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Previous coverage of Bel Air VFC story here & here
In the past, STATter911.com has warned about trends in news stories that end up becoming issues for fire departments across the country. Most of these have been about budget concerns like claims of excessive overtime, sick leave and shift swapping. There have been clear patterns in how those stories evolved in multiple jurisdictions across the country. Often they’ve hurt the image of firefighters (even when there has been no wrongdoing). Here’s my latest warning. Is a free cup of coffee the next one to bring unwanted scrutiny to your department?
It’s happening around Baltimore, Maryland right now. The Baltimore Sun is asking questions about policies for public safety employees accepting free food and drink. This began with the story we brought you from Harford County, Maryland where the Bel Air VFC took strong disciplinary action against some of its members who complained on Facebook that the local Sonic provided discounted meals for police officers and the military but not firefighters.
This has the Sun’s reporters asking other local jurisdictions, and ethics experts, some tough questions on the subject. Here’s an excerpt from yesterday’s article by Colin Campbell:
Such freebies are as old as jokes about police and doughnuts — and cups of complimentary coffee. Many restaurants and convenience stores give uniformed police and firefighters discounts to thank them for their service — and even encourage them to frequent the establishments and provide unofficial security. Some have store policies that guarantee the perks.
But police and fire supervisors say public servants must walk a narrow line to ensure that such courtesies don’t create an expectation of preferential treatment on either side.
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office, meanwhile, does not allow its members to accept discounts, nor does the Maryland State Police, and at least two of the three municipal police departments in Harford set some standards regarding acceptance of discounts or gratuities.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police has a clearly stated policy in the Abuse of Law Enforcement Powers or Position section of its Model Policy On Standards of Conduct:
“Officers shall not use their authority or position for financial gain, for obtaining or granting privileges or favors not otherwise available to them or others except as a private citizen, to avoid the consequences of illegal acts for themselves or for others, to barter, solicit, or accept any goods or services (to include, gratuities, gifts, discounts, rewards, loans, or fees) whether for the officer or for another.”
It also states: “Officers shall report any unsolicited gifts, gratuities or other items of value that they receive and shall provide a full report of the circumstances of their receipt if directed.”
I am not posting this to tell you what your policy should be. My point in sharing articles like the Bel Air VFC incident is to get you thinking how this may relate to your department, whether it’s a policy on social media, asking for a fire department discount, or dealing with the news media.
My advice for fire service leaders on this topic is the same as for the budget related stories I previously wrote about:
- Get your house in order now before a reporter starts asking questions
- Take corrective action on abuses you uncover
- If you believe any problems you discovered are likely to become news consider breaking the news yourself
- Be able to publicly defend your policies
- If you are unable to publicly defend it change the policy
Also on STATter911 …
- Maryland fire company investigates firefighters over Facebook posts. Bel Air VFC members upset over lack of discount by fast food place. – June 5, 2012
- Suspensions & demotions of ‘top responders’ upheld after Bel Air, MD Sonic Facebook shakedown. Termination of one firefighter pending. – June 26, 2012
- UPDATE: Bel Air, MD chief suspends, demotes & recommends dismissal in Facebook burger shakedown. So far, a textbook example on how to handle bad news. Read department statement. – June 6, 2012
- Video, pictures, fireground audio: Townhouse fire in Harford County, Maryland. – January 8, 2012
Comments
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State of NJ says it is unethical for a police officer to accept anything not offered to everyone. So if the coffee shop is doing free coffee day, then its ok, but if McDonalds doesnt charge the cop just because he is a cop, he cant accept, and must leave just compensation
Good old community coexistence is beginning to loose ground to the corrupt and dirty minded.
I see where this is coming from, but as long as there is no expectation of receiving anything, and nobody asks for it, I think local businesses should be able to thank whomever they like by either giving free or discounted products.
If you try to stop this, where do you draw the line? What about public safety and military discounts at stores and venues? I believe that a DC-area amusement park holds a public safety appreciation day every year. What if parking enforcement tells you not to bother putting money in the meter as you get out of the car?
My engine crew got free shakes at mcdonalds last week, but that’s ok because we’re volunteer… that makes it a donation.
