Methodology of Encouraging Diversity in the Fire Service
Diversity is something which is interpreted by different people in
different ways. Therefore, depending on who is talking about
diversity, it is hard to achieve it. Some people view each individual
as being diverse, so no matter who is in the workforce, it will be
diverse. Others view diversity as being a mix of age, sex, race,
colour, creed, religion, etc. People who view this as being diversity
are much harder to please. They want the fire service to reflect the
community of England… something that is very hard to achieve. The fire
service struggles immensely to do this, as to women and ethnic
minorities, it is not an appealing job.
The fire service has different methods of trying to recruit a diverse
workforce. To start with, they employ an 'outreach worker'. This is an
individual who is employed to 'outreach' to the community. They
promote the fire service in minority communities and try to show them
what the fire service has to offer. They try to persuade the
minorities that the police force has something to offer them and that
they should be applying.
Another method that the fire service has is an open door policy. You
can knock on a fire station any time and there will be a friendly
welcome for you. You can ask any questions about the job, look around
the station, get a feel of what its like to work there, etc.
However… although these methods may well be in place, before a
firefighter told me, I was unaware that there was such thing as an
'outreach worker' and was unaware of the open door policy. So how can
they be successful in reaching the community when the community are
unaware of them? They can't.
Also, there may actually be a problem with the open door policy. Say
an Asian woman knocks on the door of the fire station, and a white
male answers. She may, at that time be greeted pleasantly. But then
she walks through to the main room to see another 10, maybe 15 other
Unfortunately, according to an article by Christopher Brennan (2010), most firefighters do not even know their fire department’s mission statement, which as he states, makes it impossible for personnel to live out their department’s supposed mission and values (Brennan, 2010).
The duties and responsibilities of the fire department are most importantly responding to fires and other emergencies that involve the assistance from the department such as vehicle accidents, flooding, emergency rescue, and first aid response. When it comes to a fire departments duties and responsibilities when it comes to mutual aid agreements it is to coordinate planning, multiply the response resources available to any one jurisdiction, ensure timely arrival of aid, arrange for specialized resources, and minimize administrative conflict and litigation post-response.
Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a firefighter? Firefighting can be a very rewarding job if you make it one. Not only do you get to ride around in a cool fire truck, you get to help people every day. Even though the job is very physically demanding, if you keep yourself in good shape and train, you will do just fine. The job also gives you a since of pride knowing that you are making a difference in someone’s life.
In today’s society, the United States is a melting pot of diversity. It is filled with many different cultures, languages, and beliefs. As these diverse aspects of people’s lives fill the city, suburbs and the country, police officers must adapt to these changes in their community. If police departments do not adapt or are slow at adapting to their community’s diversity they can come upon many barriers that can make their duties more challenging. The two most prominent barriers that exist between the police and their community are language barriers and cultural barriers (Miller, Hess, Orthmann, 2014).
According to Kinicki, diversity represents the multitude of individual’s differences and similarities that exist among people. When developing a cultural diversity training program, one has to manage diversity with a new approach of inclusion and recognition. Managing diversity enables people to perform up to their maximum potential (Kinicki p. 111). As we analyze diversity, we will evaluate some common barriers and challenges in managing diversity. In developing a diversity program, we will analyze methods and procedures that will be apart of the program. Kinicki (p.*) says an important first step in overcoming these obstacles is for leaders to convey to their employees why the organization values diversity.
