By Ron Hiraki
This series is for those in the fire service who are working to improve themselves. The articles are not just for people preparing for a promotion, or for company officers or chief officers. Firefighters who serve as instructors or coaches for newer firefighters will find these topics very useful. Stepping Up will supplement your knowledge and experience of management and leadership by combining the “how to” elements of management with qualities of leadership. Step up for yourself, and you step up for other people. In doing so, you are better equipped to help other firefighters, your “boss,” your agency, and your community.
As an officer, acting officer, or instructor, you are regularly required to write performance evaluations for probationary firefighters, subordinates, or students. The evaluation forms, whether paper or electronic, and the rating scales may differ. However, almost all evaluations call for comments or examples. Writing clear and concise comments is essential and can be challenging. Here are a few tips for writing good performance evaluation comments.
1. Take the time to observe the subordinates. Look for the good as well as the bad elements of their performance. You don’t have to hover over them. Look for evidence of their completed work. Ask other qualified people for their direct observations. You can’t write comments if you aren’t observing or gathering the information. Writing can be easier when you have something to write about.
2. Many firefighters use the S.O.A.P. acronym from the medical profession for writing narratives on EMS reports. This has been an effective format for writing accurate and organized narratives quickly. I have slightly modified that format for performance evaluations.
The S.O.A.P. Acronym
O bjective
A ssessment
P lan
|
3. The S.O.A.P. format will help you organize or compartmentalize your thoughts. You may add a few more words, but the basic S.O.A.P. “story” will be more objective, descriptive, and cleaner overall.
Example 1:
Jones laid the 1 3/4-inch hoseline to the third floor, but the hoseline had a lot of big kinks in it.
Example 2:
Situation: Jones was assigned to lay an uncharged 1 3/4-inch hoseline from the first floor to the third floor.
Objective: Jones called for water and the line was charged. There were six significant kinks
in the hoseline.
Compare Example 1 with Example 2. Which one is a better description? Example 2 contains 34 words, compared to the 19 words in Example 1. You don’t have to write much more to tell a better story.
4. Many times you will only need to use the Situation and the Objective. These alone should or will lead the reader to an Assessment. The Assessment and Plan will probably be necessary at the end of a day or for the end of the month report.
Example:
Situation: Jones signed off on the 0800 hours apparatus and equipment checks.
Objective: During a drill at 1000 hours, the rescue saw was found with only a quarter tank of fuel.
You could write the following, but do you really need to?
Assessment: If the rescue saw was used at an emergency, it would have run out of fuel after only a few minutes.
Plan: Ensure that Jones does a complete physical check of all equipment.
5. Be specific. Provide useful information. Avoid comments such as, “Jones is doing a good job and only made a few mistakes.” A more specific comment would be, “Jones correctly donned the SCBA in 35 seconds. The coat collar was not all the way up, and part of his hood covered the lens of the face piece.” Consider the improvement made in the comment by just adding 16 more words.
6. Be objective. Write what you can see. Avoid comments such as, “Jones forgot to place the wheel chocks.” You can’t see Jones forget. It is better to write, “Jones did not place the wheel chocks.”
7. Be brief. The report will be easier to write, read, and understand.
There are many good reasons for conducting performance evaluations. All too often we think of it only as “paperwork” for potential personnel action. Consider these reasons for conducting performance evaluations.
- Improve performance: How can subordinates improve if they don’t know what’s wrong?
- Motivate: If subordinates are truly doing a very good or excellent job, why not recognize that fact? If you don’t, you have provided no motivation for subordinates to continue doing a very good or excellent job.
- Identify training needs: If performance evaluations show that everyone is having trouble with ropes and knots, more training is needed or the training program needs to be revised.
Sometimes giving this criticism is difficult for you and can be difficult for the subordinates. As a leader, you have an obligation to give this criticism. If you don’t, the situation may fester, creating more hard feelings or a safety hazard. Step up! Make the effort, and take a little more time to help people improve.
Ron Hiraki began his career as a firefighter in the Seattle (WA) Fire Department, working in a variety of operational and administrative positions leading to his final assignment as assistant chief of employee development. Completing his career as an assistant chief for a small combination fire department, Hiraki has nearly 30 years of fire service experience in urban and suburban settings. He has a master of science degree in human resources development and is a consultant to number of public safety agencies for their selection and performance evaluation programs.