EMS leadership

[firemoose827 324]

Hey all you brothers and sisters out there. I have a good question for you and hopefully some good discussion will come out of it. I have been in EMS and Firefighting for about 17 years now, and I have experience in some leadership positions in EMS. Namely Training Officer for 2 years, CO-Captain for 3, and Captain for 3. I have recently moved to a NEW department and have had experiences with a loudmouthed, hotheaded officer who just loves to belittle members in front of other people, and we are talking ER staff, firefighters, and other EMS people. It was a very embarrassing situation for those who were reamed, and on one occaision I even intervened by trying to TALK calmly to this irate officer by asking why they felt the need to handle these situations in front of others instead of taking them into the office and "discussing" the problems. This makes me frustrated, because I believe that a good officer will take the person aside and talk about the problems and even help them to correct the problem in the future. And that by "yelling" at them in front of many people will only let the person remember the embarassment instead of the lesson to be learned.

How could I possibly approach this situation without looking like the "outsider" trying to change everything and be like my old department? Some of these people who were reamed have recently quit and more are talking about doing the same. Any officers out there have any advice for me? Am I doing something wrong by confronting this officer?

Any info, advice, or discussion would be greatly appreciated by me and the squad.

Thanks everyone.

[TRUCK6018 50]

I can understand your gripe with this individual. His actions not only make him less of a leader but less of an adult in his actions. If an officer has a problem with someone they shouldn't make it public knowledge.

I'm a firm believe that if you have a problem with someone, to first, discuss the issues with the individual. If you don't get satisfaction from the discussion, then move to the next level going up the chain. This will avoid bringing out dirty laundry to those that may not have to be involved.

[5slow 9]

I agree with everything you say and have also seen many poor supervisors! This person is obviously not a leader... A leader, whether it be situational, authoritative, etc... will know to never berate their personnel and will know how to handle situations privately. I'm a supervisor in law enforcement and volunteer EMS. It's a shame you've unfortunately had to experience a bad boss, but learn from their obvious mistakes and move on.

As far as approaching them and their style: I would first see if there's someone in the agency they trust who might be able to speak with them privately, or if not, you'll have to do it on your own. You might be able to address the reasons why people are quitting in a monthly meeting or whenever your group gets together and see if someone addresses the problem in the open forum. Good luck!

[GAW6 66]

As a 17-year veteran and Ex-Captain of my VAC, I can tell you that my motto was "work harder and more than your members and you will gain their respect". This approach worked for me. The main thing is that you have to be tough, but be fair. Praise people regularly for a job well done and when someone "screws up" you have a private meeting. If a person breaks rules - you suspend them. The night before I took over as captain, I told the membership "tomorrow night I am becoming Captain, I have a job to do, and those of you whom I call friend will understand that job that I have to do and after my job is over I expect we will still be friends". Since many of our fellow members are friends it is very difficult when you have to discipline your "friend". I had to do it on a few occasions, and believe it or not, they are still my friends. Again the main thing is to be fair, be consistent, and act in a mature and level-headed manner at all times.