Sunday, February 9, 2014

Brotherhood Lost

Brotherhood Lost
By Alan Perry
February 9, 2014


The Fire Service like many other organizations claims a brotherhood among its members, this brotherhood is not elective; it is an expectation. Brotherhood is defined[i] as “the state or relationship of being brothers” and “An association of men united for a single purpose”. In the Fire Service this relationship is (or should be) extended to all members male, female, full-time, part-time and volunteer. Like any familiar relationship there will always be times of disagreement and strife amongst us, if we follow this code we will remain faithful to our brothers and sisters and support them unconditionally regardless of our disagreements. At the core of this belief system are respect, duty, sacrifice and honor. We are good people, how do we avoid human nature and make our brotherhood more than just a word?


I am fortunate enough to have a biological brother, like any set of siblings we have had our disagreements, feuds and physical confrontations, our relationship is stronger because of it, as is our respect and admiration for the path the other has chosen. We would each provide whatever we can to help the other succeed or get through a tough situation without ever the thought of doing anything to harm or diminish the other. This is the standard or lens that I view the Fire Service Brotherhood through. In my career I have had the opportunity to observe the Fire Service Brotherhood from outside and within. I have seen it shine brightly and its name invoked in very dark ways. Like any organization formal or informal our brotherhood will be what we make it, and simply calling it a brotherhood does not make it so.

Unfortunately my first experiences with the “brotherhood” were not positive and made little sense to me. As a volunteer EMS provider I was frequently spoken down to and dismissed by professional firefighters who seemed to view me as somehow less professional in my qualifications and abilities as themselves. I was doing a job they did not want to do, but somehow I was considered a threat to them and deserved little if any respect. In my own department I have found myself on the wrong side of issues supported by this brotherhood and found myself ostracized. While representing my department voluntarily during a national incident I witnessed this brotherhood conducting itself outside its assigned area of responsibility in questionable ways and threatening its members with retribution if they reported it. These were not proud moments, and certainly not what I think our family should be.


These acts persist today; we still treat volunteers and part-time staff like second class members. There is no justification for it. We are all here for the same reason; we cannot assert that a member who volunteers or works part-time is somehow less committed than a full-time person. They frequently do the work we don’t want to do for less or no money and no benefits. We thank them by treating them with disrespect and outright contempt. How can we assert that we have an honorable brotherhood when we treat our co-workers with such blatant malevolence? This may be the exception rather than the rule, but I think that if it occurs even once it is too often and must be corrected swiftly and severely if we are to hold to our true values. Doing otherwise is passively condoning the practice and will undermine the legitimacy and influence of our brotherhood.

So who are our brothers and sisters? Do we limit inclusion to our crew, professional firefighters, our fire department, part-time staff, volunteers, administrative staff, those we like, those that share our faith & beliefs, our race, our church, our lifestyle or all public safety workers? It has been my experience sadly that we tend to find ways to exclude more often than we seek inclusion. This is human nature; we seek and associate more comfortably with those like ourselves. Our challenge is to get away from these narrow definitions and begin thinking more broadly as a “family” instead of a “brotherhood”, including brothers & sisters as well as all others that help us achieve our mission. Treating anyone in our department as something less than a full and equal member is a divisive and reprehensible act. It does nothing but diminish and denigrate the organization and profession as a whole.


Brothers, Sisters, and all of our public safety family, I challenge you to look at your organization. Do you see everyone being treated fairly and equitably without regard for employment status, tenure, rank, who they know, their religion, their lifestyle and skin color? Does everyone have the same opportunity to grow personally and professionally within the organization without regard for these insignificant variations? Does everyone have a mechanism and opportunity to become involved in the discussion and decision making process so their voice and concerns are heard? Does everyone in your family have the support of the organization when things get tough personally and professionally? You must speak for those who are not being treated fairly, disrespected or excluded. By doing so you are representing what is good and honorable about brotherhood and family and can restore faith in it.  

Love, Honor & Respect

Alan




[i] The American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd College Edition, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA.

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