October 2008 Issue Number 103

Is a monthly electronic newsletter which links current events and issues to the daily challenges faced by fire and emergency services managers. Current topics in the areas of leadership development, workplace diversity, change management, and conflict resolution will be discussed.

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Consider This...

Call it What it Is

The headline read: "EMS worker cut by firefighter in negligent horseplay." The article went on to state that according to officials, two employees were "roughhousing" or "play fighting" in front of the fire station when the firefighter pulled a knife and cut the other employee, resulting in a laceration requiring ten stitches.

Roughhousing? Play fighting? Horseplay? The words make it sound like a couple six year old kids innocently tumbling around on the floor in front of the TV. The reality was that a full grown man-- an officer in the organization--pulled a four-inch knife on another man while at work, resulting in disabling injury.

Firefighters have a long history of playing while at work, and this is not necessarily bad. Some level of joking around can enhance team work and provide an outlet for stress. But there is a big difference between kidding around at the coffee table and having a knife fight in front of the fire station.

The fact that this incident took place on duty, in public, and with the involvement of an officer says something about the culture of this organization, and perhaps the fire service generally. This event was not unique. The fire service has a long history of so-called horseplay that has resulted in injuries and property damage. In many cases, officers are involved, if not as the instigators. When those in positions of leadership are setting this kind of example, what hope is there for professional conduct among those they supervise?

Calling such unprofessional and even criminal acts "horseplay" diminishes the real problem that exists when employees are behaving in ways that are stupid, dangerous, and which clearly undermine the mission of their organizations. Call it what it is, and deal with it accordingly.

Source: STATter911.com

The City of Passaic, NJ has settled a lawsuit filed by its first and only woman firefighter, paying $450,000 to Glorimar Silva and her husband Domingo. Ms. Silva was hired in 2002 and filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in 2005, alleging harassment and discrimination. Ms. Silva and her husband, also a firefighter, have since left the department.

Source: The Herald News, September 8, 2008

Everyone Loves a Parade?

Four San Diego firefighters are suing the city government because they were allegedly sexually harassed while participating involuntarily in the city's 2007 gay pride parade. The four say they were ordered to drive their fire truck in the parade even though firefighters at previous parades had been subjected to sexually suggestive comments by parade watchers. Suggested damages are said to be in the millions of dollars.

Firefighters along with other city officials have participated in such parades in past years. The 2007 parade included several dozen San Diego officials, including police officers and the city attorney. The crew that has filed the lawsuit was a late substitution for another crew that canceled their participation due to a death in the family of one crew member.

The plaintiffs say that they were subjected to catcalls and other verbal abuse, and that the parade itself was a "sexually licentious event, where raucous and lewd behavior, conduct and dress is permitted." They also claim to have been mistreated at work after filing complaints. The city attorney stated that participating in the parade is no different from other public relations duties required of firefighters, such as taking firetrucks to schools. He also said that he had no reason to believe that the firefighters would be sexually harassed because no one had complained about past parades.

This case brings up many interesting issues, both legal and organizational. The law may prohibit harassment by third parties outside the organization, but the standard is considerably different from that applied to harassment by a supervisor, for example. If verbal abuse by the public can be the source of a lawsuit against the department, what would that mean for firefighters who must respond to obnoxious drunks? Is participation in a parade the same as taking a fire truck to a school? Should employees be forced to participate in events that they personally find offensive? If it is okay to refuse to participate in a gay pride event, is it also okay to refuse to participate in a Latino pride event, or an event celebrating black history? All of these groups are equally recognized under California state law when it comes to discrimination protection.

Finally, what really happened that day to provoke the lawsuit? What was said? Was there unwanted physical contact? Who was involved in the behavior? It is likely all of these questions will be addressed during the trial which began on September 15th, and which will continue for at least three weeks.

Sources: The Los Angeles Times, September 15, 2008; The Associated Press, September 17, 2008

© Linda F. Willing, 2008