Every organization has a chain of command not only within the fire department but also in the overall governmental structure of the community. There is always the official position to follow the chain. However, in the real world, responding to a request for something by someone not directly connected to you in the formal chain can be more complicated than it first appears. As with most problems, you need to assess the potential impact and possible outcomes that go beyond the seemingly simple solution to the problem. Now, let’s look at this month’s problem.
Assume you are working in a community with a city manager form of government and you report directly to the city manager. Your community has set a structure that establishes the city manager as the direct report to the city council. The City Charter states this to be the chain of command and, in an attempt to maintain this chain, “prohibits” any member of the council from contacting a department head without the approval of the city manager. In a perfect world, this would happen, and everyone would be content to play by these rules. As we all know, nothing works exactly as anticipated.
(Before I continue with the rest of the story, let me point out that although the intentions of this system are good, there can be harmless contacts with city council members that are in the best interest of the citizens. No one wants to create “red tape” that makes it more difficult to deal with things. In many cases, the simplest issues can be resolved with direct contact.)
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