Gordon Graham
Category: Fire Service
Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s Tip is for my friends in the fire service. I want to talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention in the fire service: Who is writing your department’s policies?
Now, I know what some of you are thinking: “We’ve got a guy for that.” Maybe it’s a chief officer, a company officer, or even a member on light duty who’s been “volun-told” to handle policy writing on top of their regular duties. And my friends, that is exactly the problem.
“Having unqualified people writing policy is a predictable path to trouble.”
Policy development is not a side job. It’s not something you squeeze in between calls, training sessions, and administrative tasks. Good policies — policies that are legally sound, operationally effective, and built to withstand scrutiny — require expertise. They require someone who understands the law, industry standards, best practices, and, most importantly, how to write in a way that is clear, concise, and enforceable.
Now, let’s do a little real risk management here. What happens when a policy is vague or contradictory? What happens when it doesn’t align with current laws or NFPA standards? I’ll tell you what happens: You open your department up to unnecessary liability. You create confusion in the ranks. You make it harder to enforce accountability. And when something goes wrong — because let’s be honest, something will go wrong — it’s going to be too late to say, “Well, we didn’t think about that.”
So, my friends, I encourage you to take a hard look at your policy process. Who’s writing them? Do they have the knowledge, training, and time to do it right? And if not, is it time to consider getting some outside expertise to make sure your policies are rock-solid?
As I always say, if it’s predictable, it’s preventable. And having unqualified people writing policy is a predictable path to trouble. That’s Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Until next time, Gordon Graham signing off.
