Today’s fire service leaders face many scenarios not faced by our counterparts of the past. From terrorism to technology, we are constantly challenged by the changing nature of our job and the environment in which we work. As a result, there are more opportunities for us to come under intense public scrutiny and fewer company officers who are willing to make the move to fire chief. As with any aspect of the job, we must reevaluate the tools we use to work through challenging times to ensure they’re suitable for the leaders of today and tomorrow.
Resources for Tough Times
In 1993, the IAFC published “Fire Chief Under Attack,” which outlines what happens when a fire chief comes under fire, and provides a checklist of suggestions on how to cope with and overcome the situation. Nearly 15 years later, the book has steered countless chiefs through difficult times, but its limited focus on labor-management issues and its critical tone diminishes its value as a modern resource for the chiefs of today and tomorrow.
Today’s fire-service leaders need a resource that raises awareness about the types of crises a chief can face and offers guidance and support to help manage them when they occur. We need to take a page from our all-hazards approach in the field and apply it to leadership development.
At the recent Harvard Fellowship Alumni Symposium held at the National Fire Academy, we polled the group for suggestions about how the IAFC can update “Fire Chief Under Attack.” The answers can be broken down to preparation, mitigation, response and recovery.
Preparation: It was suggested that we implement an orientation program for people transitioning into the role of chief and promote available educational resources to chief officers. Other ideas include coordinating with the joint IAFC/IAFF Labor Management Initiative program and engaging local elected officials, such as city managers, to make them aware of resources available to their fire departments.
Mitigation & Response: In the mitigation and response categories, the most obvious idea was to revise “Fire Chief Under Attack” to address a number of common crises. Additionally, there were several suggestions for possible companion resources, such as an online system to capture and share lessons learned and a database where chiefs who have been through a crisis can provide others peer support via phone or e-mail. In more involved situations, an individual or small team of chiefs could respond in person to assist the chief.
Recovery: Recovery includes the after-action analysis and case study for future situations. Resources include solutions for those who ultimately separate from their department, such as how to find another job or how to prepare for retirement.
On the Right Path
Now is a great time to expand our capabilities to offer chiefs support and real-time resources to help them address a variety of challenges. The IAFC will be seeking continued input from the alumni of the Harvard Fellows and others to update the “Fire Chief Under Attack” and to contribute their experiences to this process.
As we begin to wade through the multitude of options for how to best help our leaders through crises, there are many issues to consider–confidentiality, legal implications, how we leverage existing resources–but I am confident we are on the right path. One thing is certain: If we don’t prepare and support chiefs in crisis, no one will want to step up to be “the chief.”
For those who need help now, the IAFC will continue to offer support; please contact Mary Beth Michos, deputy director and chief of operations, at chiefincrisis@iafc.org.
