Palm Beach Fire Rescue: Workplace Violence

• Palm Beach County Fire Rescue PPM FR-A-108 concerns workplace violence prevention and response.
• The policy aims to promote a safe work environment for Fire Rescue personnel, free from acts or threats of violence.
• It also provides direction on how personnel should respond to such incidents.
• The Deputy Chief of Administration, along with the PPM Committee, is responsible for future updates, under the authority of the Fire Rescue Administrator.
• The policy applies to all Palm Beach County Fire Rescue personnel and reservists.
• The issue date was May 12, 2014, and the effective date was July 06, 2018.

Procedure Outline

• The procedure is outlined in five parts including prohibited weapons, prohibited behaviors, identifiable characteristics, warning signs, and response to acts or threats of violence.

Prohibited Weapons

• Restrictions on weapons on County property are detailed in Palm Beach County Policy Weapons in Governmental Center (PPM CW-L-042).

Prohibited Behaviors

• Prohibited acts include threats of violence against people or property that are severe, offensive, threatening, or intimidating.
• This behavior must alter employment conditions, or create a hostile, abusive, or intimidating work environment.
• Prohibited behaviors include oral or written statements, gestures, or expressions that communicate direct or indirect threats of physical harm or property damage.
• Examples of prohibited conduct include hitting, kicking, punching, slapping, or shoving an individual.
• Also, threatening to harm an individual or their family/friends associates, or damage their property is prohibited.
• Intentionally destroying or threatening to destroy property owned, operated, or controlled by the Fire Rescue is prohibited.
• Other prohibited behaviors involve making threatening phone calls, letters, or electronic communications.
• Foul language in a threateningly or hostile manner is also prohibited.
• Intimidating or coercing Fire Rescue personnel to commit wrongful acts is also considered a prohibited behavior.
• Harassing surveillance (stalking), defined as the willful, malicious, and repeated following of another person, is prohibited.
• Stalking must involve a credible threat intended to cause the other person to fear for their safety.

Identifiable Characteristics of Potential Perpetrators

• The person is typically a 35-50 year old male.
• They prefer to be alone as opposed to being with their colleagues.
• A fascination with weapons and military subjects is a common characteristic.
• They do not have very any outside interests.
• They see their job as being tied to their self-esteem.
• There is a history of interpersonal conflicts, including workplace conflicts.
• They may feel entitled to some perceived debt.
• Extreme views, paranoid behavior, and difficulty accepting criticism may also be present.
• They have experienced stress, like health or family problems.
• The suspect may display unwelcome comments or behaviors related to sex or violence.
• They sense a real or perceived danger of discipline, layoff, or other negative event at work.
• Possessing one or a few of these characteristics does not mean that the person will perpetrate workplace violence.
• Supervisors should be more aware as the number of characteristics they observe increases.

Workplace Violence Warning Signs

• Threats to self or others is a commonly observed warning sign.
• Inappropriate anger and rage is another warning sign.
• Despondence is another warning sign.
• Other warning signs include persistent perceptions of injustice, erratic behavior, violence against family, obsessive harassment/stalking, paranoia/delusions, and substance abuse.
• If Fire Rescue personnel observe these signs in another member, they must inform their next-level supervisor, who then informs the Deputy Chief.

Response to Acts or Threats of Violence

• All statements regarding violence acts or threats must be taken seriously and actioned on.

Responding to Non-imminent Threats or Danger

• Fire Rescue personnel who hear a threat or observe an act of violence that is not an immediate threat or danger must immediately report it to their supervisor.
• If the supervisor is committing the behavior, the report must be made to the next-level supervisor.
• The observation must be immediately reported to the Deputy Chief, as well as Internal Affairs and Union officials.
• Based on the nature of the observation, Fire Rescue personnel may be relieved of duty pending investigation.
• The employee is access to Fire Rescue facilities will be restricted.
• If an employee is leaving the station or is already off duty:
  • The appropriate Law Enforcement Agency shall be notified and sent to the employee's home or last known location.
  • This allows Law Enforcement to evaluate the employee and act accordingly.
• The actions taken will be as follows:
  • The entry swipe card shall be temporarily deactivated.
  • A Notice of Formal Investigation (NOFI) will be initiated with associated discipline, as appropriate.
  • The employee's access to the Fire Rescue staffing software program shall be restricted.
  • The employee's email access shall be restricted.
  • A Mandatory Employee Assistance Program (EAP) referral shall be issued to the employee.
  • When the employee returns to duty, an EMS Captain and/or Battalion Chief shall be assigned to run calls with the employee to determine if they are "fit for duty".

Handling Imminent Threats

• In the event of imminent danger from violence acts or threats, personnel or supervisors must make an emergency 911 call.
• In these cases, The Fire Operations Officer (F.O.O.) or Fire Rescue Communication Center must be notified and updated by the employee or supervisor.
• The F.O.O. shall make chain-of-command supervisory notifications to the relevant EMS Captain, Battalion Chief, District Chief, Division Chief, and the Deputy Chief.
• The Internal Affairs Officer and Union officials should be notified.
• If there is an imminent threat then these following actions must be taken:
  • Fire Rescue shall work with Law Enforcement, implementing a Unified Command structure for the incident.
  • Fire Rescue shall provide information to potentially affected personnel on how to respond if the perpetrator appears at a work location.
  • Fire stations or other locations may be put on “lock-down” based on the threat assessment.
  • Routine police patrol of fire stations or other locations may be requested.
  • Possible targeted victims shall be identified to Law Enforcement, and their addresses shall be flagged in their database for periodic patrols.
  • The personnel at targeted work locations shall be relocated to other locations, if needed.
  • The accused Fire Rescue personnel shall be relieved of duty and access to all Fire Rescue facilities shall be restricted.
  • The Fire Rescue personnel entry swipe card shall be temporarily deactivated.
  • A Notice of Formal Investigation (NOFI) will be initiated with associated discipline as appropriate.
  • The employee's access to the Fire Rescue staffing software program shall be temporarily restricted.
  • The employee's Fire Rescue email access shall be restricted.
  • A Mandatory Employee Assistance Program (EAP) referral shall be issued to the personnel.
  • When the employee returns to duty, an EMS Captain and/or Battalion Chief shall be assigned to run calls with the employee to determine if they are “fit for duty”.