Des Moines Fire Chief Under Attack
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Chiefs under attack. Its an ongoing phenomenon in the fire service, usually rationalized by firefighters based upon on local specifics that go something like this: “Our chief is an imbecile (or insert your own term of endearment…. I’ll use imbecile). He did…..and….. and …. and ….. . Only a special kind of imbecile would do… and… and …. and …..”
It is a seductive attitude, one firefighters often learn early in their careers (I did), cynical, salty-sounding, and one that all too often is fueled by economic hard-times. Regardless of the specifics, there always seems to be plenty of grist for the chiefs under attack mill. As I travel across the country – it would appear that an awful lot of fire chiefs are – if not every-single fire chief is – an imbecile… at least in the minds of their firefighters.
How can that possibly be? Can every fire chief in the United States really be an imbecile??? How does someone go from being a trusted colleague, respected officer, sometimes even union president… to imbecile shortly after being promoted to chief?
I have no idea whether the Des Moines firefighters’ efforts to oust their chief are objectively warranted, or not. What I suspect is that the passions of the Des Moines firefighters are just as sincere as the beliefs of thousands of other firefighters I know who equally believe that their fire chief is just as big an imbecile. They all cannot be right. Nor can they all be wrong.
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