, then that would take away a lot of the barriers so that we can begin to talk about common issues. It puts you more on a neutral plane to talk about issues.”

Defining Ethical Behavior
Of course, what’s “ethical” to one person may not be “ethical” to another, which Esparza acknowledges. But he says from a leadership perspective, it’s about determining what other people expect of us. “They expect us to be open, to communicate, to be honest–I don’t think there’s any way around that. Honesty is honesty–telling the truth and not lying,” he says. “So in a sense, the principles are easy. The difficulty is doing it.” He adds that the main point of addressing ethical behavior isn’t necessarily to define it per se, but to get people thinking about it–being reflective and introspective about what it means to them and how they can exhibit good behavior.

It’s Hard to Be a Fire Chief
One of the reasons that Esparza believes that this topic is so relevant today is because of how things have changed for fire chiefs over the past 30 years. “The things that you could get away with or that people wouldn’t think too much about 30 years ago will get you instantly dismissed today,” he says. “I’m not making judgments on it, that’s just the reality.” He adds that nowadays, everyone is watching chiefs’ every moves–and rightfully so. He explains that the old cliché “Do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t fly anymore. “You really have to be cognizant of everything going on around you,” he says. “Having said that, it shouldn’t be something that you have to work on. Ethical conduct–you’re fair, you’re honest, you don’t lie, you don’t cheat, you don’t steal–those are the foundations.”

Adopting the Code of Conduct
Esparza says one of the HR committee’s goals is to encourage the IAFC membership–and the fire service in general–to adopt the IAFC’s Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct and Enforcement, which were created in 2008. “We want to bring it to the forefront where all of us as members will adopt it personally, professionally and take it back to their organizations,” he says. “It’s a simple goal but it’s a big one for us.”

Esparza adds that even if people don’t choose to adopt the IAFC’s Code of Ethics word for word, it would be great to at least get organizations working on developing their own customized Codes of Ethics. As noted, however, the real battle may rest in getting members to actually follow such codes, which Esparza says could be difficult if people try to cover too much in an overly specific way. “But if you just take the fundamental values in those documents and begin to apply those, then we’re on the road to where we want to be,” he says.

Final Thoughts
Esparza notes that although ethics isn’t as tangible as many of the other issues faced by firefighters, it’s a critical part of being a leader. He explains that there is a big difference between making an administrative mistake related to a budget or payroll report, for example, and making an ethical mistake. “If you’re dishonest, if you lie, if you steal, those things have a long-lasting detrimental impact on you as a fire chief, on your organization, on the city you work for and even on your family,” he says. “Those are the mistakes that often cannot be corrected.”

Resources
For more information about the IAFC’s Code of Ethics for Fire Chiefs, visit www.iafc.org/about and click on “Position Statements.” The Code of Conduct is accessible online to IAFC members.