Abstract
Ethics is a loosely defined area that seeks to achieve the best solution for the benefit of greater society. Ethical decision-making is complex and challenging due to the fact that exact courses of action are often not defined or clear, given the various scenarios one might encounter. Public safety agency employees are not only likely to face ethical dilemmas on a daily basis, but be expected to uphold high ethical standards. The literature on ethical decision making training within public safety agencies stipulates certain guidelines. These guidelines include ensuring that employees are able to define what comprises an ethical dilemma, how to determine what choices are available, what would be the best course of action, how to implement that course of action, and deal with the aftermath of that decision. Some public service agencies seem to have neglected the act of formalized ethics training, of which the City of Pompano Beach’s Fire Department is one. This lack of training puts the department and its employees at risk, and fails to provide the guidance needed to produce ethical decision making.
Keywords: Ethics, public administration, public safety training
Introduction
Making ethical decisions can be a challenge in any capacity, but public safety employees are especially challenged since they are placed in unique positions of trust. These unique positions of trust involve gaining access to private property, searching private effects, and becoming exposed to intimate situations (Thomas, 2011). Ethical decisions often occur in circumstances that are not necessarily clear-cut or have an established precedent. In contrast, legal decisions can be fairly straightforward once one is aware of which laws apply to the situation (Thomas, 2011). In public safety agencies, strong leadership is needed both as a source of guidance and to act as a model for front-line employees. Ethics training is one component of that guidance. The goal of ethics training is to provide employees with the tools they need to recognize an ethical crossroads, come up with various alternatives, determine the best course of action, implement one’s choice and deal with the aftermath of that choice (Gleason, 2006).
The City of Pompano Beach’s Fire Rescue Department does not appear to have formalized ethics training for its firefighters or officers. The city’s website mentions a formalized training program for firefighters, but training on ethical and legal decision making is lacking (City of Pompano Beach, 2016). It is possible that what the city refers to as general fire ground knowledge and special activities could include training on ethics. It is also just as possible that this training does not prepare the city’s firefighters for ethical dilemmas. Perhaps the city’s management does not feel that its firefighters need ethical and legal decision making training or that these situations should be handled on a case-by-case basis by an immediate supervisor. Due to the apparent absence of legal and ethical decision making training within the City of Pompano’s Fire Rescue Department, the examination and analysis will focus on the industry’s recommended best practices. A plan for incorporating these recommendations into the city’s existing training structure.
Literature Review
Many experts on ethical decision making state that it begins within the individual’s character. Whether one ends up making an ethical or unethical decision in a given scenario may indeed be more heavily influenced by one’s inner sense of “right” and “wrong.” Arguably though, one develops character through exposure to both knowledge and experience. This knowledge and experience comes from a combination of formal training, informal study, direct experience with challenging circumstances, and through relationships with others who have faced similar circumstances (Gleason, 2006). Formalized training for public safety employees can help cement the informal knowledge and experience one accumulates. In addition, formal ethics training can correct unfounded knowledge and provide enhanced guidance for particularly challenging scenarios.
Sound ethics training provides several pillars that make up an overall framework for those particularly challenging scenarios. The pillars include developing the ability to recognize when a situation is potentially unethical, determining various course of actions to take that will result in an ethical outcome, choosing which course of action to take using a logical decision making process, implementing that decision, and accepting what happens as a result (Gleason, 2006). While legal decision making examines the action and whether that action complies with the law, ethical decision making examines both the action and the motivation (Gleason, 2006). Therefore, an ethical decision making training program needs to consider the following: purpose, value, whether it purports character, whether it mitigates risk, encourages performance of high standards, and encourages accountability (Gleason, 2006).
The primary reason behind the need for formal ethics training is that one cannot solely rely on one’s character. Too many failures to behave ethically are documented in a variety of industries – likely due to the complexity and ambiguity involved in ethical dilemmas (Revere, 2013). The need to preserve one’s own self and self-interests can outweigh the needs of the greater good. In addition, there is often a substantial gray area of what constitutes an ethical versus an unethical act. Formal training can set up those expectations in ways that decrease the amount of gray area, and define what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
Ethics can sometimes be defined by what they are not. The literature states that ethics are not feelings or insights, religion, or cultural norms (Revere, 2013). Rather, ethics stem from five different approaches. These approaches include the Utilitarian approach, the common good approach, the virtue approach, the rights approach, and the fairness or justice approach (Revere, 2013). The main similarity between all of the aforementioned approaches is that the common good is paramount to the good of the individual. Therefore, guidelines for ethical behavior can be seen as what action is best for greater society. And what is best for greater society is often defined by the society that will benefit from said action(s). In other words, what is considered ethical can evolve and change depending upon the nature and values of the defining society.
