This article is the fifth in a series regarding the top three complaints about battalion chiefs that I hear when I teach at different fire departments around the country. Previous blogs covered failing to listen to subordinates and an authoritarian approach using open and veiled threats against subordinates. This week I am addressing battalion chiefs who are technically and tactically incompetent.
During my career as a firefighter, I worked for and alongside both good and bad battalion chiefs. The good battalion chiefs (BC) are technically and tactically proficient. They know what to do and how to get the job done. They know their strengths and their limitations, and they are not afraid to admit weakness. The strong BCs seek improvement, and they have an impressive command presence.
The bad BCs are the opposite of everything listed above. Enroute to an emergency and on scene you hear their lack of confidence and fear as they speak on the radio. Their weakness is often covered in bravado, a heavy-handed approach, or they display timid behavior. The term command presence is as foreign to them as speaking the Romanian language.
I have had interesting conversations with firefighters and company officers who complain about their BC, and conversations with good BCs who know some of their peers are incompetent. Why does this happen?
- One reason is the Peter Principle, defined by Dictionary.com as, “any of several ‘satirical laws’ concerning organizational structure, especially one that holds that people tend to be promoted until they reach their level of incompetence.”1
There are individuals who perform well as company officers, but that does not mean they will be a good BC. Also, there are mediocre company officers that should have NEVER been promoted to BC. When you take the time to study military history, you will see both scenarios played out in critical situations.
- Then we have the political appointee, the favored individual, or the one who constantly has their lips attached to the chiefs rear-end.
- Another reason is the eligibility list looks more like a puddle than a pool. What causes this?
- The department is so young that the pool of qualified individuals is shallow and consequently, people are thrust into a position they are not yet ready for.
- There are good company officers who fail to realize the positive impact they could have on their department, and they refuse to take the promotional exam.
- There are company officers who fear being passed over for promotion and they allow that fear to anchor them in place rather than test for the next position.
Next week we will look at some ways to overcome this problem of captains who do not want to pursue a promotion to battalion chief.
