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On The Concept And Truth Of Power

May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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There are often a number of misconceptions regarding the role of leadership in any organization. Too often they are viewed as the persons with “power” and therefore the only ones who can affect the failures, success, and change in an organization. While that may be a popular perception, it is far from the actual truth in my opinion.


Power is the ability to do good things for others.


-Brooke Astor

Every single member of the organization has power. It is the role of the leadership to channel and focus that power collectively so the organization can achieve their mission which means good things for others. As such there is perception that the leadership has a greater power than others.

Uncle Ben was right… with this perception of great power comes even greater responsibility. It is a responsibility to the beneficiaries of the organization’s work to ensure that the work is completed. It is a responsibility to the members of the organization to provide guidance and leadership in a constructive manner so that the work can be completed efficiently and correctly. It is a responsibility to act transparently ensuring the fair and equitable treatment of all.

To help with that leaders often rely on policies. I’ve already written about where I stand on policies, and if you haven’t read it then I invite you to do so.

Where I Stand

The perception of power is ultimately formed through the actions, or inactions, of those in leadership roles. This perception is important because it affects the organization in many areas including inter-agency relations, recruitment, operations, and an organization’s ability to fulfill their actual mission.

The authoritarian leader is more likely to lead through edict, micro-management, policy, and discipline for violating those policies. They will often have preconceived notions and fail to listen to either the beneficiaries or the members of the organization. They will keep a small circle of confidants and will often reward them for their work while ignoring the same or greater work done by those outside of their circle. Its important to understand that this leadership style is something they learned from leaders before them and they don’t see the problems associated with it, especially the complications it can cause in volunteer organizations.

Needless to say, I am not a fan of the authoritarian leadership style. I am a believer that good leadership begins with effective communication. The first step of effective communication is the ability to listen and then act upon that information to guide and lead to the achievement of the mission. I prefer to receive the constructive feedback from all, to recognize the efforts (no matter how big or how small) of all who help achieve the mission, and provide constructive guidance to those willing to accept it so they too can be part of the team’s success.

I don’t view leadership as something that gives power. I view leadership as a responsibility to empower, because the truth about actual power is it resides squarely with the members.

For democratic organizations members are often asked to choose who they want to fill a leadership role, and as such are able to cast their vote on what type of leader they think will be able to help them achieve the mission of the organization. This is an important choice since a poor decision by the group may lead to the failure of the mission or even the failure of the organization’s ability to exist and therefore unable to do good things for others. The voice of the membership in their vote is power.

Members who may be in the minority still have power. If they believe strongly in the mission of the organization they can choose to continue being a member and work to achieve that goal. A good leader will understand that a key element of teamwork is the ability to compromise. Failing to do so will cause dysfunction in the organization, causing members to feel unvalued, and they may just decide to go elsewhere. Keeping that in mind, who has the true “power”? As I said previously, every single member has power and it is important to recognize that.

Where Do You Stand?

Do you still think your leadership has “power”? If you were in a leadership position, how would you use your “power”?

Filed Under: Volunteerism Tagged With:

On Policies And Discipline

May 9, 2012 By 4 Comments
Photo May 05, 6 25 05 PM

I’ve seemingly been knee deep in policies lately, so I wanted to provide a little insight into my own thinking on what their actual purpose is as opposed to what other people may think they are for. First, let’s look at the definition:

pol·i·cy

[pol-uh-see] noun, plural pol·i·cies.

1. a definite course of action adopted for the sake of expediency, facility, etc.: We have a new company policy.
2. a course of action adopted and pursued by a government, ruler, political party, etc.: our nation’s foreign policy.
3. action or procedure conforming to or considered with reference to prudence or expediency: It was good policy to consent.
4. sagacity; shrewdness: Showing great policy, he pitted his enemies against one another.

Definition of “policy” via Dictionary.com

Policies by definition should promote expediency, prudence, and efficiency. They themselves should be clearly defined for those expected to comply with them to understand both the actual policy, the reason for the policy, and the procedure expected to be adhered to.

Often times when someone makes a poor decision (or worse, makes no decision) the knee jerk reaction is to create a policy around this error in judgement. Enough knee jerks creates a “Policy Manual” that becomes both cumbersome and inefficient. This nullifies the actual purpose of having the policy in the first place, and puts an undue burden on those expected to comply with it.

