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mentally challenged firefighters
I belong to a small combination dept in upstate New York. We have one company that is all paid staff. The others are 4 all volunteer companies. We also have an explorer post through the boy scouts. The dilemma is this one of the explorers is at the age when he could join as a volunteers and he keeps trying to be let in to one. The explorer in question has a heart of gold and has always wanted to be a firefighter. Now for the problem this explorer is mentally challenged. He got through high school with a special ED diploma. In the few years as an explorer he has made little progress and is not capable of formal state fire training. He has had several emotional outbursts after calls that he was not even involved in bad car wrecks fatal fires Etc. He has tried joining the 3 other companies who string him along. And now it’s our turn. It’s my opinion that he would be too much of a liability he requires constant supervision and direction. As my company is looking into accepting him with special circumstances I was wondering if anyone else has any experience with this or advise I could use. He is a good kid a 10yo in a 20yo body. I don’t want to discriminate against him based on his lack of mental capacity. I just don’t want him or someone else getting injured due to it. Our dept regs have nothing to say yes or no. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I Fear that what we do for one would likely open the flood gates.
Thank you in advance for your input.
Thank you in advance for your input.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Charles Lawrence on
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Find something else for him to do. Sure, you can't have him on a scene, but he would be an asset at helping to wash trucks, helping to do checks on gear, taking pictures of trainings, etc. Let him go through the classroom work, I bet he could be great at talking to someone at an open house event, or PR work helping to hand out smoke detectors.
I think it would be a bad idea to give up on him from the start and push him away. Let him try to help. There is more to running a fire department than fighting fires.
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I don't want the OP to give up on him, didn't mean for it to sound like you did. But I agree, I wouldn't have him on a scene, I'd try to find a place for him to fit in.
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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on
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My old department had a similar issue a number of years ago.
We had a person who wanted to join although he had both a nental and physical impairment that would prevent him from doing anything.
We approached our State HQ asking questions aboiut where we stand and what we can or can't do, they're response astounded us, "We have no policy- you run with it and we'll develop something based on what happens"!
We accepted this member and put him through our recruit training which he simply couldn't do. We could not deem him competent in any topics we taught.
We ran into problems when we bgan to subtly highlight this issue to him as he had a carer (I can't remember what the title is) who was pissing in his ear about how unfair we were to him, that we had no right to exclude him and we were discriminating aginst him.
With no support from State HQ, we simply maintained the same stance with him- we offered training, and if he couldn't pass, then he couldn't pass. Simple.
With not training, he couldn't respond. Again, simple.
He eventually got jack of turning up and not being allowed to do anything and left on his own.
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He wasn't capable- don't worry, we were so scared that this might blow up in our face, we tried a few different roles for him, but to no avail.
He simply didn't have the capacity.
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Permalink Reply by David on
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i would have him there to get waters for the fireman that come from the fires. he can help out around the station when filling tankers and engines he can allwaysbee there for some moral support and help with any of the small odd jobs around the station as they come up.
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Yes, I agree. But now, the hardest challenge is to make him feel good about doing just that, when he wants to be in the thick with the rest of the guys so bad, that he feels bad of himself because he can't. Don't get me wrong, just thinking out loud and throwing a monkey into the wrench to see ideas for solutions to it.
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Permalink Reply by Tony P on
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I like the ideas about having this person do other work around the station, but if he's already shown inability to cope after bad incidents then would he really be able to cope at the Station at all on a regular basis? I thnk that if a person can be utilised effectively even with a medical condition then great, utilise them! One of my friends at my old Brigade was just such a person. Physically there is no way that he could be a firefighter, and he knew it. However he went through the basic minimum training and was utilised as our Comms Officer, he always turned out to the Station, he would tidy up after the trucks left, he would do anything he physically could. He was voted Firefighter of the Year not long before I transferred out. A great person to have around.
One of the biggest problems that I can see is that if you were to follow the process Lutan1's mob did, then there could be something that the do-gooders could leap onto, saying that you weren't giving him a go, that you should 'make allowances' for him, just to let him live his dream. That could be a disaster. We all know and agree that if he can't do the training then we can't have him on the fireground, it's our safety that's at risk! But outsiders, especially those of the 'do-gooder' type, don't, and won't understand. They often don't even want to understand.
Is there any way that you can ask for him to provide evidence from a medical practitioner about his suitablility for the role? Do you have a department physician that can be apporached? In my organisation we have that option, complete to a medical doctor retained by the Fire Service. For instance, with our Doctor, anyone suffering from asthma that is anything more than mild hasn't a chance. The Service has been hammered by the State Coroner more than once and will ere on the side of caution - the only way.
Good luck mate, I hope you find a solution that best fits the majority, ie the operational firefighters.
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Permalink Reply by Andy Entwistle on
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How does your company "accept " people? Ours requires a vote from the membership to get in, before training or anything else is even considered. No majority vote, not a member, end of story - per the by-laws. If everyone is aware of his challenges, I don't expect there would be a vote in his favor.
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Permalink Reply by Dennis Brown on
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OK lets see if this will help in my old department we have some challenged but they where not aloud to respond to calls they got to do stuff around the fire house because there is more to being a firefighter then fighting fires we had them clean trucks keep the station clean fund raise but under a watchfull eye all the time so this made them feel part of the department they some times got to go on BS runs like cellar pumps and this made them feel welcome
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Permalink Reply by PA Firefighter on
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I agree with Scott, if he can't be trained he can't be a firefighter. We wouldn't let someone else become a Firefighter without the training. Like sucks!
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Permalink Reply by jdstamp on
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Daryl, As A Firefighter and a Trustee in our Village as many have stated here, you have to check your hiring procedures.
Our Village board has the ultimate say in hiring firefighters, the Chief recommends and the Board authorizes.
If he truly has a heart of gold, there are thing he can do "honorary firefighter" "auxiliary firefighter" and such. You must take facts as facts, and ask yourself would you want him covering your rear end when you really need it?
As an Instructor if a Department sends someone with special needs they must notify the training authority prior to enrolling the student. This is basically for dyslexia and other reading problems.
You also say a few years in Michigan you have two years to get certified, if not your out.
Firefighting is a tough business, I tell my guys learn this stuff or you could die, and then test them, written tests and practical tests.
let us know how it works out for him
Jason
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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Here is the questions that you need to answer.
Do you have a hiring process? With this process, do you have a job description that provides the minimum requirements needed (both physical and mental) to be a firefighter?
Do you have an Application Process? Do you ask for References? Do you perform an Interview Process? Mental of Physical Testing Procedure? Do you send your potentially new firefighters to a doctor to get a physical? Do you even have a medical standard that outlines what a firefighter must meet to be medically/physcially and mentally fit for duty?
OK take all these questions and now place them in a document in which we call a departmental SOG and publish to your membership.
If your answer is NO, then you are shooting from the hip on each and every candidate that comes through the door.
I know, I know... "Hey man we are just a little VFD" Yeah, heard that many times when consulting on issues. Same issues, same liabilities and same financial losses as a big paid department. In today's society, the fire service it is not a social club anymore, thus should be treated and run as a business.
NFPA 1582 covers everything you need to know if a firefighter.... (any firefighter regardless of paid, call or volunteer) is fit for duty. I would bet a week's pay he is not capable of meeting the hiring requirements of just that document. The costs associated with a NFPA 1582 physical are steep, (costs about $1000. per guy) to administer, but even a lousy DOT physical is probably out of the question in this case.
I wish you the best of luck though, without some standard, any standard, then your department is just waiting for a lawyer to come knocking on the door standing with the kid and a newspaper reporter...
TCSS
FETC
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