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
