Is there a WRONG reason to get involved?

[Smallflame]

Ladies and gentlemen,

A topic that has been under debate and scrutiny lately external to forum life is the question "Is there a wrong reason to get involved?"

While a lot of people pop up straight away and think yes, do you think past it to the point of "its an extra backside on a seat?" or do you find that people who have questionable motives display questionable dedication, or perhaps conditional?

This has been a matter of discussion, seeing as its a great season to be recruiting, but at the same time, discussing who make the 'right' kind of team members: the kind who don't make a scene, don't revel in conflict and will provide some degree of assistance and contribute to the improvement of the team itself.

Its provided a few interesting answers aloud, just thought it was a decent idea for discussion/debate.

[bajdas]

All emergency service organisations have a social aspect, but that is not the main purpose. We are to help people and the community in times of an emergency.

Thus we have to be professional, trained, dedicated and a team. This includes following orders via the 'chain of command' that you do not totally agree with at an incident.

People volunteer for many reasons. Some of that is for recognition and status.

But not everyone will meet the criteria and the brigade/unit/flotilla/squad/etc needs to 'prune volunteers that do not meet the criteria' for the good of the organisation sometimes.

But this needs to be done by trained and experienced people, because sometimes the action of volunteers is a reaction to the management style.

It might be a change at the top of the local organisation that is required rather than a change at the bottom of the organisation....

Either way, sometimes it is better to loose a few volunteers rather than loose the whole organisation..

[mack]

well if your a pyro then that may be the wrong reason to join... lol

but seriously, if someone has the skills, ability, commitment and enthusiasm to participate actively within the brigade, then regardless of there personal reasons for joining, it is beneficial to the briagde.

we had a couple come along to try and join so that they could complete community service for there workplace, for some accreditation then they were just gonna leave... needless to say that is the wrong reason.

[Mike]

Hmm,  dont think is a matter of having the skills or ability... but the desire to get the skill and build on the ability.

Remember, people may not be suited to every task we do, but they are still useful...

As for the wrong reason... well there can be.... but they need to be investigated properly...

[country kid]

Hmm,  dont think is a matter of having the skills or ability... but the desire to get the skill and build on the ability.

Remember, people may not be suited to every task we do, but they are still useful...

As for the wrong reason... well there can be.... but they need to be investigated properly...

well said, but you dont want to have the people on a appliance who is just an extra butt on the seat if they dont want to help, you want them to want to be there and to learn and help. even if it is something that is not as important, because its all helping the community!

[mack]

thats pretty much what i meant Mike, as of course there are not that many people (in the grand scheme of things) that join the service that already have the skills/abilities required... however there are also some people that seem incapable of ever achieveing these skills etc

[rescue5271]

Firstly being a volunteer in any community group is becoming a dieing race,yes from those that join we will always have one or two that are not what we are looking for but can they be used to do other duty's?? Not everone that joins the service wants to be a firefighter or a rescue member in the SES,there are other duty's that people can do like comms.catering,support just to name a few.You have to give people ago and it does not happen over night you can not tell if someone is going to be a good member till they have done all the training and attended some call outs...

I travel alot with my job and not so long ago a brigade in region3 was inundated with new members from the community who wanted to be auxiliary members,but the brigade turned them away as they did not have a auxiliary. Mind you that brigade some months ago was and still is in need of new membership. Who knows these new auxiliary could have become brigade members sometime later..now that is a good way of seeing if someone is going to be good for the brigade...

[Smallflame]

well if your a pyro then that may be the wrong reason to join... lol

but seriously, if someone has the skills, ability, commitment and enthusiasm to participate actively within the brigade, then regardless of there personal reasons for joining, it is beneficial to the briagde.

we had a couple come along to try and join so that they could complete community service for there workplace, for some accreditation then they were just gonna leave... needless to say that is the wrong reason.

This is sort of what I meant... A few of the examples sited in our discussions were something like the latter, and lacking in the aforementioned ability, skills and commitment,  even the enthusiasm (ie. Down to "I'm not going if .... isn't going" mentality. I guess they're the kind of people we're trying to steer well clear of. Having encountered quite a few of the kind with no enthusiasm who hang around anyway, trying to shape recruitment to somehow attract the "Right" kind of people...

