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When Doing the Right Thing Isn't The Right Thing
Has anyone here ever been dissmissed(from volunteer service) for wanting your department to follow NFPA guidelines and regulations or even simply wanting your department to have something as simple as written SOP's for everyone to follow?Have you ever been called a sh!t disturber by any of your officers(including your chief)for the same reasons mentioned above?Are there any other small community volunteer departments that operate in the manner of a "country club" where only the years of service(seniority) dictate who can do what and when?
If you can answer yes to any of these questions,please advise me on how you handeled this situation and the outcome of such,for this is the situation I find myself in at this moment.However, my department has given the "official" reason as being a lack of respect towards officers and conduct unbecomming for the manner in wich I would question certain behaviors and decisions. Any suggestions or comments welcome.
If you can answer yes to any of these questions,please advise me on how you handeled this situation and the outcome of such,for this is the situation I find myself in at this moment.However, my department has given the "official" reason as being a lack of respect towards officers and conduct unbecomming for the manner in wich I would question certain behaviors and decisions. Any suggestions or comments welcome.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on
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I'm very sorry to hear of your dilemma. You can't win, but maybe you can make a difference.
If there's no way you can ever go back and you want to pursue a course of action to effect change at the department perhaps you should write a letter outlining all your concerns and send it to whomever the Chief answers to at the county. That might be a fire marshal or a county commission. Then you might do the same for the state commission that governs volunteer departments.
Best of luck.
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Permalink Reply by Reg Mathis on
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Sounds to me like you need to learn when to shut up. No matter how correct your argument may be, if it's not delivered in the appropriate manner,...
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Permalink Reply by Fireyladd - Retired Chief Sharp on
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Ron, you arnt the first nor the last unfortunatly to be in this perdicament. You real issue is you beating your head against a brick wall. Best thing to do is walk away. It was mentioned to write a letter to whom ever might be over the Chief. You've obviously talked your way out of respect or suport there. Many have gone down this road only to find themselves on the outside looking in. I am the County Chief here and have had many come to me about the agency they are part of in my County wanting me to do something about their Chief or Officers. It is sad that there is not a authoraty over Fire Chiefs to oversee and question agencies when this is the case. Bottom line as you say "when doing the right thing isnt doing the right thing" in someone of authoraties oppinion you are left out. Best to walk away and learn "when to hold em and when to fold em".
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Chief Sharp is correct. The more fuel you throw at the fire the hotter you'll be.
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Permalink Reply by Russ on
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agree with you but no matter how CC the dept is, do they not have to answer to ISO and have some kind of accountability? my point being what happens in a LODD occurs and no training records or even a mamber application can be produced? i have seen departments like this and i wonder in this so called modern age they can even exist
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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According to your profile, you have a half a year in the fire service or is it a half year with your current department?
Also, like some of the others have said; it might be the WAY you present your concerns.
However; if you have a governing board and it is as broken as you say it is, then the governing board is looking at a lot of liability should something go wrong.
I don't know how it is in Canada, but the board of the fire department has the final say on hirings and dismissals.
Maybe that is where you should take your arguments.
Maybe the board doesn't know what's going on...
But they should.
On most departments, the chief is in charge of the day to day.
The governing board has everything else.
Good luck.
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Permalink Reply by ffbam24 on
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It's called "tact".
Without knowing all of the details, I'm surmising that you didn't have much time at your former department and had not learned your place. Two ears and one mouth, with the expectation to keep the latter shut.
If you were to have stayed with said department, there would be eventually a time and place for your concerns.
Good luck
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Permalink Reply by Mac Conant on
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I was told when I came back from Training to not try and Change how the Dept does things. It don't bother me. It just kinda Erked me to think they were so scared I would try and change things. Ive only been doing this for 3 years now, Ive got alot more to learn. Im a "peon" so i just do as Im told and run the calls how they want.
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Permalink Reply by Bill Brierton on
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Been there, done that and have the bruises to prove it. Literal bruises not actual physical ones. I know a few country club vfd's and suffice to say that they are the most difficult to initiate change even when it is good for them.
So to work my way around this, I initated small changes that they thought really didn't seem to change anything. It wasn't easy and in some respects I wonder why I ever bothered. Eventually I moved on to another department and I highly doubt those changes even as small as they were are still in place or not.
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Literal bruises are physical bruises.
Figurative ones on the other hand.... :)
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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on
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Do they have written policies on discipline, dismaissal's and expected behaviour of members? If not, I'd suggest they don't have a leg to stand on.
If they want to call you a shit stirrer becuase you want to improve safety, document SOP's, etc, then I'd say that you need to re-evaluate if you want to be a part of a so called team such as this one....
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Permalink Reply by rescueortruck on
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well i can relate most of the volli. houses that are around where i live are more like the countyr clubs then being opened minded and looking into bettering the department. but it is what it is.
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