This is very much a work in progrees – a response to a comment made by Leanne Allen on Linkedin. Leanne raises an issue of importance, something that may prompt ideas for promoting cultural change.
I have Leanne’s permission to share her post (below)
🙂

Leanne AllenLeanne Allen • 1st • 1stIndigenous. Career Firefighter. Workplace Inclusion Practitioner.Indigenous. Career Firefighter. Workplace Inclusion Practitioner.1d • Edited • 1 day ago

I’ve been thinking a lot about all of the workplace culture reviews that have been completed on various fire services over the years. I see the hand-wringing afterwards and the platitudes—“we will do something,” “change is coming.” Then… more of the same a few years later. This is not an easy task, and I do not envy the people tackling it.
I’m no expert, and certainly no culture change specialist, but I am an Indigenous woman, and I know there is infinite knowledge and wisdom to be found in Indigenous ways.
Perhaps one thing missing in this culture change journey is storytelling. Stories carry immense impact, and in my culture, they have been used for so many purposes: restoratively—to bring people back into the community fold when they have done wrong, but also to heal harm, and to inspire change.
In a recent discussion with new colleagues and now friends (Dave Baigent FIFireE, FHEA, BA (Hons) PhD and Janette Morris), we talked about the power of storytelling in driving meaningful change. Stories don’t just inform; they connect, challenge, and inspire action.
What if we embraced a bit of Indigenous knowledge in shaping the future of fire services? What if, instead of relying solely on policies and procedures, we centered the voices of those who have lived the experience?
Culture change isn’t just about strategy—it’s about people. And people respond to stories.
So, I wonder—how can we weave storytelling into the fabric of change? What would our organisations look like if we truly listened?
Keen to hear your thoughts.

Leanne, makes a very interesting point. Many of us speak romantically about how stories are shared by indigenous people and then move on. However, there may be something very important to be gained if, prompted by Leanne, we look at the role of stories in FRS.

Fire colleges throughout the world, teach and act out emergency scenarios as a way of training their leaders for critical incident management (Flin 1995/6). These can be highly interactive and stressful, as leaders test their problem solving and leadership skills in ‘real time.’ In the subsequent debrief, participants look critically at themselves and others in an effort to learn from the process. When they leave the room, particularly if the course is residential, they will continue the discussion before writing up their thoughts. This is not the end of the process. On return to their service information will be shared with colleagues and they will retain the knowledge and may recall it in similar actual emergencies. And this is how the formal culture works and leaders gain experience as knowledge is shared, re-enacted and stored for future use.

There is a similar process at work on the station. On return from ‘a job,’ firefighters will reflect. This may appear a simple process of talking about what happened. But it is far more than this. Firefighters will be critical of their own actions and look for better ways of working. Sometimes this will be led by watch officers, sometimes it will a conversation during a post incident cup of tea around the mess table.

At these times conversations will more likely led by more experienced firefighters and they will bring in details of other similar incidents they have attended. On the successful watch, this process can be very forensic and through self-reflection firefighters train themselves to improve their skills.

Because firefighters move around, this knowledge can be shared with other watches and travel through whole services and internationally. As a consequence firefighters in New Zealand may well discuss the details of fires like Grenfell. And during discussion they may innocently almost pre-plan for a time that they may experience a similar situation. This is all very positive and leaders formally and firefighters informally, build their skills to be the professionals that they are, by what is effectively storytelling,

However, there is a dark side. When the knowledge held by those with experience is passed on to less experienced firefighters, this can also include toxic agendas. On the cusp of good and negative, is the need to bond as a team. Stay close and keep your ‘dirty washing’ on the watch and often to promote a false sense of loyalty that can protect bullies.

The knowledge on how to be a good firefighter gives experienced staff authority over ‘new’ firefighters and the ability to pass on negative agendas. One of these is an understanding that  firefighting is essentially a white male job: a far deeper analysis would suggest that this is not about protecting firefighting, but hegemonic masculinity (www.fitting-in.com). The details of this are not going to be pursued here. The point is to return to providing an example in FRS terms of Leanne’s writing.

Maybe Fire Service Colleges will regal against the thought that they are telling stories on leadership courses. Preferring to call their discussions scientific. Nonetheless, there is a paradox here, because indigenous story telling is powerful and factual. And whilst firefighter’s knowledge is seen as experiential it too is the way the watch share their knowledge. Whilst this writing is currently very much work in progress, it is possible to at least ask the question – is there is a very real potential to compare how the FRS shares knowledge in a very similar fashion to indigenous populations.

Getting to the second and main question. Following Leanne’s lead should serious thought be given to tapping into this source of sharing through ‘stories,’ to seek to influence negative agendas on their home ground, in the formal and informal FRS cultures. If people could be encouraged to speak out and challenge negative agendas during storytelling. And even take the opportunity to use that intercession to spread the positives about equality.

AND we must not forget what else Leanne wrote about – The power of stories to be restorative, ‘to bring people back into the community fold when they have done wrong, but also to heal harm, and to inspire change.’ But more of that later. There is already plenty to think about here.