FDSOA Symposium: Politics Play a Role in Apparatus Purchasing

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The politics of purchasing fire apparatus are not particularly challenging, but it is a necessary component when making acquisition decisions.

Bill Metcalf, a former International Association of Fire Chiefs president, made a presentation titled “Political Aspects of Apparatus Acquisition and Maintenance,” at the Fire Department Safety Officers Association's 28th Annual Apparatus Symposium.

“It’s not really rocket science, but it’s something we all need to be engaged with and get good at,” Metcalf said.

Politics is an art that fire officers need to learn to obtain what they need and arrive at good solutions, he said.

“Drawing a line in the sand isn’t the way to get things done,” he said. “Politics is the method of getting as much as you can and arriving at a good solution that satisfies everyone.”

Too often, the word compromise has become a synonym for losing and that shouldn’t be the definition, he said. Fire departments have things they need and working political systems are the way to get them, he added.

People don’t get up and go to work with the intention of doing poorly, losing and “screwing things up,” Metcalf said.

“Everybody has the intentions of doing the best they can and when you tell them they’re wrong, you’re telling them they are not doing their job or doing it good enough,” Metcalf added, noting no one likes that.

Focusing on common areas and agreement rather than differences is a way to work political systems and have everyone feel like they’ve won, been part of the process and part of the solution, Metcalf said.

There are politics involved in every aspect of apparatus purchasing from the National Fire Protection Association setting of standards, to the local committee members who all want to make a mark in the purchase.

“Everybody wants to do the right thing,” he said. “The million dollar question is: 'what is the right thing?’”

By having lots of input from a variety of sources is one way of arriving at the good and right solutions, Metcalf said. However, that often comes with a cost.

Studies have shown, trucks specified by committee cost up to 12 percent more than those selected by an individual, Metcalf said.

“Why is that, you might ask?” It’s because of politics. Give everybody a little something to come up with specification.”

Many firefighters and officers don’t like politics, but Metcalf said “you can’t get away from it.”

“There are no magic bullets,” Metcalf said. “You can’t get away from it. You’re going to have to learn how to be effective at it. Re-calibrate your brain. Don’t be: ‘I hate politics.’ It’s part of the process. You don’t have to like it, but you have to be effective at it.…Use the process and you’ll end up with a win in almost every case.”

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