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Grant Writing
Grant Writing |
Becoming and Effective Officer PURPOSE: To teach the fundamental principles of being an officer, whether it is an administrative or a line officer position. OBJECTIVE: Upon completion of this module, the student will: 1. identify demonstration as the best form of teaching 100% of the time, 2. identify and apply 100% of the time the principles of H.E.A.T. in fire department leadership positions. 3. complete the review exercises with 100% proficiency that cover the topics concepts, and content found in Modules 1-4. Prerequisites: General Management Discussion, Elections vs. Popularity Contests, & Pragmatic Principles of Positive Politics with a 100% proficiency and comprehension. Procedure and General Information Content: The management of volunteer, combined and paid fire department and EMS companies have special needs for administrative officers and for line/field officers. Although we will discuss many topics relating to leadership in greater detail with subsequent modules, here will will discuss the fundamentals. The first thing to know or remember in becoming an effective officer is that what you do is far more important than just what you say. Others, notably junior officers and members will follow your example. Likewise the best method of teaching has always been, is now, and will always be demonstration. The second thing to know is that the more authority you have, the more responsibilities you have. We will cover this in more detail much later, but for now consider that if the chief is the ultimate authority at the fire scene, he/she is the person who is ultimately responsible. Same is true on the administrative side, in that the further up you move in authority, the more you are ultimately responsible, thus your best bet to C.Y.A. is to make sure that if you have senior officers they help you, if you have junior officers they know what they're doing and have an appreciation for what you're doing and if you are the president or V.P, you better have everybody willing to help you to back you up, because if things get fouled up, you need help fixing them and in preventing entropy (nice word for total administrative confusion and s.n.a.f.u). Those persons who demand respect, demand things to be done their way, and bully their way into and through office, are usually the poorest of leaders and the results of their holding office is damaging to the department in morale, recruitment/retention, financing, general administration, and the successful operations and management of the department over all. Remember, using fear is the lowest and most unprofessional form of motivation of others. Example: The president of Engine Company Alpha is holding this office because this is his stepping stone to fulfill his ambitions to become the new fire chief. He figures from the position of president, he could not only argue that he is qualified to become the next fire chief, but he could: 1. do things to sabotage the efforts, integrity, credibility and effectiveness of the current chief and other potential senior line officers; 2. use this position to sabotage others who threaten his administration position (even if this is deleterious to the department), because if anybody else does anything positive, productive and constructive, his profound inadequacies and ineptitude would become more pronounced; 3. build his coalition by offering those who support him his support for their ambitions to fulfill officer positions (whether they are qualified or not); 4. bully his way around; 5. use this position and demanding leadership style to intimidate others to do his will or face his wrath and other adverse consequences; 6. cunningly manipulate and con others, while creating discord by back-biting, cajoling, spreading ill-founded rumors, creation of distrust of others, lying or creating doubt about the motivation and integrity of others, attempting to turn others against his threats, create distrust of others, while trying to enhance the reasons he should be trusted (even though he may be the most untrustworthy member of the department); and 7. blame project his inadequacies and the failures/results of his administration upon the line officers, other more junior officers, other members and conditions. In this example, this is no doubt an extreme situation to show how such a person would be the least likely qualified and successful candidate to become the new fire chief, because they are proving themselves to be the least qualified for the office they are now holding and should be removed for the good, if not life, of the department. In this example also, what this person is teaching others through the demonstration by their actions will no doubt bring things to come to roost upon themselves eventually. Unfortunately too often by the time the entire department learns what is going on and the motivation, a huge amount of damage has been done to the departments morale, recruitment/retention, financing, and general administration. In the following lessons, we will explore the fundamentals of more effective leadership and the essence of what makes for a good officer, both administratively and for line officers as well.
Becoming an Effective Fire/EMS
Department Officer
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