The Golden Rule
When I first entered the business world, conventional wisdom held that you never talked about sex, politics or religion. These topics were considered taboo and their consequences feared. But today, sex and politics are headline news and hard to avoid in conversations. Religion is discussed, but primarily in the context of warring religious factions.
Could a fire department be held up as an example for the world‘s religions to co-exist? With his ministry doctorate, Carl G. Carlozzi has studied the world‘s religions. As chaplain of the Phoenix Fire Department, he is convinced that religions could learn a lesson from their local fire department.
“I think people do talk about religion and don‘t know it,” he said. “[We talk about] what we are, how we re-connect … most organizations are service-oriented and there to bring them together and offer help.”
According to Carlozzi, every religion — Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism or any practice with a higher power — aims to bring people together and co-exist peacefully. But for many years Carlozzi believed that something was wrong with religious organizations — they got off the track. How they could get back on track was to take a close look at fire departments. “In a sense, we‘re all religious,” he said.
Carlozzi became an Episcopal priest in 1965. He retired early and persued his doctorate degree and post-graduate training in family therapy. Carlozzi later served as a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Arizona Task Force 1 and was deployed to the Oklahoma City bombing and Ground Zero.
Carlozzi‘s position with the Phoenix Fire Department is funded by the William S. and Ina Levine Foundation. “The mayor said I was the only ‘free‘ full-time employee because I work for the fire department but get paid by a Jewish foundation,” Carlozzi said.
After presentations to community groups and organizations about how fire department personnel are trained to deal with traumatic situations, Carlozzi created a slideshow with various religions’ golden-rule variations of “treat others well” and their parallel to Phoenix’s mission of “Be Nice! Treat all people with dignity and respect.”
“The Phoenix Fire Department is just a wonderful organization; it was under Chief [Alan] Brunacini and is now under Chief [Bob] Khan,” said Carlozzi. “They care about their personnel as much as their citizens and community. It‘s fun being part of a great organization and everybody is a spoke in a great wheel, and I‘m just one of the spokes.”
The presentation was so well received that Carlozzi has published a book, Fire Department Religion. The book is a quick read, but the parallel of religion and fire departments is clever and convincing.
“In the fire department, we don‘t make judgments on who you are or what you believe,” Carlozzi said. “Simply stated, ‘You have a need, we respond‘.”
Related Topics: Janet Wilmoth, Leadership
August 1st, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Ms Wilmoth and I had two of the same topics identified to us as taboo for discussion in the fire station. For the most part, conversations on two them were non-existent for nearly everyone in my early days as a “fireman.” Women were not a part of the career fire service when I began and a taboo on sexual conversations was not seen as necessary in an all male environment. Yes, I am a very senior firefighter. (As my firefighters ask, “Chief what did you call the horses when you were a rookie?”) I am sure I am much, much older than Ms Wilmoth!)
The taboo topic of religion still creates not only fire station unrest and discomfort but community problems as well. Just try to put a nativity scene in front of a station, “… in one nation under God…” and you will have more controversy and headlines than anyone wants. Well, perhaps an elected official might enjoy the controversy and headlines; however, I will not address that because, politics is a topic I still hold to be taboo.
As a Fire Chief, I view the Golden Rule as nondenominational tautology - a logically true proposition. To me, it is definitely more common sense than religious dogma and identifies tolerance being returned for tolerance being given. I would state a counter to Mr. Carlozzi that what the fire service has demonstrated is a capacity for tolerance. And it is “tolerance” not religion that is the attribute which makes our personnel none judgmental. This is what we have to share and is what makes us respected professionals.
Your article has made we aware of, “…a quick read (that) is clever and convincing.” I will respond and give it a read.
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