Fire Service Culture and ‘Localism’

Dr Dave Baigent dave.baigent@fitting-in.com

Sarah O’Connor sarah.oconnor@fitting-in.com

www.fitting-in.com

Some thoughts about fireservicePowerful leaders - Chiefs, FBU, WatchChiefs are used to being in charge – answerable to the fire authorityFBU – conservative about changeFirefighters are entrepreneurial and used to working together (to present an image and fight fires)Firefighters are also:– ‘experts’ at group think (Janis)– charismatic/seductive– great story tellers who pass down oral history and understanding in

support of their image• practised at telling their managers what they want to hear• practised at telling the public what they want to hear

There can be a number of views about fire service culture

• It may be a mistake to see just one culture – could there be two?

The rules set by Chief Officers (formal or organisational culture)

–Implemented by managers

•The rules set by firefighters (firefighter’s informal or occupational culture)

–The way things are done around here

– Values that one cohort of firefighters pass down to the next on how they get their job done

Formal and Informal CulturesThe formal culture– The Chief’s view

• Transformational/transactional• Mission statement • Core values• The rules managers (should) follow• Managers who implement (and interpret or re-interpret) the plan

The informal culture– The firefighter’s view

• Conservative – • The view of people who believe they know best• Operating on the watch• Silo thinking on the watch• The way resistance is organised• Held in trust from generation to generation

So when a new firefighter joins the watch

Most people are aware that you have to be cautious when you join a new group

How would you act?

Most of us look for clues

We construct our actions based on our previous experience

And what we see in the group we are trying to join–Here is a tip from two firefighters:

Ian: Just keep your head down and keep your gob shut for a little while and see what happens

Christian: Well it’s the tradition. They need to be able to fit- in .. without being lairy and start telling you .. how to do it.

Practicing or Practising• Firefighters are particularly good at ensuring that everyone on

their watch follow the same practice• A firefighter explains:

– “Just overpowering .. it’s hard to explain, ‘come on lets do this’ and it just rolls.

– It’s like a snowball and it just gets bigger and bigger – And you get caught up in it as it rolls and gets bigger. – And that’s the only way I can explain it in our watch.”

• By practising the practice the watch get:– Their social solidarity – Their sense of belonging – Their identity

– fit-in (with the way things are done around here)•

Positive points about the informal (occupational) culture?

Established firefighters handing down the skills of their job:

• How to handle equipment (safely)• How to fight fires (safely)How to rescue people from cars (safely)

Represents the custom and practice of getting the job done.

Provides the tools for survival on the watchTeaches new firefighters about:

• Belonging• Self-esteem• LoyaltyAnd most importantly about:

• Trust

In short the informal culture fits everyone in with the watch’s way of doing things

The informal culture also teaches newcomers about what it means to be a firefighter:– Their identity, their role and their image

The informal culture also has a welfare role

Provides a pool of useful information and resources:

• Helps with stress• Helps by providing tips on social life• In fact it is possible to get a solution to almost any

problem by sharing it at the mess table

For many firefighters the watch represents their way of knowing and understanding the world

Being a firefighter also provides a masculine identity

What does this result inFirefighter’s:

– Very conservative - don't want any change in their work (except new toys)

– The more change is promoted the more they resist to preserve the way they produce their masculine identity

– Form up under the umbrella of their union to reinforce their resistance

Because firefighters deliver the product – Take ownership of and believe they are responsible for their service – Believe they are the experts – they are right!– Lack understanding (for a number of reasons) of economic changes,

neo liberal agendas and equality– Believe that they should always be involved (and agree change)

Firefighting is identified as masculine work

Image kept alive by public and firefighters“I am just so proud of being a fire fighter because you feel as if everyone is looking up to you. … people having a bit of respect for you.”

