During a pilot program in October at the National Fire Academy, I spent one weekend riding along with the emergency services in our nation's capital. There's now an uneasiness about being in a major center of government or commerce after Sept. 11, especially in the capital, the symbol of revitalized national pride. Add to that the braintrust of think tanks, government scientists and national leaders who are in the D.C. metro area, and the city becomes a significant target.

Emergency services have ties to many important agencies in the district. Located a few blocks from the White House is the headquarters of the IAFF. Farther down the road are the departments of Health and Human Services and Transportation and FEMA, all of which provide our profession with money and leadership.

With all of these assets, one would assume that the district's EMS would be a showcase for the country, but that's not so.

Washington Fire/EMS Department is a typical urban department, constantly fighting for its operating funds and being asked to do more with less. The equipment is inadequate, as was evidenced by the EMS supervisor not having a computer. There's a threat of station closures and staffing cuts. When I first visited the department in 1995, stations were being closed on a rotating basis, and that issue is surfacing again in the face of impending budget deficits. The day I was there, the system was unable to staff seven of its ambulances, just under a third of its fleet.

It makes no sense that those protecting our nation's greatest assets aren't provided with an organizational structure that ensures their success and happiness. However, the greatest vulnerability isn't budget issues but the lack of teamwork and communication. Now most of us would say that EMS always has received less-than-equal acceptance in the fire service. It's this disjointed team effort that threatens the district's residents, the city's defense against attack, and the safety of fire and EMS workers.

Whenever I'm at the fire academy I send students to visit DCFD because I truly believe that it has a dedicated work force, but during this most recent trip I was a little embarrassed after promoting the department to my students. On this particular trip our first encounter with department members was in the station parking lot. Two people — whom I took for rookie firefighters because of their age and maturity — displayed an attitude and said a few expletives when we asked for directions to the EMS supervisor's office. I have been to Washington stations 15 times or more and never have encountered such a reception.

The EMS supervisors weren't immediately available, so we spent some time with a heavy-rescue company officer. It only takes 10 or 15 minutes to know that you're among some of the nation's most technically proficient rescue companies. However, when the conversation switched to EMS the disconnect became apparent. This particular company officer believed in the fire department's mission to respond to EMS calls, but found major frustration in the EMS field supervisor's lack of action.

This particular heavy-rescue crew used to take great pride in servicing EMS crews. However, that all changed during a vehicle rescue where the crew used great care in removing the metal around an entrapped person only to have an ambulance crew drag the patient out before they were finished, compromising the patient's C-spine. The rescue company officer documented the event and passed it to the EMS field supervisor. The company officer didn't know what action, if any, was taken, but he should have received some feedback as an internal customer.

The company officer went on to express concern over rotating station closures and the dangers they impose on the crews. Many of the firefighters further expressed concern over a lack of training opportunities, mentioning that a nationally known instructor was conducting an elevator rescue class in a hotel a few blocks away, but they were unable to attend either on duty or off. I asked about officer training and was told that the officer candidate school consisted of two days of how to fill out paperwork. Finally, we were told that the police departments recently purchased a heavy-rescue unit. Could the evident lack of teamwork between fire and EMS have prompted that decision?

The interpersonal dynamics in the station account for more than half of company officers' responsibilities. As most company officers will tell you, a team in the fire department is built around the dinner table. But it's apparent that the suppression crew doesn't include many of the EMS crews in station activities. The attitude and complaints against EMS by the suppression side indicate a failure of the organization's leadership.

When the EMS supervisors finally arrived, we spread out to different parts of the city to observe calls and talk to more people out where the rubber meets the road. The ambulance crews seemed happy and well versed in their trade, and it was obvious that the camaraderie among the EMS crews was as strong as that of the engine crews and rescue companies, like the supervisor who went out of his way to make sure one of his employees got Redskins tickets. But this kind of personal attention is lacking between fire and EMS.