Injustice often occurs when someone fails to comply with a policy because there is expected to be repercussions, usually in the form of a “Disciplinary Action“. More often than not the discipline itself is NOT a policy, and the handing out of the discipline is done in an arbitrary and capricious manner depending on who is responsible for administering the discipline. This is why there should be a Policy of Discipline that clearly lays out what will happen when a policy is not adhered to. See how quickly we can find reasons to create policies?


The one who adapts his policy to the times prospers, and likewise that the one whose policy clashes with the demands of the times does not.


-Niccolo Machiavelli

Even for those organizations that are progressive enough to have laid out a Policy of Discipline, one of the most overlooked aspects of polcy violations is whether or not a policy is correct. We make the assumption that because a policy was violated the person doing so is automatically in the wrong, but do we question the validity of the policy in the face of changing times? Does the policy still promote efficiency and expediency or has it become something that makes the task to be performed harder to do so.

Where I Stand

I feel policies need to have a level of fluidity, especially in volunteer organizations. While some may revolve around the necessity of compliance with laws and statutes, there are many others that don’t. Those often create more complications for members expected to adhere to them by setting an expectation but failing to provide a solution. I think every policy should provide a procedure as a guide and a tool for efficient resolution, not necessarily as a mandate.

I also feel that the Charter or Bylaws of a volunteer organization should be where the process of discipline is outlined. Because Charters and Bylaws by their nature are supposed to set the mission and tone of an organization, it should also set the expectations in regards to policies and fully explain the repercussions from failing to adhere to them. Most career organizations use their Human Resource department to provide these types of guidelines, but often volunteer organizations don’t have this benefit. As a practitioner of “step discipline”, I find it unfair to the members when there is not a discipline process foundation set forth. The lack of this foundation is why accusations and perceptions of favoritism exist in any organization.

I’m a believer that if the expectations are clearly defined, people will do their best to live up to them. If the repercussions are clearly defined, and not left up to “interpretation”, then when that discipline is administered it will be accepted and hopefully serve as a reminder of the expectations already established.

In conclusion and summation I can offer that I am in favor of expectations and discipline being clearly defined and universally adhered to, with policies providing guidance and potential solutions or “best practices” to the presented issue.

Where Do You Stand?

So where do you stand when it comes to policies? Should they be treated as a sacred text or should they be amiable to the needs of the organization’s members? What about organizational charters and bylaws? They are different than policies, so how do you view them when used in conjunction?

Filed Under: Career, Volunteerism Tagged With:

On HIPAA And Photography

October 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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Earlier this week I mentioned a video on STATter 911 that showed an EMT swipe a camera from a local activist in the name of the all powerful 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Acountability Act (HIPAA).

Now I’ll be honest, while the video is slightly disturbing I can understand why it happened. The activist was being obnoxious, rude, beligerant, and basically baiting the EMTs and Police Officers. Unfortunately this particular EMT, identified as Captain Ronald Leslie, took the bait and swallowed it whole like a wide mouthed bass. What I find to be more outrageous, and a blaring indicator to the actual problem, were the comments left on the original post.

So it begs to question how could a Captain be so blatantly wrong in his assertion that HIPAA prevents photographers/videographers from taking images on a public street and how can so many providers think that he was actually in the right?

The answer is that we provide an extremely poor education in not only HIPAA but also laws regarding photography. I’ve had my fair share of people tell me the same thing, including supervisors, chiefs and directors. I thought that we had done better in this area of education, but it appears we haven’t.

Who HIPAA Actually Applies To

To violate HIPAA it must actually apply to you. Some covered entities are:

  • Doctors
  • Nurses
  • Clinics
  • Hospitals
  • Dentists
  • Chiropractors

…and since we bill health insurance for reimbursement…

  • EMS Agencies
  • EMTs
  • Paramedics

Anyone notice something missing? Yes, Firefighters don’t necessarily make the list. However if you are certified as a healthcare provider or belong to a fire based EMS system then you are included as well. For firefighters who are members of a fire department who does not respond to medical emergencies, are not healthcare providers and therefore do not bill for compensation, HIPAA does not apply.

As for everyone else, such as the media and John Q. Public with a Flip UltraHD Camcorder or a cellphone camera, since HIPAA does not cover them then the rules governing patient privacy do not apply to them. Therefore they cannot “violate” them.

3 Of The 10 Legal Commandments of Photography

Laws will vary from state to state and city to city, but there are some very basic guidelines that are universal thanks to the US Constitution and its Amendments. An excellent guideline to these rights are The Ten Legal Commandments Of Photography. In the case above there are three specific Commandments that apply:

I. Anyone in a public place can take pictures of anything they want. Public places include parks, sidewalks, malls, etc. Malls? Yeah. Even though it’s technically private property, being open to the public makes it public space.

