Fire Service Ethics Chapter 5 Professionalism on the Line

80 Chapter 5 Professionalism on the line An important element of ethics is understanding our attitudes and beliefs through self-reflection. An important element of leadership is the shaping of attitudes. 81 83 85 Every time firefighters provide service they put the professional reputations on the line. What is professionalism?  The best place to start any endeavor is at the beginning. 1. PROFESSIONALISM:  (skill, good judgment, and behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job) pins behavior to consistency within the defined profession.  ‘the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or professional person. Describes a standard of behavior, independent of a given profession.  The role of education certainly is at the center of the argument over professionalism in the Fire Service.  Standards of behavior and professional ethics are important elements of professionalism.  Bullock and Trombley: and occupation become a profession with the development of formal qualifications based on education, the existence of an apprenticeship and some sort of standard examination. Control admittance to the profession and impose discipline for malfeasance and violations of ethical standards. 1. Qualifying as a professional  Adoption of formal qualifications  Recognized curriculum supporting qualifications  Existence of an apprenticeship  Formal qualifying exam  A regulatory body - Required licensure, set of standards of competency, create a code of ethics, and impose discipline. 2. NFPA 1001: standard for firefighter professional qualifications defined the minimum performance capabilities of a firefighter  These requirements are provincial.  CERTIFICATIONS: (assertion by a certifying body that an individual has exposed to training and tested). - Certification loan does not need the normally accepted standard for professional status. 3. Educational requirements and professional ethics, call both issues are rooted in a central professional authority that can set professional qualifications, convert licensed practice, and impose standards of ethical behavior.  Authoritative professional organization that would impose standardized qualifications for compensation should also be responsible for oversight or professional behavior as a condition of license.  Disparity between Fire Service and other professions is the lack of cohesive, stand of ethical behaviors.  Has no universally recognized body rules. No national accrediting board that admits members and imposes behavior standards as a condition of membership. An example would be the American bar association for lawyers. 4. LICENSURE: (permission by a recognized authority to practice a profession or trade.)  Governmental, ethical standards represent an ethical minimum. -Focus exclusively on fiduciary issues, such as conflict of interest and graft. - subsets of skills require specialized certification and attendant ethics responsibility, similar to that of other professions. Few professions enjoyed the level of trust and affection that is bestowed upon the Fire Service and depend on the public goodwill as does the American Fire Service.  Cultural niche  Maybe considered an insurance policy of sorts.  Support and money received from elected officials International Association of firefighters: strongest lobbying voices in Washington DC.  Fire Service has been a positive force in America culture for over 200 years. Changes in societal attitudes has initiated substantial changes in firehouse culture. Social media 1. Grassroots reporting: Scrutiny of the camera, unedited video is available around the world. Can be delivered out of context and be somewhat misleading. 2. Legacy: stories spanning many years 3. Wild West: culture of opinions, which may or may not be rooted in fact. Fire Service must be proactive and maintaining its reputation by actively promoting the highest standards of ethics and professional behavior.  Reputation management is responsibility of every member of the fire department. 87 89 90  It’s not just a job, our mistakes can cause people they’re most treasured possessions and more importantly their lives. If you’re off your game, others will suffer. We bare tremendous responsibility, not only to be confident, but acting away that demonstrates our understanding of those responsibilities. - If it were just a job, we would not wear Fire Department shirts or hats off duty. We would not have decals on our personal vehicles, we would not collect Firefighter memorabilia. Professional values: attitudes are shaped by values. Both attitude and values are prime influences of our actions. 1. VALUE STATEMENT: (formal declaration of an organizations, priority, and core beliefs.) What an organization considers priorities and core beliefs. Designed to assist management and making decisions consistent with core values and remind employees of behavioral expectations. 2. Two sets of values at work with any given Fire Department  OFFICAL VALUES:(Mission value statements) - Service, integrity, compassion, service, diversity, innovation - = EXTERNALIZED VALUES: (focused on responsibilities and obligations). Aim to support the departments mission and it’s general service orientation. Focus on responsibilities and obligation - Must be recognizing accepted at all levels of the organization starting with the chief officers in culminating with the firefighters. - For values to have meaning, they must permanent every level of the organization.  