Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Ian B. Cole

Abstract

For the past 25 years, the number of fire department responses to structure fires nationally has gone down. Structure fires now reflect less than ten percent of the responses of the fire service. In the same period, emergency medical services (EMS) have become the overwhelming activity of most fire departments. The problem is the promotional process focuses on firefighting knowledge and skills while ignoring the absolute need for EMS competencies, in some capacity, for a supervisory position. The lack of change in the promotional process is related to the organizational culture of the individual fire departments and the collective difficulty with change in the fire service. As it applies to public policy, punctuated equilibrium theory shows that change often comes in “fits and starts” bolstered by public opinion. This theory, along with organizational culture theory, provided the basis for why EMS remained viewed as a “lesser” activity in the fire service. This study determined what EMS competencies are essential and why those competencies are not included in firefighter promotional testing. This case study was qualitative, utilizing semi-structured interviews of participants. Existing data provided by a national database of fire department statistics and documents from individual participating fire departments showed that promotional requirements focused on firefighting alone. This study addressed an underdeveloped area of research in firefighter promotional testing, excluding EMS supervisory performance measures. Addressing this oversight will lead to more qualified supervisors able to meet the needs of a changing fire service, thereby providing positive social change for the communities they serve.

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