This boils down to being one’s own worst enemy. In this day and age everybody wants to have a blog, Facebook, twitter or whatever else tickles they’re fancy. While freedom of speech is a right, public servants wether career or volunteer need to start realizing everybody is watching you no matter how insignificant you think your post or blog is. The person who you help today is the same person that will throw you under the bus tomorrow.
police, fire, and ems: we respond and serve as fast as we can, no matter what. and we do our job to the fullest extent required. a gift is not a (potential) ethical compromise of any kind, at any point in time in my eyes.
Hey Molly –
Being a volunteer does not make that ‘ok’. McDonalds did not donate anything to your organization, did they? They gave the individuals on your fire truck some ice cream.
Second point…
I am a paid fire/ems provider as well as a volunteer on my days off. I’ve seen everything from retired guys still wearing their uniforms out to pick up dinner just to get the 15% discount to situations just like BAVFC where guys are ‘boycotting’ a business because they don’t get a discount. I agree that fire and EMS providers don’t get paid enough. Who does get paid enough…maybe a CEO or something. Does the bricklayer who built that restaurant get paid enough? Does he get free coffee? What about the sewer dude who makes sure your toilet flushes. Does he get paid enough, and does he get free coffee? If you want free or cheap coffee or food, make it yourself.
Ain’t nobody got time for this ridiculousness, pay the bill and move on with your day.
Its easy. If you don’t ask, take, or hint at a freebie then you don’t have to deal with it. If you don’t get paid enough get a second job. If you still don’t get paid enough find a new occupation. Same goes for volunteers.
The problem is the big headed ego firefighters that expect it. If they give it to you great. If they don’t, then pay for your crap like everyone else. It is the 1% that consistently screw it up for everyone else.
I managed a restaurant for a number of years while going to college. It was my policy to give cops half price meals. The police chief did not like it and came in to my restaurant to tell me (tell me, mind you) that his officers could not and wold not accept a half price meal. I am sure they could find some charge to hang on me, but why should a police or fire chief have the authority to tell me what I could charge.
I will not argue with a waiter manager or owner over what they charge me for a meal. If it is discounted I tip to at least the menu price.
And yes I believe it is the 1%. I know the guy who puts his uniform on off duty and drives into town. I know the guy who questions a full price bill. If I am within arms reach I violate their rights and have no qualms slapping them upside the head.
Lets police our own first.
I would never ask for a discount. If I don’t get one I don’t care. I expect to pay for what I purchase. If someone gives me a discount on a small item like a cup of coffee, I don’t think much about it. I have received bigger discounts at restaurants. If this happens, the difference goes in the tip.
The discount if offered freely should be allowed to be accepted. Why you ask Dave? Because the business gets something in return…either a couple of cops sitting in their business for an hour chowing down on a couple of unhealthy burgers, sugary donuts or a stinkin slice of Pizza….they being there are a crime deterent for the business…thats what the business gets for giving a $3.00 discount.
A fire truck or EMS unit provides an elevated level of safety for the business by being there on the measely discount.
The business knows exactly why they are giving the discount and what they get out of it. WHen the public sees cops and FF’s eating at a place regularly, the public thinks it must be a good place to eat and they in turn wanty to eat there.
The problem in this situation is a bunch of yahoos thinking they are somebody important and acting like Jack-Donkeys.
The jurisdiction I retired from actively contacts businesses to provide discounts for the volunteers as another incentive to volunteer(along with vol. retirement program, reduced personal property tax, etc.). However, as the Fire Marshal,I would not nor would any of my staff accept “freebies” since we were the enforcement branch of fire and rescue it wouldn’t be appropriate to accept anything prior to or after performing an inspection or investigation. The only problem I ran into in 30+ years was at Chinese restaurants where the managers would get very upset if I didn’t accept a cup of tea. It was explained to me that it was part of their cultural to provide something to authority figures so to avoid conflict, I would accept the cup of tea and then leave $2.00 explaining it was for the wait staff.
Having a policy in place is always a good idea to deal with any situation. With that being said, no public safety personnel should expect freebies or discounts, but, if a business feels as though they are saying “thanks for your service” by providing a free cup of coffee, or a discount on a meal, why is that a problem? There was a convenience store in my former town that would give PD and FD a free or half price cup of coffee. The manager said it was their way of thanking the public safety personnel. I know of a restaurant where I currently live that has a 20% discount on one particular day a week for active or retired military or public safety personnel. Again, the owner is thanking those who serve or served and also quite honestly, it generates business for his restaurant. Here is what bothers me about this particular “news event”. Why is this news? Why does the news media in this case feel the need to do their “investigative reporting” on such an issue? Maybe I’m naive, but I don’t think the average person looses sleep overnight worrying about whether or not their local cop or firefighter got a free cup of coffee that day. I know that there are some people out there beating up on us and we need to be aware of that, but sensationalizing something like this only adds fuel to the fire. I would think there are a lot more important things going on in this country and beyond that the media should be concentrating on.
