General Code of Personal Conduct PDF

Chapter II General Code of Personal Conduct 204.64 Members shall maintain a clean personal appearance and shall keep themselves in the proper physical condition necessary to perform the duties of their position; they shall participate in Division physical fitness program unless excused by the Chie...

Chapter II General Code of Personal Conduct 204.64 Members shall maintain a clean personal appearance and shall keep themselves in the proper physical condition necessary to perform the duties of their position; they shall participate in Division physical fitness program unless excused by the Chief. 204.66 Members shall not litter or otherwise contribute to poor housekeeping, unsanitary, or unsafe conditions on any Division premises. 204.68 Members shall abide by safety rules and common safety practices. 204.70 Members shall not loaf or otherwise waste time during prescribed working hours and shall not stop work or prepare to leave work before the specified quitting time except as authorized by the Chief. 204.72 Members are expressly prohibited from using Division vehicles or apparatus for the purpose of running personal errands or attending to other business that is not Division-related. Specific examples of such unauthorized use would include, but not be limited to, using fire apparatus or vehicles for shopping, banking, etc. Members required to use their Division vehicles while on stand-by status shall use good judgment in order to prevent criticism of the Division. 204.74 The attention of every member of the Division is hereby directed to the Rules and Regulations of the Columbus Municipal Civil Service Commission, and the City of Columbus Central Work Rules. Each and every such rule and regulation is hereby adopted and made a part hereof and is in force and effect the same as though fully written and contained herein. Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter II General Code of Personal Conduct REPORTING ARRESTS OR COURT ACTIONS (Replaces 204.01) 204.80 If arrested and unable to report for their regularly scheduled assignment, Division personnel shall immediately notify the Fire Alarm Office. (Added 05/01/16) 204.82 Division personnel may only use previously scheduled annual vacation, monthly vacation or request LWOP in accordance with 712.15*. (Added 05/01/16) 204.84 In any of the following circumstances, prior to or immediately upon reporting for the first tour of duty after being notified of the court action, Division personnel shall notify the Fire Chief in writing through the chain of command. (Added 05/01/16) 1. Division personnel who are subject to arrest, court action, or court appearance, except divorce and/or child custody proceedings. However, notification shall be made when there is an arrest or court action resulting from nonpayment of child support. (Added 05/01/16) 2. Division personnel who initiate lawsuits relating to their employment with the Division of Fire. (Added 05/01/16) 3. Sworn personnel who are served with criminal temporary protection orders or any court orders related to domestic violence. Forward copies of the orders along with the written notifications. (Added 05/01/16) 4. All sworn and any other Division personnel who operate motor vehicles on duty and who are subject to the loss, suspension, or revocation of their driving privileges. In addition, involved personnel shall provide documentation of conditional driving privileges, if applicable, along with the written notifications. (Added 05/01/16) 5. Division personnel who receive a subpoena from, or otherwise assist or intend to assist, a party in any civil or criminal matter that is adverse to the interests of the Division of Fire or the City of Columbus. (Added 05/01/16) 6. Division personnel who receive a subpoena from, or otherwise assist or intend to assist, the defense in a criminal case. (Added 05/01/16) Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter II General Code of Personal Conduct PERFORMANCE OF DUTIES 206.00 Members of the Division of Fire shall devote their full time and attention to the business of the Division while on duty. They are expressly prohibited from following any calling or engaging in any activity that is either directly or indirectly associated with an off-duty business, occupation or employment during any onduty hours. 206.01 Members shall not neglect their duties. The use of any personal electronic devices shall be limited to times when the goals of the Division have been met and it does not lend itself to criticism from the public. Personal items, including but not limited to cellular phones, pagers, laptop computers, cameras, radios, television sets, recording devices or players, or any other item not work related, shall not be used when dealing with the public, on an incident scene, in Division vehicles, or in the workplace, except as authorized by supervision. All cellular phones, pagers and other like items, that are carried while on duty, shall be set to vibrate rather than produce an audible alert. (Revised 05/01/16) 206.02 Any members engaging or planning to engage in off-duty employment or business activities which might possibly conflict with the performance of their duties or the interests of the City of Columbus are required to notify the Fire Chief of such activities at the earliest possible convenience. 206.04 Members of the Division shall be considered as being available for active duty at all times, whether officially classified as being on-duty or off-duty. They shall be prepared to act immediately upon determining that their services are required. Also, members shall, at all times and in all places, conduct themselves in a manner creditable to the Division of Fire. 206.06 Members shall conform to and readily obey, and shall not question or be guilty of deception or evasion of, any rule, resolution, regulation, or other directive, whether general, special, or verbal, which relates to the government of the Division or its members. Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter II General Code of Personal Conduct 206.08 Members shall normally receive orders and directives from their immediate superiors. However, all members shall comply with all orders issued by any superior officer of the Division. 206.10 Members flouting the authority of any superior officer by obvious disrespect or by disputing or ignoring such officer's orders shall be guilty of insubordination. 206.12 Members shall carry out the last order given pursuant to the following: Members given an order while already under previous orders shall first respectfully advise the officer issuing the most recent order of their original orders and by whom such orders were issued. They shall then be guided by the instructions of the officer issuing the most recent order. 206.14 Members shall refrain from exceeding their authority in giving orders. Wrongful or injurious exercise of authority is strictly prohibited. Any member acting in obedience to an improper order shall be protected against penalty. 206.16 Members shall exert their greatest effort to perform to the best of their ability under all circumstances. They shall not display cowardice or lack of energy or such character as to amount to incompetence or gross neglect of duty. 206.18 Members who, by continued lack of judgment, knowledge, neglect, or habitual carelessness, cause or contribute to loss of life or excessive damage to property shall be held responsible for their actions. 206.20 Members who neglect to acquire the necessary knowledge to adequately perform their various duties shall be deemed inefficient. Ignorance of regulations or orders will not be accepted as an excuse for any violation thereof. 206.22 Members shall report to their company commander, or the person authorized to receive such reports, any information they may have regarding obstruction of streets, dangerous buildings, leaky hydrants, or any other information pertinent to the City of Columbus or the Division of Fire. Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter II General Code of Personal Conduct 206.24 Members shall, when exposed to a contagious disease while on duty, report this fact to their immediate superior as soon as possible and complete all required forms and reports as detailed elsewhere in this manual. 206.26 All Division members, including officers, shall be guided by all orders and directions received by them from the Fire Alarm Office. No member shall ignore or disregard such orders or directions or attempt to issue orders to the Fire Alarm Office. 206.28 Members receiving orders or directions from other members, when the name of the directing officer is given, shall regard such orders as coming directly from the designated officer, and shall promptly carry out said orders. 206.30 Members of the Division shall perform such other duties as are required of them by their superior officers and by the rules and regulations and other orders of the Division of Fire. 206.32 TAKING COMPLAINTS: The Division of Fire Complaint Form PI-12 will be available in the Safety Director’s Office, the Administrative Office, and the Professional Standards Unit. (Revised 12/31/15) Complaints shall be immediately referred to the Administrative Office or the Professional Standards Unit. In the event a citizen comes to a fire station or any other Division facility to lodge a complaint, that citizen is to be assisted in calling the Administrative Office or the Professional Standards Unit. In cases occurring after business hours, the citizen should be advised that a recorded message can be left at 645-4046 and someone will contact them to confirm the information left on the recorder. (Revised 12/31/15) Notation will be made in the station or bureau log denoting that a citizen was assisted in lodging a complaint. The Administration Office or designee shall assign the investigation of the complaint to either the Professional Standards Unit or a supervisor in the Chain of Command. A file copy of all complaints received will be retained by the Professional Standards Unit. (Revised 12/31/15) Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter II General Code of Personal Conduct MEDIA RELATIONS 208.00 When news media or other commercial entities wish to take pictures and/or video inside Division facilities the request must be referred to the Public Information Office for approval. If no staff member in that office can be reached, after reasonable attempts have been made to contact them, the on-duty Deputy Chief may approve the request, if the Deputy Chief decides it is in the best interest of the Division. The Fire Chief and Administration Office may also grant approval. (Revised 12/31/15) All other requests to take pictures or videos inside fire facilities may be granted at the discretion of the Division member in charge of the facility at the time. 208.02 Members of the Division shall use discretion when providing Division information. Any questions or concerns regarding the release of information shall be directed to the Public Information Officer. This does not prohibit members from explaining basic Division routine to fire station visitors. 208.04 No Fire Division member, acting as a Fire Division member, may participate in any news conference or interview without the prior approval of the Fire Chief, the Administration Office, or the Public Information Officer except emergency scene operations as described below and subsequent follow-up interviews with the Incident Commander relative to a recent incident. (Revised 12/31/15) All contacts with the news media require the prior approval of the Fire Chief, the Administration Office, or the Division PIO except emergency scene operations as described below and subsequent follow-up interviews with the Incident Commander relative to a recent incident. (Revised 12/31/15) 208.06 Any contact from the news media to a Fire Division member - whether in person, by telephone, electronic means, or in writing - must be reported to the Public Information Officer as soon as possible. Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter II General Code of Personal Conduct 208.08 No news media event may take place in any Fire facility or on any property under the control of the Fire Division unless coordinated by the Public Information Officer. 208.10 Although it will not be standard practice to make fire division employees available to the media occasional contact may be necessary. Employees retain their first amendment right of free speech. This does not in any way circumvent the need to properly notify individuals as stated in section 208.04 of this manual. Employees must understand that if they choose to exercise this right they are doing so at their own free will. Shedding a negative light on the Division of Fire or the City of Columbus may violate other policies and procedures of the division and or the City of Columbus. Keeping in mind, these interviews will be done ONLY on their own time, off duty, out of uniform. The employee must clearly state that they are not speaking on behalf of the Columbus Division of Fire or representing the division in anyway. (Added 12/31/15) 208.12 An employee’s First Amendment Right to free speech is limited once they become a public employee. An employee can freely speak about concerns they have that an average citizen may have. An employee may not freely discuss employee relations, generally employer operations or discipline without prior approval. (Added 12/31/15) Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter II General Code of Personal Conduct EMERGENCY SCENE MEDIA 210.00 The standard operating procedures for working with the media and handling the MEDIA SECTOR on an emergency scene are: 1. All media representatives shall be referred to the Media Sector. 2. If the Division Public Information Officer (PIO) is on the scene, all responsibilities of the Media Sector will be delegated to the Division PIO. 3. If both the Division PIO and the Public Information Assistant (PIA) are on the scene, the PIA will assist in the Media Sector, as directed by the Division PIO. 4. If the PIA alone is on the scene, the Incident Commander will retain full responsibility for the Media Sector, or delegate it as appropriate. The PIA will assist with media related tasks, as directed by the person in charge of the Media Sector. 210.02 The Division PIO will serve as the Division spokesperson in any situations where the Division PIO is on the scene and determines that it is appropriate to act in this capacity. The Division PIO’s decision to retain the role of spokesperson will carry the authority of the Fire Chief. 210.03 The Public Information Office will be notified by the FAO of any major incident that occurs. (Revised 12/31/15) Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter II General Code of Personal Conduct SCOPE OF EMPLOYMENT 212.00 Off duty firefighters performing duties pursuant to the legal orders of the Fire Chief are considered acting within the course and scope of employment of the City of Columbus for the purpose of granting injury or death benefits. This applies to off duty firefighters fulfilling Special Duty assignments or similar duties approved and directed by the Fire Chief. 212.02 An off duty firefighter coming to the aid of a person or property will be considered acting within the course and scope of employment of the City of Columbus when: a. Refraining from such would have a severe and immediate detrimental effect on the person or property, AND b. When the aid is the same and/or similar to that which would be provided by the individual as a member of the Columbus Division of Fire, AND c. The firefighter is not acting within the course and scope of employment of another employer, or as an independent contractor, or while self-employed. 212.04 A firefighter acting within the course and scope of employment of another employer, whether compensated or not, as an independent contractor, or as a selfemployed person will not be deemed to be in the course and scope of employment for the City of Columbus. This includes paid or volunteer Fire or EMS service performed for another jurisdiction or employer except as provided in 212.00. 212.06 Firefighters serving as a volunteer or paid member in other communities or organizations are advised to seek information regarding health and death benefits available to them for performing services on behalf of the other agency and/or make arrangements to meet their needs from personal sources. 212.08 Participating in an organized activity such as supporting a charity, special cause, union function, sports activity, etc. is not considered to be in the course and scope of employment for the City of Columbus if the activity is not a Division sanctioned Special Duty assignment. Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter II General Code of Personal Conduct 212.10 Special Duty assignments are restricted to activities that pertain to the business of the Division or special programs sanctioned by the Division. The Chief of the Division will exercise his discretion in approving Special Duty for either the specific activity or for the member submitting a request. SUBPOENA PROCEDURES (from Section 730.00 - Revised 12/31/15) 230.00 Members will not be compensated, or relieved of duty with pay, for subpoenas which are not a result of their duties and/or position with the Division of Fire, or for instances in which the member is either a plaintiff or complaintant in a civil action or administrative proceeding, or a defendant in a criminal action. (from Section 730.00 - Revised 12/31/15) 230.10 Division members are expected to honor any subpoena they receive, but they will be eligible for overtime compensation only if they follow the appropriate procedures as listed in current Division S.O.P.’s. (from Section 730.00 - Revised 12/31/15) Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020