A few years ago, a friend of mine recommended I read a book called “Playing with Fire,” by Scott Lazenby. I immediately thought it was a book about some pyromaniac who’d been setting fires and causing chaos and destruction throughout a community. I could not have been more wrong. “Playing with Fire” depicts a situation that has become the political reality of the American fire service, a realistic view of the political challenges that every fire chief is facing or will eventually face. And in that regard, it serves as an offensive playbook for fire officers and chiefs.
“Playing with Fire” is about a small northwestern city facing a financial burden following a vote to roll back property taxes. Faced with an impending financial crisis, the mayor goes on the offensive and directs the city manager and his staff to come up with creative ideas on how to cut costs to offset the forthcoming reduction in revenues. After contemplating across-the-board, percentage-based cuts, a staff member approaches the city manager with a radical idea: Revamp the fire department.
When the book was written (2001), this idea would likely have caused strong public outcry and resistance built upon the tradition that public safety should be exempt from budget cuts–and in fact, a large portion of the book describes the resulting battle between firefighters, business owners and citizens.
But today, as I read the headlines of newspapers, professional Web sites and blog posts from across the country, it seems obvious: More and more politicians are playing with fire. No longer are we the (perceived) sacred cow left to graze in the greenest of pastures, blessed with the brightest smiles and public admiration. We are still the focal point of public attention, but it isn’t the public attention of years past, and it’s not the attention that makes us proud of what we do.
In some cases, proposed firefighter layoffs have brought about a rash of arson fires that not only put members of the public at risk, but firefighters as well. Incidents that have advanced beyond room-and-contents fires to full-blown structure fires are blamed on prolonged response times due to brownouts and/or station closings. In another case, an opposing viewpoint is expressed as a citizen eggs a fire truck and spits at a fire crew as they enter the local supermarket to pick up the day’s groceries. In yet another case, questions begin to surface about the longstanding tradition of firefighters participating in fundraising activities while on duty.
Like it or not, the fire service is at a crossroads. We are faced with tough financial compromises and public scrutiny beyond the likes of any generation before us, and our previously accepted practices are going to be scrutinized and questioned at every corner. In some cases we can rely upon our banked deposits of good deeds to guide us through, but in many others we must rely on a more formidable tradition: going beyond the call of the duty.
As tempting as it might be, the answer to those who play with fire is not voiced opposition, threats or retaliatory efforts, but rather education. We (the fire service as a whole) must tell our story, justify our actions, and provide the facts and figures that justify our wants and needs. We must make modifications to our service levels that demonstrate the required compromise without increasing the risk to our members. We must seek opportunities to make those additional deposits of good deeds–not as a matter of necessity, but rather an expectation. You call, we deliver.
In many conversations, the mere mention of politics is taboo. But in these tough and trying times, the two things that will get us by are public perception (what the public knows, understands and believes) and politics (the right people, in the right places, saying the right things to win the majority of votes). Some decisions are beyond our control, and in those cases we must take our lumps, but in the cases where we can inform and educate, we must.
The fire service has historically been viewed in a positive light. Much of this is accredited to those who have served before us. Our forefathers have laid the groundwork of dedication and service that has set the standard of public expectation. In recent years, we’ve continued to raise the bar of customer service, yet, as is human instinct, we oftentimes become comfortable with our efforts and rely upon the status quo to get us by.
Now is not the time for the status quo. As the next generation of leaders, firefighters, company officers and aspiring chief officers, the challenge is before you: Take the fire service to new heights, lead us through these tough times, and set the bar of public expectation at a new level.
