Delivering and further publicizing stories about firefighter bad behavior is probably the worst part of this job. I take no joy from nor feel any more superior when a fellow firefighter stumbles in life. They are human and they stumble — we all do at some time, in some way.
So why would we report these failings? One can argue that by doing so only makes it more difficult for the rest of us to win or maintain public approval. One can argue that it gives ammunition to those who would strip fire departments of their resources or firefighters of their benefits.
One can argue that in a profession that sees so much sorrow and loss, why pile on more bad news?
As part of the fire-service media, we need to report it for the same reasons that we need to report firefighter near misses.
Whether it is today’s story about the fire chief charged with embezzlement, the on duty firefighter arrested for heroin possession, the assistant chief charged with drug trafficking, or the countless other stories, they all have lessons that are too important to ignore.
Assessing our own behavior and attitudes is as much a part of being a firefighter as is assessing our skills and safety practices.
When we read near miss reports, we learn about our own shortcomings and, hopefully, take steps to correct those. Likewise reading about the personal failings of others should make us reflect on our own personal shortcomings and ways to improve.