UNOFFICAL VALUES: (values held by firefighters that are a reflection of the department culture and tradition). Reinforced every day. - = INTERNALIZED VALUES: (focus on needs and once) Express personal needs and wants. Can be a double edge sword. 3. Bravery: essential to the very nature of firefighter’s work, yet is it valued only for itself it can support a macho culture of unnecessary risk taking. 4. Loyalty: certainly, a positive. Usually focus on the firefighters they most often work with.  Can lead to “covering up “improper behavior 5. Physicality: lead to initiatives in maintaining strength and physical stamina, can I have a positive effect on Firefighter health and safety. But can dismiss education or be a catalyst to exclude women from the Fire Service. 6. Tradition: treasured aspect of the Fire Service. Offers continuity and a sense of belonging. Can impede progress and caused firefighters to clean to a status quo that serves them, not necessarily the public welfare. If values are to promote professionalism, they must support concepts beyond self-interest. HAWTHORNE EFFECT:(A scientific theory- Observation of an action tends to modify it)  Implication is that you cannot exist apart from your surroundings. PROFESSIONAL CODE OF ETHICS: (Formalize statement of behavior expectations created by a recognized authority). 1. Expected behavior created by a recognized authority and adopted by organizations within the profession. 2. Based on the shared values of the profession and are intended to act as a guide for daily action. 3. Action based. (Different: Value statements shape and reflect attitudes. 4. To be relevant, it must be integrated into firefighters’ daily routine. 5. Serve as a touchstone in policy enforcement, strategic planning, and management practices. FIREFIGHTER CODE OF EHTICS: (2011-Developed by the Cumberland Valley FD and adopted by the US fire administration). 1. Intention is to raise awareness of ethical issues in the Fire Service and draw attention to the need for the development, a professional code of ethics.  IAFF Code of ethics -helps firefighters uniformly remember their career mission and goals. - Serve humanity, safeguard, and preserve life, and property, and maintain a proficiency in the art and science of fire engineering. - Symbol of public faith. I accept as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the Fire Service. - I accept the self-imposed and self-enforced obligation as my responsibility. - Included in the manual of common procedures 2016. 2. Promote a culture of ethical integrity and high standards of professionalism. To mitigate and negate situations that may result in embarrassment and waning of public support for what has historically been a highly respected profession. 3. Ethics: Greek for ethos meaning character.  Character: decision made under pressure, when no one is looking, when the road contains 92 94 landmines, and the way is obscured. 4. Organizational codes: international Association of fire chiefs and International Association of arson investigators 5. Shortcomings: lack specific mandates for actions or restrictions on behavior, considered unethical. Compliance with the codes is not a condition of license or membership in the professional association. PERSONAL ETHICS CODE: (Formal declaration of values and priorities). Based on an individual’s perception of what constitute ethical behavior. 1. Good reasons for creating personal ethic codes  Helps examine values and attitude  self-examination  Becoming a common component of promotional processes, scholar ship applications, and grant submission requirements.  Can be a powerful guide when facing ethical dilemmas 2. How to develop a personal ethics statement  Can be uncomfortable  List individual priorities  Should include three sections: - Intro: ethical influences in your life or begin with a quote from your favorite author. - Body: include core beliefs in your opinions about correct behavior. Include both professional and personal elements. - Conclusion: examination of the importance of ethics. Be honest and unbiased. State your moral beliefs and thoughts about right and wrong. Keep simple, honest and on point. Resist including statements not important to you. 3. Aristotle: virtue represented the habits of virtuous people and must drive to incorporate virtues into lives to extend that they become a habit.  Personal ethics code must influence daily life. PROFESSIONAL VIRTUES: Top 10 of firefighters 1. Integrity: Truthfulness, honesty, and trust worth. Essential for a successful team. 2. Competence: meet the challenges placed before us. Dedication to excellence through education and training. 3. Loyalty: first loyalty is to the public. We exist to provide a public service. The needs of the fire department or secondary. This is essentially why we exist. 4. Intellectual curiosity: lifelong learner. Adapt to new methods and technology to better serve the public. Pursuit of excellence demands growth. 5. Physical fitness: obligation to ourselves, our families, coworkers, and Public. 6. Teamwork: bigger than yourself. The good of the department above self-interest you are contributing to its success and your own. 7. Generosity of spirit: compassion, tolerance, and humor. Absence of these can be bitterness, frustration, and poor professional behavior. 8. Dedication: excellence, service, and integrity. Bringing you’re a game every day, not sweating the small stuff, seeking consistent personal growth through professional self-development. 9. Obedience: follow rules and regulations. 10. Respect: respect tradition, legacy of honor, authority, most importantly, the humanity of your fellow firefighters and Public you serve.  Without respect, you act only in yourself interest.