Close network of ‘brothers’ who constantly act out a role to reinforce and prove their masculinity to the public, their peers and themselvesHands on skills passed down homosocialy (Lipman-Blumen)Social phenomenon that ‘all’ men gain from; reinforced by some men through violence (Hearn)Hegemonic (Carrigan, Connell and Lee)

Firefighting

Firefighter’s Identity

Firefighter’s culture– a mix

StrongHomophobic

Union Membership

Sport

Sexism

Firefighting

Heroic

Pornography

Fitting-inFitting-in

Fitting-in

Fitting-inAnything you like

Brave

Fit

Fitting-in

Firefighting

Whi

te

Male

Heterosexual

Able

bodied

Racism

Public Spirited

SelflessCaring

Teamwork

Problem solving

Entrepreneur

Delivery Orientated

Hard working

ChallengesFirefighter’s professional ethos is challenged by changes adopted by the formal culture:– Community fire safety– New shift systems– Changes in fire cover/staffing arrangements– Employment of ‘others’ (anything that challenges a

firefighter’s identity)Uniquely, for an organisation so widespread in terms of time and geography, each watch can transfer their solidarity to form up under the umbrella of their union.

Firefighters treatment of women

Institutional and personal–Some may argue that they treat each other ‘badly’–Firefighters walk towards the danger that others run away from–Patronise (look down) on most people in society

What happens when a someone is harassed?

First caught in the headlights– Able to recognise what was happening– Believing once they are accepted it will get better

Still caught in headlights– Wanting justice– Doubting sanity– Psychologically unable to continue

Could have been solved– If the group had chosen they could have stopped this

harassment

What’s happening in the organisation

Defend the victim until the point at which they take legal actionThen – Caught in headlights managers are transfixed by the need to

protect the organisation– The perpetrator may be to blame, but with a court case

looming the organisation stands back from the victim– After buying the person’s silence there is no evidence against

the perpetratorResult– Little or no recognition of the problem– Avoiding or not even looking for the truth– Little or no attempt to take the moral high ground– Women learn the lesson that if they complain they will loose

their job

Will the equality agenda stay on the agenda?

Localism?It’s up to you You are the councillors

David Cameron

We want to replace the old system of bureaucratic accountability with a new system of democratic accountability – to the people, not the government machine.We want to turn government on its head, taking power away from Whitehall and putting it into the hands of people and communities. We want to give people the power to improve our country and public services, through transparency, local democratic control, competition and choice.“This Change is permanent

What do we know so far

Equality strategy is not being monitored (or enforced?)No annual equality report (no statistics?)Minister believes equality and diversity should continue

to be mainstreamedNo Audit Commission

SWOT

Is cultural change in regards to diversity embeddedStrengths – Equality is embedded in the IRMP

How can councils keep the diversity agenda alive

SWOT

StrengthsList the main structures currently supporting change

WeaknessesIs diversity going to be marginalised?

OpportunitiesList the opportunities Localism offers

ThreatsIs Localism a threat?

Further Thoughts

How do you protect the gains? How can you overcome the threats? How can the opportunities be operationalised?

Will the equality agenda stay on the agenda?

Localism?It’s up to you You are the councillors

Dr. Dave Baigent GradIFire E. FHEA. BA Hons. PhD. Mobile 07802 495 329

Sarah O’Connor Fda BA Hons PGradCertEd. We are just completing a cultural audit on the retained service – would a cultural audit help in your future planning? The Swedish Fire Service have commented "Fitting-in with their unique insight into real world fire service culture and a firm theoretical base in academia provided the MSB (The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency) with invaluable expert advice and assistance in developing a national action plan targeted at increasing equality and diversity in the Swedish fire service." Theory without practice is a waste - Practice without theory is just dumb How can fitting-in help? Try a visit to http://www.fitting-in.com Dave also wrote and is a principal lecturer on the UK’s first Public Service Degree www.anglia.ac.uk/publicservice

Dave's thesis on Fire Service Culture/s

By being reactive to fire, firefighters create their public profile. Firefighters are seen to be doing their job and to be heroes. Firefighters’ public status, then in turn, supports one of the ways firefighters reflexively view themselves as objects in the eyes of the ‘others’. The civilians that say “I couldn’t do your job” (a view of themselves that Chapter 3 suggests firefighters might actually provide for public consumption in the first place). To read more go to www.fitting-in.com/baigent.pdf