So is a courthouse open to the public? I would hope so. Therefore it is indeed legitimate to photograph/videograph inside of that building. Government buildings deal with highly sensitive materials in regards to national security may indeed prohibit photography as per Commandment IV, but I don’t think the Keene Courthouse is harboring anything of that nature.

V. People can be photographed if they are in public (without their consent) unless they have secluded themselves and can expect a reasonable degree of privacy. Kids swimming in a fountain? Okay. Somebody entering their PIN at the ATM? Not okay.

So this dispels the whole argument about the photographer not having consent forms for the people they photographed. If indeed it is in a public place, it can be photographed. Now what those photographs can be used for is a different issue. If for arguments sake someone wanted to use one of those photographs as an advertisement for a product inferring an endorsement, because it is now for commercial use they will probably need consent forms. The chances of that however are highly unlikely.

VI. The following can almost always be photographed from public places, despite popular opinion:

* accident & fire scenes, criminal activities
* bridges & other infrastructure, transportation facilities (i.e. airports)
* industrial facilities, Superfund sites
* public utilities, residential & commercial buildings
* children, celebrities, law enforcement officers
* UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, Chuck Norris

Once again, these are things within public view and therefore are legally within the realm of the photographer without the need for any special dispensation.

A few months back I posted the NYPD OPS Order On Photography. If you read the OPS Order it is very specific that the laws and practices the NYPD abides by follows the Ten Commandments very closely.

It is important to realize that these permissions are truly in our best interest as a society. While it may seem not in the best interest of the patient, if the freedom to do so didn’t exist then the video of Paramedic Maurice White getting choked by Trooper Daniel Martin would be illegal as well. Ultimately it is important that Responders understand and respect both their responsibilities to and the rights of their patients and those around them, especially photographers and the media.

This is also a great reason why your agency should be involved in Social Media. If the Keene Fire Department would have had a Social Media presence instead of this webpage, they would have been able to defend themselves in a more direct fashion. If you’re from the Keene Fire Department and reading this, it’s not too late to get started in Social Media.

Filed Under: First Responder, Highlights, Imagery Tagged With:

Oklahoma Trooper Assaults Paramedic

May 28, 2009 By 1 Comment
Maurice_White_Choke

On Sunday May 24 an Oklahoma State Trooper pulled over an ambulance transporting a patient to an emergency room and reportedly assaulted the Critical Care Paramedic who was charged with the patient’s care.

EMT Paul Franks and Critical Care Paramedic Maurice White from Creek Nation EMS were transporting a patient from Boley along highway 62 to the Prague Hospital Emergency Department. Near Paden the ambulance was pulled over by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Martin (Badge #606) because of the ambulance’s supposed failure to yield to him further back on the highway.

The incident was caught on video by the patient’s family and posted to YouTube. In the video you can hear EMT Franks request the Trooper to allow them to continue the transport to the Prague Emergency Department and to handle this matter there so as to no longer delay patient care.

Additionally you can clearly see that Paramedic White was in the back of the ambulance caring for the patient when he was pulled out and told that he was “under arrest”. While Paramedic White does in fact appear to resist the arrest, it should be noted that the Trooper Martin attempted to subdue him using a one handed choke hold meant to deny oxygen to his brain while the patient was being left unattended to in the rear of the ambulance. Since Paramedic White was the highest medical authority and charged with the patient’s well being it is understandable why he would in fact resist such an arrest action by the Troopers since there was no equal or higher medical authority for him to transfer care therefore leaving him as the responsible party.

You may think that common sense would dictate that if indeed Paramedic White allowed himself to be taken into custody that he would no longer be held liable for the well being of the patient, but common sense would also dictate that a law enforcement officer should not delay an ambulance crew from delivering a potentially critical patient to the emergency room. Apparently common sense is in very short supply from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and therefore it is safe to assume that it would also be in short supply in their other law enforcement and judicial agencies. Oklahoma is afterall the state that legalized upskirt photography to the delight of perverts and sexual deviants everywhere.

There is also reportedly a dashcam recording of this incident from the Trooper’s car that will reportedly show the ambulance crew assaulting the Trooper first, but surprisingly (or not) that has yet to be released.

Filed Under: First Responder Tagged With:
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