A recent sexual harassment lawsuit has raised questions about the fire service’s ability and preparedness to handle such matters.
The lawsuit by a female firefighter hired in 2023 alleges that she was physically and verbally harassed by a coworker within weeks of her hiring. The legal filing states that the male firefighter touched her inappropriately, made sexual comments about her body, sent her sexually explicit texts, and walked in on her while she was showering. No discipline was given, and the male firefighter was given the option of resigning with a clean record. He then went to work for a local private EMS provider.
Diversity, equity and inclusion programs may be under fire now in many places, but laws pertaining to discrimination and harassment in the workplace are still on the books, and individuals and employers can be held liable for violating them. Litigation in this area can result not only in financial loss to an organization, but also diminished morale, attrition and loss of trust with the service community.
Is your FD’s harassment policy up-to-date and understood?
All departments should regularly check and update their readiness to deal with discrimination and harassment issues, using the following four questions as a guide:
- Do you have a clear and relevant policy that addresses workplace discrimination and harassment? When was this policy written? Who wrote it? Was there legal input on the language? Is everyone on the job aware of the policy?
- Is there a clear and accessible way for individuals to raise concerns or make formal complaints? Some harassment policies require that individuals go through a strict chain of command when making complaints, even if that person’s first line supervisor is the object of the complaint. Obviously, such a system would discourage reporting. Policies should provide for alternate means of reporting for this reason.
- Are all members educated not only in what the policy says, but what it means and why it is important? This does not have to be framed as diversity training. Training on harassment issues is not the same as just threatening people with discipline if they don’t toe the line. Effective training addresses the need for professionalism in the workplace and highlights how a lack of professionalism negatively affects everyone. It includes skills training for communication, decision-making and understanding how to speak up when witnessing inappropriate conduct at any level of the organization.
- Do all members feel a sense of accountability to foster a workplace that values professionalism and recognizes the contributions of each member? Do supervisors understand that they have greater responsibility and accountability for such matters? When I hear stories about escalating bad behavior in the workplace, my first question is: What was the officer doing while this was going on? In the example case, the officer was aware of the problem but, according to the lawsuit, tried to downplay it and was unsuccessful in solving the problem.
First-line officers are key players in maintaining a professional, harassment-free workplace, both through personal example and also by knowing how to properly handle problems when they first develop. But many company officers have little or no training in the skills necessary to be effective in this capacity, and discomfort in the role can lead to avoidance or possibly well-intentioned bad decisions.
Final thoughts
Workplace harassment is a poison that affects everyone, whether they are directly involved in the incident or not. Witnesses to harassment or bullying in the workplace may not speak up in a timely way, but just being in proximity to that kind of behavior can undermine group cohesion, create factions and erode trust. The negative effects of not dealing with workplace harassment quickly and definitively from a policy perspective go far beyond the potential financial loss from lawsuits – no fire department can afford this.
MORE | Gordon Graham on harassment and bullying in the fire station
