INDIANAPOLIS — “A fire service culture war is in full effect,” declared Chief David Rhodes, education director for Fire Engineering and FDIC, kicking off the annual training and education conference in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
During his opening remarks at FDIC’s first General Session, Rhodes addressed what he called the “unintended consequences” of the risk-averse culture that emerged years ago, namely a “loss in unity of mission” that propelled subsequent debates about aggressive fire tactics and fire department priorities. He argued that the fire service has been corrupted by corporate culture and slogans, driving many fire departments away from a mission focused on saving lives and property toward one focused on checking boxes “to make every group happy.”
Amid a risk-averse culture, Rhodes said, firefighters are being banned from the very operations that allow them to fulfill their mission. “It’s an emotional overreaction to a perception, but not facts,” he said.
Rhodes explained that some officials fear firefighters getting information outside their internal, traditional channels, making it more important than ever for firefighters to challenge their cognitive bias, not becoming so insulated from alternative training opportunities that they cannot hear the new voices that are emerging within the fire service.
Calling for “loyal disobedience,” Rhodes reminded firefighters of the many bottom-up movements that came before them – and called on them to be the next wave of revolutionaries: Revolutionaries need to infiltrate the institutions and engage in the process. You have to speak up and get involved at the highest levels. After all, he queried, is it more productive to brag about breaking a standard, code or policy or to get involved in the process to help change that standard, code or policy – having far greater influence on the fire service as a whole. Rhodes added that this approach does not require firefighters to compromise their values, only change the strategy – chess, not checkers, he deemed it. He added that past visionaries like Chief Alan Brunacini knew how to be strategic about culture change — and implored other firefighters to do the same.