All of the officers are working a lot of overtime and are getting burnt out. If they are made aware that it is important to me to hire a more diverse group of officers I believe they will feel the urgency. I don’t say this because I believe they have that much respect for me; I would never be that pretentious. But I believe they would feel the urgency because they know it is what is best for the Department and because no other Chief has ever made it a priority. There is one caveat; the officers would want assurances that we will not hire diversity at the expense of hiring quality. They would want to know that we would not lower our
As an employee of The New York City Fire Department, it is our duty to know its mission state and what its internal core analysis consists off. “As first responders to fires, public safety and medical emergencies, disasters and terrorist acts, the FDNY protects the lives and property of New York City residents and visitors. The Department advances public safety through its fire prevention, investigation and education programs. The timely delivery of these services enables the FDNY to make significant contributions to the safety of New York City and homeland security efforts. The New York City Fire Department’s internal core analysis consists of: Service: the department continues its unwavering call to protect and serve. Bravery: courage is the foundation of each character. Bravery is the ability to overcome fear through fortitude, instinct, compassion for others and training. Safety: our citizens must be reasonably free from danger, especially deliberate, harmful acts. With the best equipment and training, the department can reduce the risk to the public and its members at fires, emergencies and medical incidents. Honor: the enormous commitment necessary to perform the department’s tasks requires excellence of character. They inspire each other through pride in the unit, which is a belief that every action reflects on all the members of the unit, both past and present. Dedication: a commitment to the objectives to their mission is an essential part of their code of conduct. The faithful observance of duty, calls for the FDNY to fulfill their obligations professionally and honestly. Preparedness: by combining all of the components of their core values, the FDNY will maintain its constant state of readiness to meet all threats and c...
Diversity plays a major role in society. People tend to perceive one another by their physical appearance. This creates a mindset that may affect one 's path to leadership. Relating physical appearance to the work force the individuals that have a greater physical stature tend to receive more recognition to leadership and power, than shorter individuals. Research is shown that taller people are more successful have higher authority, higher professional status and are projected as leaders.
This paper will show four different police departments that are currently hiring or recruiting for police officers. There will be a summary on the research found on the process used to recruit police officers. It will also show their current hiring trends and what hiring practices they have that are successful or not successful. The paper will also go over the different methods departments use to train their new officers and their values.
The United States Army consists of soldiers from many diverse cultures. Citizenship is not a requirement to join the Army, so people enlist from across the United States as well as from many countries around the world. The Army has its own unique culture that is a conglomeration of the many cultures that make up its population. Each new soldier is expected to adapt to this new culture and integrate as a member of a larger team. Helping new soldiers make this adaptation as quickly as possible and with few difficulties is a challenge for the leaders of new soldiers throughout the Army.
The purpose of creating teams is to solve a problem or issue through the use of diverse ideas and solutions. There are many times in life, whether at work or at school that one will encounter a diverse mix of personalities. Workplace diversity is everywhere, from the small corner business to the fortune 500 company, and is one of the most important challenges facing companies today. This mix of diverse personalities, gender, race, experience, and culture is what makes a team successful. This is an example of a heterogeneous team. On the other hand, a team with the same make-up, or homogeneous, has limitations on creativity, viewpoints and ideas. This paper will look at cultural diversity and demographic characteristics, specifically age, gender, expertise/ experience and how each plays an integral part in the construction of a high performance team.
So the question arises once more, what are the issues women firefighters face today? It is an easy question to answer as the issues are the same as they have been for the past 30-plus years that women have been trying to serve in one of the oldest and most dangerous professions. Imagine a job where prejudice and harassment is a frequent complaint, you don't have your own changing rooms or toilets, and, to top it all, your life is constantly put at risk.
Companies such as Buzztronics are leading the way in the global economy because of their dedication to diversity in the workplace. In order to build a diverse and successful workforce, a business needs to recruit, train, and retain capable and talented minorities.
Living in a country where it was founded by immigrants, diversity is everywhere you go especially in the workplace. There are many types of diversity; ethnicity, gender, religion and age just to name a few. Working in a diverse organization it can give you a taste of the real world, and what you will deal with wherever you go. There is so much diversity in the world today so it is a benefit to experience it in the workplace as well. You are given the chance to learn so many things from different cultures, why wouldn't you want to work in a diverse organization?
The Fire and Rescue Service employ a number of styles of communication to suit diverse audiences and for different purposes. The organization communicates with its members of staff differently depending on the circumstances and the message which is being conveyed. With such a large organization approximately 2200 members of staff effective communication is essential. Effective communication plays a vital role in the delivery of all Fire and Rescue Services.