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Physicalexamsandcomplaintprocess.docx

Physical Exams

The job of a firefighter can be at times physically grueling, especially on the fireground or even during training. A firefighter maintaining them self in top physical condition is as important the day they decide to become a firefighter until the day they step into retirement. This may seem to be too much to ask for, because as age becomes a factor, being able to accomplish things on the fireground may be somewhat harder to accomplish in ones fifties than it was in ones twenties. The importance of being in top physical condition, and yes this could just mean for your firefighter age group, is important not only for ones self, but for the department, your co-workers and especially your family. That’s why it is appropriate to undergo more frequently department physical examinations or test, as a firefighter becomes older, to protect the firefighter from risks associated with the conditions firefighter must face. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) standard 1582 was written for this specific purpose, “Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments. This standard is intended to reduce the risk to firefighters by identifying medical conditions that, under stressful conditions, may present significant risks to the health and safety of the firefighter or anyone operating with the firefighter” (Bennett, 2008, p.73). Not only will frequent physical fitness exams help maintain a firefighters physical conditioning for the rigors of the job, it will also help them with the mental stress associated with the job.

For some firefighters, the physical part of the job may not be as taxing or stressful as the mental part of the job. Fire personnel assigned to administrative duties endure a different challenge as they are faced with more of a mental stress than a physical stress, which if they are not maintaining their physical fitness to counter this mental stress, can be just as detrimental. A firefighter is a firefighter regardless of what position or rank they hold within their department. The frequency of physical fitness examinations or test based on age is a benefit to a firefighter. The ability to find out about an underling medical condition that may exacerbate itself on the fireground is critical, as the last thing a firefighter should want to happen, is a notification to their family and fire family of a line of duty death that could have been prevented.

Reference

Bennett, L.T. (2008). Fire Service Law (1st ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Complaint Process

Unfortunately in the workplace, there are going to be those times when personalities just do not mesh and it affects the working conditions of the team. It is important for team members in instances such as this, to find a common ground where whatever issue they may have with each other, does not affect how the team functions for the benefit of the team, department and the citizens they serve. When it comes to the issue of harassment in the workplace such as this hypothetical question, members of the department need to know that any form of harassment in the workplace is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. As the fire chief, it is important to take a tough stance on this issue so that there is no question on how as the fire chief you want each member in the department treated.

In being made aware of a complaint of ongoing harassment from a female firefighter and after investigating the complaint verbally warned with documentation the male members of the crew, thus starting the progressive discipline process in case of further issues. After the verbal warning to the male members of the crew, it has been brought up by these members that the female fighter is performing below department standards and is hard to work with. As fire chief, the determination needs to be made if this is in retaliation of the harassment complaint or is it true? If the female firefighter is performing below department standards, if one of these firefighters is her supervisor, is there documentation of her performance and has she been made aware of her substandard performance? Additionally, has she been counseled by her supervisor on the issue of her being hard to work with? For this to have any merit, there needs to be documentation by her supervisor so that progressive discipline, which is used to assist in correcting behavior, can help and correct these issues brought forth by the male firefighters. “It is good practice to follow a progressive discipline policy, with the first offense being a verbal warning (documented); second offense, a written warning; and third offense, a three-day suspension, and so on” (Bennett, 2008, p.87). The complaints brought up by the male firefighters may be true, but without documentation it appears, as it is a form of retaliation initiated from her harassment complaint. Sometimes, an employee is unaware of the rift they may be causing amongst their coworkers or of substandard performance. It is critical that the supervisor corrects this behavior early on with a documented counseling session and then to progressive discipline if necessary if the issue warrants.

Reference

Bennett, L.T. (2008). Fire Service Law (1st ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall