Editor's note: Thanks to all of you who responded to January's Personnel Problem of the Month column. You can read John's feedback in the February issue of FireRescue magazine, or here at FireRescue1.com on Feb. 24. Until then, please read and respond to February's Personnel Problem of the Month scenario, posted below. In this episode, John tackles a problem common among many fire stations: excessive socializing. Please send your proposed solution to FireRescue at frm.editor@elsevier.com. Please include your name, rank, department name and contact information. Although we will not print identifiable information (name, department name, etc.) without your consent, we must confirm your identity. We'll post reader responses here,  as well as in the March issue of FireRescue.

 
How to manage a crew that cruises through the morning check

You have enough time in rank to bid into one of the "honey hole" spots on your department. You want to work in an area where people actually thank you after a call. So you have the most seniority, so you get your honey hole spot: a B-shift ladder company on the north side of town.

Your crew consists of two senior engineers, each with about 25 years on the job, and a firefighter with more than 20 years. So the truck has got some fuzz. All three of your guys are solid and experienced. They are very nice to the customers they serve, and they never get too excited on working incidents. On calls, they operate pretty much on auto pilot. They know what to do, and they do it well without being told.

Here's the problem: They're social butterflies. When they come to work, they're in their civilian clothes, and they go right to the kitchen table and start discussing current events with the off-going shift. This usually takes them past 0800 HRS. Then they take turns telling each other about their days off, reading the various sections of the local newspaper and raiding the leftovers from the past two shifts. This usually takes them to past 0900 HRS. It's about 0930 HRS when they change into their uniforms and start doing the daily chores (but they always do them). On the occasions when there is actually a call during this time frame, it pretty much looks like a Chinese fire drill. Your response times on these calls are at least one to two minutes slower. There have been a few times when some pieces of equipment are out of order or not in a ready state, and some of the EMS equipment is missing on these early-morning calls. Whenever you have one of these mishaps, your crew's usual response is to blame it on A shift.

You have a great crew, you all get along, and they generally do superior work. The last thing you want to do is alienate any of them. So how do you motivate them and make them realize how important it is to get ready for a 24-hour shift as soon as they arrive at the firehouse?