The recent firefighter strikes in the United Kingdom provide an interesting case study for the American fire service. While the labor structure in this country would not lend itself to a national strike scenario, the local fire service organization could find itself in a similar confrontational situation, along with a loss of credibility in the eyes of their local citizenry.

On the surface, the Fire Brigades Union position of a 40% pay increase might not seem too unreasonable when compared to fire service salaries in this country. If the FBU had been successful in its demands, it would have raised the starting salary to a level similar to that of a firefighter in the United States.

Perhaps in this post — Sept. 11 era, the FBU felt that the profession was seen as being irreplaceable and that public support would encourage a political solution that would be to their advantage. In the context of the economy in the United Kingdom, however, that position was deemed to be unreasonable and absurd by a substantial majority of the public.

Over the course of the dispute, the groundswell of support that the firefighters counted on didn't seem to materialize. In fact, quite the opposite was seen. The media was less than supportive. Frequently during the strike action, reports on the work schedule of the firefighter and the overall productivity of the fire service were damaging to the eyes of a work force that worked longer hours for the same or less compensation.

Other aspects of the U.K. fire service also did not go unnoticed. The lack of diversity among the fire service ranks, particularly of women and minorities, did not foster recognition of personal identity among a sizeable segment of the citizenry in the United Kingdom. Media coverage of FBU leadership sent an overt message that the fire service was out of touch with the general public and that it was intolerant of any views other than its own.

As public support steadily eroded in the final months of the dispute, it was apparent that the FBU had not formulated an exit strategy should the events not play out as they had anticipated. In the closing days of the dispute, the FBU was faced with the potential for national legislation that would prohibit future strike action altogether, and a growing sentiment among its own membership that they had been “sold out” to the government by their executive council. As such, the FBU Executive Council finally agreed to a settlement, the details and impact of which will become more evident in the months and years to come.

The fire service here in the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom, has a long history of valued service to our respective communities. Our long history and traditions of service to others are key factors to our success and our intrinsic value in the eyes of our citizens. But as society changes, so must the fire service also change. To fail to do so will threaten not only the existence of the fire service, but also the high level of public support that we have today.

As fire suppression duties decline and become more and more infrequent, we must recognize the need and duty to provide more value to our citizens in a changing society and world around us. When we fail to remember why the fire service exists, and our individual and collective wants are seen to replace the needs and expectations of the community, we face the potential for a precipitous decline in public support.

Perhaps the greatest threat we face is a belief that we are irreplaceable. While all of us are proud of the traditions of the American fire service, the one tradition we need to get rid of is that, often times, we continue to be our own worst enemy.