Yes, you can work on people lacking skills, but people lacking dedication, who are there fundamentally for the wrong reason can't really be helped out that much, and after a point, do they not become a liability, especially if they make it clear that they are not happy in the position regularly...

[6739264]

I'd suggest that if you are going to discuss this topic, you leave out any real life unit based issues. 

[Mike]

Provided nothing linking to the specific organisation is used, the forum is a good tool for discussing issues that are troubling us at times.....

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The way people contribute to an organisation can sometimes be clouded by thing in people lives, it can be had to overlook these things at times.

It is very hard to distinguish things in certain circumstances, and we must be careful not to turn away people who need mentoring and guidance for the wrong reasons.

As I said before, it is a hard process, and one that must be dealt with in a careful considered mannor when it occurs.

[Alan J]

Depends if that "wrong reason" is going to impact badly on other members  or safety.
We have at various times discouraged potential recruits who had uncontrolled (& possibly uncontrollable) red light fever.  Straight-out safety issue.

Also the chap who was into stompfen feet und clicken heels und at 19:31 vanted to know vhy all 30 members mentioned on ze veb-site vere not prezent und accounted for in zere sparklingk kleen univorms wen ze ztartingk time ist kleerly stated az 19:30 hours.  Decided he probably wouldn't fit in & suggested the army instead. Last I heard the army wasn't too keen either...

The bloke who wanted to use CFS as an educational stepping stone to a better job in the SA PS annoyed some members, but was a useful contributor while he lasted.
cheers
AJ

[Smallflame]

Depends if that "wrong reason" is going to impact badly on other members  or safety.
We have at various times discouraged potential recruits who had uncontrolled (& possibly uncontrollable) red light fever.  Straight-out safety issue.

Also the chap who was into stompfen feet und clicken heels und at 19:31 vanted to know vhy all 30 members mentioned on ze veb-site vere not prezent und accounted for in zere sparklingk kleen univorms wen ze ztartingk time ist kleerly stated az 19:30 hours.  Decided he probably wouldn't fit in & suggested the army instead. Last I heard the army wasn't too keen either...

See, zer is danger involved no? Was just a point of discussion I guess. Since its recruitment season it sort of beccame an open discussion on "members of the past who didn't stay that long..." and "where do we want our brigade to move on to in future"

[bajdas]

...Was just a point of discussion I guess. Since its recruitment season it sort of beccame an open discussion on "members of the past who didn't stay that long..." and "where do we want our brigade to move on to in future"

I think it is fantastic that a local organisation is looking & planning into the future....beyond the next season, beyond the next election...do many others have 5 year plans that include mentoring the next leadership group ?

[K99]

I think the wrong reason to get involved is simple......no pay

[alphaone]

I think the wrong reason to get involved is simple......no pay

K99, normally I would not reply to an antigonistic comment like that, but I am gonna make an exception here.

NO PAY is the RIGHT reason to join, it shows you are willing to help those in need cause you want to and you can, not for a filtered pay check. If the only reason you are in the emergancy services is for the pay check, then YOU are the one who has joined for the wrong reason.

[Alan (Big Al)]

Well no alphaone, he had a good reason to join, probably enjoys his job and gets paid for it.

I'm sure if i wanted to do this full time and got paid ok i would do it too:-)

[littleone]

Wrong reason... hmm

I can think of 3 people from our brigade who joined soley because they were there to pick up/keep an eye on their other half. I can't say i agree with this reasoning, neither can i say any of these 3 contribute when said other half isnt there. It seems to me like a rather faulty reason to get involved in anything.

That being said I joined because a friend of the family didn't think I could knuckle down and dedicate myself to soemthing. I fell a bit in love with the work and haven't left!

[country kid]

Wrong reason... hmm

I can think of 3 people from our brigade who joined soley because they were there to pick up/keep an eye on their other half. I can't say i agree with this reasoning, neither can i say any of these 3 contribute when said other half isnt there. It seems to me like a rather faulty reason to get involved in anything.

That being said I joined because a friend of the family didn't think I could knuckle down and dedicate myself to soemthing. I fell a bit in love with the work and haven't left!

okay so maybe there priorities are wrong, and well if they dont do and lot well there not exaclty some one you would really want in your 'team'. so i would consider that A wrong reason. (but that could get into a heated discusion, probley best to leave it there)