Des Moines Fire Chief Under Attack

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.