It is the mission of the Brookfield Fire & Emergency Services is to prevent and minimize the loss of life and property of citizens and fire personnel: to mitigate the consequences of natural and man-made disasters; to provide Emergency Medical Services; to provide non-emergency support services; and to safe guard the environment and economic base of our community.

Values

Our mission is best accomplished through the application of organizational values to which each of us commits to in the course of our duties. We value…

• The faith and trust of the community, and continually work to deserve that confidence through attitude, conduct, and accomplishments. We recognize that the community is the reason for our existence.

• The talents of our members and encourage responsible decision making at the most appropriate level. We recognize the importance of personal and professional development.

• The level and quality of service we deliver to the community. We are committed to continuous improvement and are attentive to the changing needs of the people we serve.

• Open and honest communication. Communication and consensus form the foundation of our department. The system is a unique and complex collection of agencies, citizens, elected officials, hospitals, firefighters, and medical personnel and countless others dedicated to the success of the department. Maintaining open communications and commitment to cooperation and consensus building are essential to our continued success.

Principles

These principles are the foundation of our organization. The principles are the code, to which we will abide in our pursuit to establish and maintain the best level of service to our community. We will maintain a climate of fairness, consistency and professionalism in assisting our members in achieving both individual and group success.

The principles of our community are vital to the success of BFES.

All members of the department shall practice these principles. They are not negotiable nor are they open for interpretation. By following the principles and values established by our organization, we can enhance the excellence of BFES.

1. Customer

It is our principle to meet the customer’s needs, which means we will seek to identify the “true need”; we will create an atmosphere where the customer is made to feel welcome, valued, and listened to and where we put forth a genuine effort to meet their needs. Our organization exists to serve our customers.

We shall:

• Present ourselves professionally and courteously, through actions and appearance, and acknowledge every customer with undivided attention, including verbal greeting and attentive body language.

• Use active listening skills for the purpose of finding out what is the customer’s need.

• Exhibit a positive attitude when speaking to people on behalf of our department.

• Keep a customer informed of the action to be taken, approximately, how long it will take and follow through with the customer inquiries. If we cannot fulfill our commitment in the agreed amount of time, we will let the person know as soon as possible.

• Learn to use the telephone properly, so we may provide good service to every customer.

• Accept the responsibility for the performance of our department and never “pass the buck,” place blame or give excuses.

• When appropriate, apologize on behalf of our department and pledge to do a better job next time.

• Manage our language, emotions, and response to others, who may be emotional or distressed, and not escalate the interaction.

• Always remember that the customer is our primary purpose for existence and, therefore, we will give them our undivided attention and not act as if they are a disruption or an imposition.

• Talk to our customers in a manner that they can understand without using Jargon, technical language, or acronyms.

• Remember that our primary objective is people, not things, and act and communicate accordingly.

• Return messages by the end of the day, unless there is some emergency reason that we are not able to do so.

Our customer is defined as any person or group who receives a service provided by us, which includes our members and families.

2. Teamwork

It is our principle to support each other in our various roles as part of a greater team. We will create an atmosphere where our team members are made to feel welcome, valued, listened to, and supported.

We shall:

• Arrive on time for scheduled meetings. We shall inform others in the event we cannot attend prior to a scheduled meeting.

• Inform the affected members, preferably beforehand, of any decisions which may affect them and the reasons why.

• Ensure that all new members to our team are welcomed and informed.

• Give specific, authentic acknowledgements of “job well done” frequently.

• Use language and subject matter that avoids the risk of offending others and would detract from the business at hand.

• If another person’s language, behavior, or performance is a problem to us as an individual, we shall use the appropriate skills, confront effectively as soon as possible, in private, to resolve the issue with respect. We shall not talk negatively about members to others.

• Offer input during the decision making process when given the opportunity.

• Support decisions within the context of the organization once they are made, even if we disagree individually.

• Give others who are affected by a decision as much input into the decision as possible.

• Solve problems using the appropriate and effective strategies such as confrontation, problem solving, negotiation, and use of the chain of command.

• Act in a way that reflects positively on the department, community, and other members.

• Treat all members with the respect for their contributions to the team.

• Not act on or talk about assumptions of conclusions, unless we have the facts and / or the other side of the story. We will not spread gossip, rumors, and we will discourage and confront those who do.

• Keep focused on our vision and mission and why we are here.

• Understand that all work is department work and is necessary and important. Therefore we will function in that mode and not as if we are doing someone else’s work for them.

• Not exhibit we/they behaviour. We are all in this together, so when we have a problem we will solve it rather than blame others.

• Clean up after ourselves and leave them at least in as well as shape as we found them.

• Strive to enjoy ourselves and help other enjoy their experience with our group.

3. Mutual Respect

It is our principle that all our members should be able to enjoy a psychologically healthy environment free from discrimination and harassment.

Harassment refers to the behavior that is personally offensive, impairs morale, and interferes with the effectiveness of our members. Any harassment of any of our members will not be permitted, regardless of their relationship within the organization. This principle refers to but is not limited to, harassment in the following areas;

• Age

• Race

• Color

• National origin

• Religion/Creed

• Sex

• Handicap and Veterans status

Such harassment includes unsolicited remarks, gestures, or physical contact; display or circulation of written materials or pictures degrading either to gender or to racial, ethnic, or religious groups; and verbal abuse or insults directed at or made in the presence of members of a racial, ethnic, or minority group.

Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and other verbal or physical conduct that is both sexual and offensive in nature. Sexual harassment undermines the member’s relationship by creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.

Individuals, who believe they have been subjected to harassment from a department member, shall make it clear that such behavior is offensive to them. If the behavior continues, they shall bring the matter to the attention of any officer.

In fulfilling their obligation to maintain a positive and productive environment, all officers are expected to halt any harassment of which they become aware by restating the department principle and when necessary, by more direct disciplinary action.

The members of the Brookfield Fire & Emergency Services firmly support this principle and will make every effort to ensure its implementation.

4. Team

We shall:

• Promote and encourage respect through honesty, integrity, compassion, and consideration.

• Base our relationships with one another on trust, mutual respect, and we will communicate with one another in an honest and caring respectful manner.

• Develop self-esteem and self respect through continual encouragement of our peers and subordinates and consistent coaching and mentoring.

• Value the uniqueness of every member and are mindful of the fact that they are the primary focus of our attention and the beneficiaries of our work.

• Recognize that there are positions with differing degrees of responsibility, but all individuals are of equal importance.

• Develop a positive professional team through maturity, understanding and responsibility.

5. Communication

We shall:

• Promote an environment of open and honest communication through respect, compassion, consideration and understanding.

• Believe that collaboration, effective listening, and willingness to acknowledge constructive criticism improves the outcome of our decision-making.

• Be consistent with our communications through active listening, with a mature and positive attitude.

6. Competency

We shall:

• Maintain the highest standard of clinical, ethical, and professional competency.

• Foster environment that encourages and rewards proactive problem solving and the exercise of common sense and independent judgment.

• Acknowledge and accept the fact that responsibility and accountability are indivisible.

• Achieve proficiency through continuous education and training.

• Encourage every individual to enhance their personal and professional growth through a wide variety of experiences.

• Utilize the knowledge and experience of those we serve with.

Slogan

“People Helping People”