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The narrative case study presented in this article takes place in a Midwestern city with a population that exceeds one hundred thousand residents. The city has a long history of labor/management problems complicated by political corruption and professional inbreeding with regard to appointing city employees; from the lowest levels to the very top leadership positions. The resulting organizational culture has created a cadre of Good 01' Boys where politics rule over expertise, common sense, and ethical judgment.
It is in this environment we introduce Bernie Russo, a fictitious character based on the real prototype of command and control leadership that exists the world over. In this article, and the accompanying analysis, Bemie Russo has finally advanced from firefighter to fire chief during a long career in the department. He has an extensive history of misbehavior during his tenure on the department, but most of his shenanigans have been covered up through influence peddling and political favors. He epitomizes a corrupt public official.
Bernie recently dismissed a fire engineer from the department for admitting, under pressured interrogation by his second-in-command, that he has "claustrophobia." The fire engineer, Peterson, worked as a driver of a fire engine that pumps water at a fire scene. A fire engineer stays at the machine's console and operates the flow of water and does not enter the fire scene while the fire is being extinguished. Peterson's firing followed an incident where he refused to assume the position of his captain in the captain's absence on sick leave.
In its most recent negotiations the labor/management contract added this clause, regarding assuming the position of captain in the captain's absence, and it was approved by all parties involved in the collective bargaining process. The union failed to give assistance to Peterson when he filed a grievance, based on the premise that he was disallowed to take the written captains' promotional exam because he did not possess the necessary educational requirements and, therefore, was not qualified to assume the position. He was brought into the deputy chief's office, and it was there that he admitted under aggressive questioning to being claustrophobic. Shortly after this meeting, the fire chief terminated him from the department on the basis that his illness was a danger to other...