Dave, if you were still reporting, once you covered the initial news of the boneheads and their Facebook post, would you really feel the need to go on and “investigate” or report the policies in place for these types of things? Or would more mundane things like inadequate public safety staffing, policitical corruption, famine, and world peace take precedent?
While we agree on a lot of things Former Chief, this isn’t one of them. The firefighters opened a can of worms with the Facebook page. By doing so it brought a lot of questions about policy not just for firefighters but all of public safety in that community. When a reporter gets answers about that policy he or she wants to see how it compares to others jurisdictions and industry standards. These are legitimate ethical questions. The whole idea of having a free press is holding officials and the government accountable. That’s what I see being done here.
I know some people see this as a minor issue. I don’t. Firefighters in many jurisdictions have a certain amount of power (ceretainly not as much as police) when it comes to things like code enforcement (or getting those involved in code enforment to inspect an establishment). Imagine if the firefighters, instead of posting what they did on Facebook, cited a business owner for code violations because the owner wouldn’t provide a free meal.
As a reporter (and a citizen) I would want to know if a department allows such freebies, do they also let fire inspectors or fire marshals enjoy the same benefits? Would you want to find out as a chief that your FMs were looking the other way at code violations because a place provided them a free lunch a couple of times a week? I have seen a fair amount of corruption in code enforement in my days as a reporter and the gain for the inspectors often wasn’t much more than a free lunch.
When issues like this come up expect scrutiny and have a policy you feel comfortable defending. Blame it on the news media all you want, but it isn’t going to solve your problem.
Statter
Dave, we’re not really that far apart on this. I agree with your perspective. Those are all legitimate questions, especially the code enforcement. I agree the Firefighters in question should be held accountable for their actions. I certainly am in favor of a free, unbiased, objective press. I guess my frustration is that I would like to see the media spend as much time reporting on the struggles the fire service, and emergency services in general, are experiencing right now as opposed to looking for, or in some cases, creating scandals. In the big picture, we’ve got a lot more things that are newsworthy. Just my opinion.
I never really thought of it as a problem. BAVFD certainly made it one.
A local auto parts outlet gives a discount to fire personnel. They aren’t even in my jurisdiction, so there’s no conflict of interest involved. I can’t get them out of a parking ticket, much less a code violation. I don’t do enough business there to have them recognize me, but if I did, it wouldn’t surprise me to not realize I was getting the 5% off unless I looked closely at my receipt.
I’ll agree – calling one discount into question calls all such discounts into question.
Dave, it isn’t a stretch to imagine a reporter asking several departments about their policies, and then highlighting one that doesn’t have one. “We asked area departments, and it turns out that one them doesn’t even have an ethics policy… ” Now is that news? Probably not. But it’s something a news person might say in the course of a story.
If they give a discount, you tip it right back. Period. $1 off lunch? $1 in the tip jar.
If some one does not charge me for coffee in the morning, I buy the next person in line their coffee. Why should I get a discount when the regular lay person doesn’t.
All the good S*(& is going down the drain due to idiots and the need for everyone to post on twitter and facebook, damn!
Working in a large EMS system we receive discounts at certain places. Like a free fountain drink at the gas station we spend hundreds of dollars of personal money and thousands of dollars of company money a month. We sit in their parking lot and provide a presence; assist THEIR customers with directions; and some of us even have been known to wipe our pee dribbles off of the toilet seat. So if they want to give me an ice cold 32 bouncer on a hot day I don’t see anything unethical with that. If we demanded the drinks then yes but if it is a gift authorized by that company then we should be allowed to receive it without scrutiny from those dirtbag reporters(no oftenest Dave).
Ouncer…damn you autocorrect
You don’t have to justify it to me, but the job of a reporter is to ask questions about things just like this. If you have a solid policy defend it with the facts and the thought process behind it.
Statter
No offense* Dave. This new tablet is driving me to drink.