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Ethical lapses: The firefighter’s duty to intervene

When you join a department, you agree to act and serve to the best of your abilities to meet the expectations of your community and uphold an ethical code.

As a medical first responder, EMT, AEMT, paramedic or firefighter, you belong to something bigger than yourself. Public service is a calling and not everyone can do what you do.

When you join a department – as a volunteer or paid member – you agree to act and serve to the best of your abilities to meet the expectations of your community and uphold an ethical code.

Here we’ll cover a firefighter’s code of ethics.

Greg Friese, MS, NRP, is a contributing editor at FireRescue1 and a public safety training and technology thought leader. His work translates incident analysis and research-to-practice insights into how-to guidance that supports firefighter readiness, operational performance and workforce resilience. Friese writes frequently about practical technology adoption in public safety operations, including generative AI, with an emphasis on clinical and operational application and training impact. Friese co-founded First Responder Wellness Week and co-hosts the Wellness Brief video series in the Lexipol Wellness app. Connect with Friese on LinkedIn or by email at greg@gregfriese.com.