Adding further tension is the fact that the EMS division has a separate retirement system and separate pay scale than the suppression personnel. In talking to several of the ambulance crews and engine companies, I was disappointed to learn of salary discrepancies. One person joked that the salary for an EMT qualifies you for food stamps. The pay and pension differences between the EMS lieutenants and the fire lieutenants violate disparate impact issues and are a source of demoralization, despite the span of control being three times that of a company officer on a suppression vehicle.

More than a year ago, five ALS engine companies were placed in service, and medics crossed over to engine from ambulance with the promise of cross training and a 24-hour-shift schedule. Usually the fire companies see no obligation to retrieve their personnel, so the medic often gets caught in the loop of running additional calls because the ambulance is responsible for returning them to their station, defeating the ALS engine concept. The engine medic I spoke with also expressed concerns over lack of equipment and soft supplies.

Fire and EMS crews also expressed the lack of support from upper administration and consistent problems with equipment, budget and staffing. There are rumors circulating of the EMS being taken over by the police department. Most of the fire crews seemed indifferent to the EMS crews, and there was a lack of communication between the EMS crews and the engine crews.

I think the problem is apparent: The traditional fire/EMS rivalry has gone to extremes in the face of weak leadership. The department has been through almost 20 fire chiefs. These folks are on the front lines of the war against terrorism, and it doesn't take a military historian to realize that a force divided is a force defeated. There's a tremendous outside threat, and it will take strong teamwork to weather another attack on the capital. This problem is not unique to Washington, but rather common to many communities around the country and a critical finding in the Sept. 11 post-incident analysis.

As a rule I think you can't complain about something without offering a solution, so here's mine. First and foremost, if your agency is experiencing conflict between the work groups take a hard look at your officer training. Are your EMS and fire officers taking the same supervisory training, and are they in the same officer candidate schools? If not, they should be. How are fire officers supposed to understand the role of EMS officers if they never get a chance to communicate, learn each other's roles and find common approaches to supervision? These approaches include:

1. Apply emotional intelligence to field supervision

   This emerging trend teaches street smarts and social cues and gives managers the skills to respond with appropriate management techniques. Every department has the responsibility to provide a curriculum that incorporates a significant portion of the training to team-building and communication.

2. Let people do their jobs

   If it's heavy rescue, let the team complete their evolutions. If it's strategic management of EMS activities, let those with the training and experience in EMS collaborate with management to make the decision. Imagine an EMS officer with no ladder company experience making a major decision about ladder companies. Why then would a fire officer overseeing EMS not entrust his or her management team to make policy and influence operations, like a football coach letting the quarterback call his plays?

3. Teach tolerance of the EMS role in the rookie school

   It was obvious the recruits we encountered in the parking lot had learned that such behavior was acceptable in the recruit school. That is one complete generation of firefighters who will never realize its true potential to the community. There is an opportunity here for the EMS division to provide some internal customer service and conduct the EMS training for recruits and the suppression division.

4. Equalize the pay and the retirement system

   Fire and EMS have nearly the same physical stress, back injuries and other physical tolls, so why aren't benefits the same? The difference in pay and titles can be standardized, and savings from the simplification of accounting practices can be realized and applied to other areas of the operation.

5. Get the system the funding it needs

   I can't imagine the public or political backlash that will occur if another event happens in the Washington area and the response is compromised by a randomly closed fire station and an EMS fleet missing one third of its work force. Medical supplies and EMS equipment often is in short supply.

Improving the quality of the work environment is best done with participatory and multi-disciplinary teams where everyone shares the vision of providing excellence in emergency services. Many of the major urban fire departments in this country are experiencing the same team-building issues that Washington is struggling with. We need to change how we relate to each other on scene, and that begins in the recruit school and follows through to the station. This department should be a showcase for the nation, but it will take new leadership to turn this organization around.

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Bruce Evans is the fire science program coordinator at the Community College of Southern Nevada as well as an adjunct faculty member for the National Fire Academy's EMS and injury prevention courses. A captain at the Henderson (Nev.) Fire Department, he has a master's degree in public administration and an associate's degree in fire management.