Page 6 - InCommand Volume 30

Social Structure of a Fire Chief
Chief Dean Ortlieb, Urbana Division of Fire
Author Bio
Dean Ortlieb, Ph.D., is the Fire Chief for the Urbana Fire Division and sits
on the Champaign County LEPC, 911 Operations, and the EMA governing boards. Chief Ortlieb retired from the City of Whitehall in 2018, where he was a Captain in charge of the Fire Prevention Bureau. In addition to the bureau at Whitehall, Chief Ortlieb was a Battalion Officer for over 15 years, where he led both 2- and 3-Unit operations in fighting fires and saving lives during his tenure. Chief Ortlieb has been an EMS and Fire Instructor since 1990, and in 2005, championed the Tolles Career & Technical Center Public Safety Department until 2016, as the Public Safety Coordinator. He holds certifications as Firefighter II; Fire Safety and Wellness Officer; Fire Safety Inspector; Fire Officer I, II, & III; Fireworks Operations; Paramedic; BLS Instructor; FEMA IS-100; IS-700; IS-702 PIO; IS-703 Resource Management; G-300; G-400; G-775 EOC Ops; Hazardous Material Technician; and Weapons of Mass Destruction. Chief Ortlieb considers himself a life-long learner and has the following degrees: Associate of Applied Business; Bachelor and Master of Business Administration; and Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology. Chief Ortlieb’s Master’s Thesis was Creating an EMS Framework for Whitehall Division of
Fire and his Ph.D. Dissertation was Self-Determination as a Moderator of Stress and Burnout in Firefighters, which was published in 2007. Chief Ortlieb is
a member of the OFCA Legislative, Education, and Safety, Health and Wellness Committees, where he is the Assistant Chair of the committee.
For the longest time, I thought
there had to be a secret recipe that made up what I thought would
be a quality chief. I felt the anatomy
of this chief was inherent from birth, and when this person joined the fire service, they were destined for the top position. It seemed they did the right things, associated with the right people, and were just as stellar off duty as on.
I believe now that my viewpoint is flawed, and there is no one pathway or framework to becoming a chief. Further, what I believe makes a good chief may not be the same as yours.
It is for these reasons, we should explore all aspects of chief. Most likely their success is a combination of work and life experiences, education, work ethic, and social interactions. I would argue that the social interactions create the foundation for a person to build what they believe is the makings of a quality chief. However, it is also my belief that the social structure of a quality chief cannot be defined. Rather, it is different for each person and developed through time.
If the sociological references of a fire chief’s social structure were indeed one dimensional, it then would suggest that there is a taxonomy of social norms that allow a fire chief to construct groups
of relationships based off the position they hold. In fact, looking at it from this rigid point of view brings me back to my college days of studying Karl Marx and his implicit belief that society revolved around social superstructures, such as politics and economics to which all other social groups are formed.
I believe Marx’s line of thinking
of a rigid top down approach has fundamental flaws and would argue that true social structure is often the product of one’s environment. An environment that is often shaped with what the late painter Bob Ross would call “happy
little accidents” of unattended social consciences that helps shape a person’s belief system.
As we all know, not everything in
life has a black and white answer that can easily be cut and pasted into similar situations with the same outcome. In
the case of a fire chief’s social structure, not all fire chiefs are the same, and the way they act within their environments varies widely. Therefore, a fire chief often does not choose what social groups to belong but often through their actions social groups choose them. This is not
to say one cannot develop and build a social framework, rather one should be aware that what we do and say often has implications on work output and who we associate with.
To obtain a blueprint of what you want your social structure to look like, start paying attention to a chief you admire and one that you would prefer not to be like. Remember, these chiefs’ actions are not arbitrary, but reflect continuity towards their core values. Since life does have form and we do have interrelated social structures, any happy little accident often falls within the social structure we have built.
Which brings me to my final point. You can find several articles that address going from peer to manager or buddy
to boss concepts that give steps and tips for a successful transition. If one chooses or thinks that following these processes are not necessary until they become a chief, chances are their road ahead will have some bumps and potholes along the way. Within your social structure, whether you choose to associate with your personnel on or off duty or decide what management style you prefer as a chief; it should be a conscious effort to improve. Become a life-long learner of your social structure and a steward to the chief you want to be!
6 InCommand APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2020 • www.ohiofirechiefs.org