In the emergency services, where people may have to depend on one another for their lives, the professionalism and integrity of people in leadership positions is particularly important.
Yet it seems you don’t have to wait too long at the moment, before another news report emerges somewhere in the world, about Fire and Rescue culture.
Why have Fire and Rescue services - often one of the most respected and trusted organisations in public surveys - found themselves facing inspections and independent cultural reviews that highlight problems with sexism, racism, misogyny, workplace bullying and even sexual harm?
What should leaders in Fire and Rescue do to tackle these historic issues, and what is it about the way Fire and Rescue organisations work that can hinder the respectful, inclusive culture that so many dedicated front-line professionals in this sector want to see?
Somebody who knows all about leadership in Fire and Rescue Services is Chad Costa, Assistant Fire Chief at the City of Petaluma, in California.
He's a chief officer with more than twenty six years experience of life at the sharp end of Fire and Rescue, with a Master's degree in Fire Service Leadership and a personal passion for making positive changes that stick in an emergency service that's often described, as "a family."
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The value of education in leadership development
In a service like Fire and Rescue, what's the right balance of practical skills and experience versus leadership training, as people advance into leadership roles in their career?
There's clearly value in having "been there, done that", and it's a part of building trust and confidence as a Fire and Rescue leader.
But as Chad points out in this episode, it doesn't have to be an 'either/or' position, and education exposes aspiring leaders to new skills and broadened perspectives.
You get to learn a lot of different perspectives, and you get to learn more about what other people think about the fire service – which isn't always what we think it is.
That perspective is important, and you'll hear more examples throughout this episode about the value to leaders, teams and fire services that comes from external diversity and perspectives.
Breaking down harmful micro-cultures
One way to identify the presence of negative behaviour and a poor micro-culture within teams is to look at how people are treated when they're new.
That's not always down to the behaviour of individuals, although Chad speaks passionately about how leaders should reflect on the experiences they had, and challenging the "if I went through it, you have to go through it" culture.
But it's bigger than just individual behaviour. Why do Fire and Rescue probation processes focus on suppressing individuality and rewarding conformity, at exactly the time that people need to develop, assess and evaluate new recruits?
What happens at senior leadership levels is reflected down the chain, as Chad points out in the discussion:
If a leader that treats someone with disrespect and doesn't care about the people, then why wouldn't the subordinate leaders below that person reflect the same attributes of that culture?
Leadership actions matter when it comes to breaking down (or perpetuating) a poor workplace culture.
Hiring for what's above the shoulders
If the culture in Fire and Rescue needs changing, it's about recruiting the right people and treating them right when they've been recruited.
Chad talks about the impact that poor treatment has on the culture experienced by new recruits, as well as others in the team and how this damages the 'trusted brand' of Fire and Rescue services.
how many people out there are going to say the fire service is the best job in the world? Right? We hear it all the time.
But then we're going to treat you like crap. We're going to make you wake up in the morning and wish you didn't have to go to work. When you get to work, we're going to put stuff in your turnouts.
If you put a positive person into a toxic environment, then you can't be surprised if they become affected by that toxicity. That's one reason why toxicity perpetuates in Fire and Rescue service cultures.
Supportive leadership actions are key to cultural change
Chad's got some key pointers for leaders that reflect wider advice on how people should respond, when someone has the courage to stand up and speak about incivility, bullying and harassment.
But he has a cautionary lesson too for existing, or aspiring leaders:
It takes years to earn that respect. It takes two seconds to lose it
He points out that nothing causes a leader to lose respect than failing to put their money where their mouth is, or preaching to others what they don't do themselves.
In any workplace, leadership double-standards do not inspire confidence and trust – let alone in Fire and Rescue teams, where trust is not just a corporate buzzword, but may mean putting your life in another person's hands.
Lessons to learn from Chad Costa
Whatever part you play in Fire and Rescue - whether you’re a leader, a front-line firefighter, someone who’s aspiring to become a career or volunteer firefighter, or one of the many other people who provide essential support, what we’ve heard from Chad is that everyone has their part to play in leading by example.
We’ve heard about the tangible benefits that can come from having a team built on diverse experience and perspectives.
We’ve also heard how aspiring to develop yourself and others with education and learning - whether that’s in leadership skills, or through the different experiences of the people around you - is what helps build a fire service family based on trust and respect.
Chad’s experience teaches us that change starts with individual acts - calling out unacceptable behaviour, and challenging outdated practices and broken processes that ‘bake in’ resistance to change in the system.
We call people leaders, but some people are just people in leadership positions.
Most importantly, Chad’s given some key perspectives that people in leadership positions would do well to reflect on, especially when it comes to how you respond when others come to you for help with problems about workplace culture in your Fire and Rescue service.
It's your reputation as a leader, that depends on it.
In the next episode
In the next episode of the Life at the Sharp End podcast, you'll hear more about transforming Fire and Rescue service culture from Steve Farina, Executive Vice President of the British Columbia Professional Firefighters Association and a Captain with Coquitlam Fire and Rescue.
The next episode was published on 27 November 2024.
Chapter markers
| Time code | Content |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | Introduction |
| 02:51 | Chad’s career path in Fire and Rescue |
| 05:10 | The value of education in developing fire service leaders |
| 08:59 | Gaining respect as an operational leader |
| 12:56 | How leaders build, or destroy, trust in poor micro-cultures |
| 18:02 | Beating people down - personal choices and probation periods |
| 23:00 | Advancing fire service culture by changing behaviour |
| 27:04 | Cultural change : “hiring for what’s above the shoulders” |
| 32:31 | The “system” or the people? Leadership skills for change |
| 39:18 | How should leaders respond when people are afraid to speak up? |
| 43:40 | Sweeping it under the rug - the impact on trust in leaders |
| 46:23 | Diversity benefits leaders by giving different perspectives |
| 52:46 | What’s next for Chad in changing fire service culture? |
| 56:00 | Chad's contact information |
| 56:55 | Lessons for fire service leaders to learn |
Links
- Connect with Chad Costa on LinkedIn
- Chad’s website, with links to Chad’s podcasts, videos, articles and other content
- Watch a documentary about the heroes of California’s 2020 wildfires, featuring Chad.