Staff Interview with Member of Lake Havasu Fire Department - Essay Example

Staff Interview with Member of Lake Havasu Fire Department BY YOU YOUR ACADEMIC ORGANIZATION HERE HERE HERE Staff Interview with Member of Lake Havasu Fire Department Introduction An interview was conducted with a member of the firefighting staff at the Lake Havasu Fire Department who was acting in a temporary role as human resources director. A recent personnel shift had left this position open and the interviewed participant, who will be called Steve, was the most eligible candidate based on their seniority system and his high level of training program completion. The interview uncovered that the Lake Havasu Fire Department is quite innovative in its focus on human relations and has come up with some unique employee programs designed to give employees more motivation and feel as though they are vital contributors to the department. Over and above standards, the Lake Havasu Fire Department excels in most areas of testing for career advancement and in areas of personnel development. Human Relations Issues Steve suggested that recruitment begins with job postings on well-known job search websites, through word-of-mouth advertising by current employees and through a city-sponsored job pool consisting of qualified applicants who completed preliminary testing. This preliminary testing is offered to community citizens who have undertaken the state-mandated fire training and are seeking a position within the unit. Validation of these credentials is part of the selection process by making contact with references or other certification grantors in this field of study. In this department, the recruitment process is extensive and involves screening of high volumes of candidates simply to select a single employee from the candidate pool. In order to achieve promotion within the unit, especially to an administrative level, several tests must be completed which test abilities in spatial relations, management and leadership, clerical abilities, and other necessary job functions. Steve offered that these tests come from both the state level and from years of alterations which were built from benchmarking best practices of other firehouses across the country. This department is a regular subscriber to several magazines which describe internal organizational activities in modern fire departments and use some of the tips and suggestions to change testing procedures or structures. In order to achieve promotion, success in areas of physical fitness must be proven. These tests are developed for preliminary job screening and selection as well as to ensure that weight and health are congruent with department or governmental expectations. Physical fitness is a large part of the weekly job responsibilities of the department workers and the department has provided an area to work on strength and cardiovascular health training. No specific wellness programs exist at the company such as holistic teachings or nutrition as Steve believed these were elementary concepts for fire departments and most employees understood the value of a well-balanced diet. Promotion can also only be achieved by exhibiting superior leadership skills both in regular daily work life and during crisis situations. Employees who consistently follow safety protocols, lead others to follow these same measures, and have an ability to motivate others on their teams are selected first for promotion opportunities. A whole package of training and development must be met in this department to reach a new pay scale level, coupled with expectations for a significant amount of seniority to reach these new administrative levels. Disciplinary Systems Lake Havasu Fire Department has a strict disciplinary system with what seems to be a zero tolerance policy regarding failing to comply with safety protocols. An entire checklist of activities has been developed for certain types of calls or situations and this checklist is expected to have all items identified, such as valve positions and other activities which sometimes get overlooked. The responsible parties are disciplined with old-fashioned fitness demands, such as 100 pushups, making it more of a military-style operation. Failure to comply with very important safety protocols can lead to termination or suspension based on analysis from senior leaders or government interveners. The Lake Havasu Fire Department has recently had to layoff employees due to the economy (havasunews.com, 2009), therefore giving more incentive to comply with safety regulations to avoid job loss. Pensions, benefits and diversity There is currently a pension system in place at the Lake Havasu Fire Department, however it is constantly being negotiated. This area of services has been hit hard with budget problems and there are discussions underway to reduce pension benefits or come up with alternative benefits schemes to reduce the burden of pension payments on government budgets. Most of the employees, according to Steve, already have it in their minds that they will eventually not be given a pension and this reduces motivation to provide quality service since pay is such an important motivational driver. The interview participant also identified that many employees have been given diversity training and public relations training when working with the public at different events or through routine public service provision. One major event in the area is the Family Safety Day which invites community citizens to meet with firefighters, ride along in a fire truck rug, and certain recreation or craft-oriented activities to appeal to multiple demographics (Cassens, 2009). This is a big event for fire staff at the Lake Havasu Fire Department and it provides extra training in how to coordinate, manage and operate events with diverse community citizens. This, according to Steve, gives them better interpersonal skills to give the department a better community reputation. Diversity is also managed by providing training about how to care for burn victims, especially children at the emotional level. “The totality of burn injury, both personal and economic, is enormous” (Clark, 2006, p.69). Department staff understands this and is given basic psychological training regarding human needs and their emotional predictability during times of personal losses or injuries in fire. This is part of diversity training to give firefighters more than just specialized service skills, but to handle people as short-term, instant counselors in the event that citizens needs require this. Post-traumatic stress disorder is another “debilitating outcome linked to traumatic experience” (Li, Chen, Liu and Zhang, 2006, p.432) and this is part of the training program to teach others in the community about how to support those with this disorder. Evaluation of standards This fire department seems to excel in relation to its human resources policies over that of other departments mandated by different state regulations. “Modern and progressive fire departments now look to achieve some level of review or award from an outside source to benchmark their service” (Evans, 2005, p.1). The Lake Havasu Fire Department is no different and consistently searches for opportunities to spotlight their employee talents or their innovations in service delivery or organizational structure. This department has been recognized in many press releases for its superior community relations model and their dedication to providing emotional support to burn victims in multiple demographic regions. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation provides development of life-safety protocols as safety needs evolve in firefighting (Eastin, 2005). In terms of overall focus, the Lake Havasu Fire Department appears to have an above-average safety training and compliance model which could actually be benchmarked if it were promoted using local print mediums. Safety is the primary mission of this department and is reinforced with strict disciplinary action for failing to comply. Fire victims tend to bond with one another, looking for social support and practical assistance (Heeren, 1999). This department’s focus on providing extended training on being more diverse with community citizens and offering basic psychological support are above-average activities at the human resource level. This gives a chance for community citizens to bond with department staff in multiple ways, earning trust in the service providers. One construction expert offers that there is a general “lack of uniformity in code interpretation by fire inspectors” (Latham, 1996, p.48). This department must work with many different regulatory bodies, such as fire inspectors, which requires consistency. There are often work interruptions due to regulatory worker failures which impacts motivation when fire inspections take too long or are inaccurate. References Cassens, Charlie. (2009). Register now for Fifth Annual Truck Tug to Benefit Special Olympics. Lake Havasu City News. Accessed 14 Nov 2009 at http://www.lhcaz.gov/manager/pressReleases/fireTruckTug09.pdf Clark, Alan D. (2006). Burns: The Medial and Forensic Model. Forensic Examiner, Springfield. 15(2), p.69. Eastin, Darrell. (2005). Healthy Standards. Accessed 13 Nov 2009 at http://firechief.com/health_safety/firefighting_healthy_standards/index.html Evans, Bruce. (2005). Changes to Standards help Drive New Ideas. Accessed 14 Nov 2009 at http://firechief.com/management/firefighting_changes_standards_help/index.html Heeren, John W. (1999). Emotional Simultaneity and the Construction of Victim Unity. Symbolic Interaction, Berkeley. 22(2), pp.163-178. Lathan, Donald C. (1996). Striking a balance between security and life safety. Building Design & Construction, 37(9), pp.48-52. Li, L., Chen, S., Liu, J. and Zhang, J. (2006). Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of Deficits in Hippocampal Structure in Fire Victims with Recent-Onset Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 51(7), pp.431-438. Accessed 12 Nov 2009 at www.proquest.com. Waggoner, Tony. (2009). Firefighters negotiate to save jobs. Accessed 13 Nov 2009 at http://www.havasunews.com/articles/2009/03/17/news/doc49c0595d5ca9c553613463.txt Read More