The parameters of what is considered ethical in the execution of public safety services includes a high degree of accountability, protecting public monies, protecting the community’s right to privacy, and acting in a transparent manner (Thomas, 2011). Making matters more complex is the fact that many experts agree that there is usually not one correct decision for ethical scenarios in public safety (Thomas, 2011). However, the literature presents additional guiding principles for ethic training programs for public safety employees. These principles are keeping the interest of the public in mind, using objective judgment, public accountability, leadership that emphasizes citizenship, and showing respect (Thomas, 2011).
Field Research and Investigation
Even a cursory examination of the City of Pompano Beach’s Fire Rescue department’s statement on training reveals its lack of attention to ethical and legal decision making. The section of the department’s website dedicated to an explanation of its fire training program mentions driver training, communication, spreadable diseases, and hazardous materials (City of Pompano Beach, 2016). The website mentions technological advances in terms of equipment, and the development of firefighter knowledge and skills related to field operations (City of Pompano Beach, 2016). Nothing in the training program’s details mention the fact that firefighters can encounter ethical dilemmas or be faced with making decisions that must adhere to certain ethical and/or legal standards. This lack of mention either indicates that the city’s administration either holds the perspective that these types of decisions need to be funneled to a supervisor or that these types of decisions will be made on an individual basis. In other words, the administration trusts the individual characters of each of the firefighters and feels that the firefighters have a strong enough basis of what is “right” and “wrong.”
Analysis of Field Research and Investigative Findings
Given the fact that the City of Pompano Beach’s Fire Rescue Department does not appear to have a formalized training program on ethics, it is recommended that one be implemented as soon as possible. As stewards of public safety, the department’s firefighters are likely to face daily scenarios where they are required to uphold high ethical standards. Guidance is critical not only for the benefit of the individual firefighter, but the department and community as a whole. It is also important to ensure that firefighters are aware of the legal implications of their decisions in the field. Understanding the community’s legal requirements is a base step, but the city’s administration needs to take a more active, responsible role in assuring its firefighters understand the department’s expectations of “right” and “wrong” behavior. Otherwise, the reputation of the fire agency could suffer if ethical and legal controversies abound.
An ethical decision making training program could easily be implemented as a part of the department’s fire ground knowledge or special activities. The content of the ethical decision making training needs to cover what defines a potentially unethical situation, present various examples of these situations, require the firefighters to role play possible decisions, provide guidance from administration on the recommended or best courses of action, and the potential outcomes of such decisions. It would also be helpful for administration to include specific guidelines for common ethical dilemmas that firefighters will face in the field. Providing firefighters with examples of the consequences of various decisions from real-life ethical dilemmas would be of benefit.
Reflection
While ethical and legal decision-making is a critical component of the jobs of public safety agency employees, not all employers address its importance. Possible reasons include not realizing the importance of providing guidelines to front-line employees, taking the perspective that such decisions will only affect those at a managerial level, or being unsure of how to define and set ethical expectations. The City of Pompano Beach’s Fire Rescue Department seems to be one of those organizations. Administration has yet to incorporate formalized ethical decision making training into its core content for firefighter skill development. Relying on the individual characters of each of its firefighters is insufficient, as public safety employees are relied upon by the community to make sound ethical choices. The development of an individual’s character and sense of “right and wrong” cannot be left to chance and outside influences. As with any aspect of organizational culture and management, expectations and guidance must be provided in order to achieve optimal results.
References
http://pompanobeachfl.gov/index.php/pages/fire_training/training
Gleason, Tag (2006, November 11). Ethics Training for Police. The Police Chief, 73(11)
Retrieved from
http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=1054&issue_id=112006
Revere, Marc (2013, September 13). The Role of Ethics and Morality in the Fire Service.
Firefighter Nation. Retrieved from
http://www.firefighternation.com/article/management-and-leadership/role-ethics-and-morality-fire-service
Thomas, Jeffery (2011). Teaching Applied Ethics in Fire & Emergency Medical Services.
https://www.uvu.edu/ethics/seac/Thomas_Teaching_Applied_Ethics_in_Fire_and_Emergency_Medical_Services.pdf
