Bullying and Workplace Violence Prevention Toolkit

This toolkit is a collection of policies, tips, tools and resources for fire and emergency service departments about the prevention of bullying in the workplace.

This resource is a mix of existing and new resources from the IAFC, other fire service organizations, private industry and local model practices and SOPs. They range from simple, no-cost, common-sense solutions to those that are more resource-intensive.

Sample Policies and Resources

• Devon and Somerset (UK)
• Pend Oreille County, Washington (USA)
• Threat Management Policy Example (City of San Diego)
• Harassment Prevention Policy (Austin, TX, Fire Department)
• Emergency Responder Crisis Text Line (Colorado First Responders)
• National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (Mental Health Commission of Canada)
• Link between bullying and substance abuse
• Using the Annual Performance Evaluation to Reduce Harassment in Your Workplace (Lexipol)

Legislation

• Healthy Workplace Bill
• Ontario Government Introduces Workplace Violence Legislation

Other Organizations

• Workplace Bullying Institute
• American Psychological Association, Resources for Employers Regarding Bullying - a collection of workplace bullying resources, including articles and research abstracts, book recommendations, useful statistics and links to other high-quality resources.

Tools for the Family

• Cyberbullying Warning Signs (Cyberbullying Research Center)
• The Bully Project
• Bully Defense Tools - A Resource for Kids, Parents & Teachers
• Bullying Facts (Medicinenet)
• Bullying and Cyberbullying (Helpguide)
• K-12 is Where Future Bullies Practice
• National Association of People Against Bullying - A non-profit designed to advocate on behalf of bullied children and their families. Has a crisis line, bully statistics, current stories in the news and offers free speaking engagements.
• Stop Bullying Now
• Responding to Cyberbullying: Top Ten Tips for Teens

Training Resources

• Bullet Points Regarding Hazing Bullying Pranks, Policy (J. Curt Varone)
• Addressing Workplace Bullying From the Witness Perspective - Recording + PowerPoint (Dr. Sabrina Ricks)

Podcasts

• This American Life - Amsterdam Fire Department 
• Don't Let Judgement & Bullying Keep You From Winning Life! (Dr. Candice McDonald)

Research Papers

• Bullying at the Fire Station? Perceptions Based on Gender, Race and Sexual Orientation (American Journal of Social Science)
• Workplace Violence and Harassment: A European Picture (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work)
• Understanding Cyberbullying and Where We Go From Here (Chapter out of The Handbook of Research on Cyberbullying and Online Harassment in the Workplace)

Articles

• Bullying: Fire and EMS's tragedy and disgrace (FireRescue1)
• Children who experience trauma are more likely to get bullied or bully others (Consumer Affairs)
• Bosses who bully can negatively impact workplace safety, study shows (Safety + Health)
• Bullying by subordinates in the fire service (FireRescue1)
• Hazing in fire academies: Legal and practical considerations (FireRescue1)
• How to Complete a Log for Workplace Harassment (Chron.com)
• Firefighter probie problems: How this stressful period can demotivate members (FireRescue1)
• We Must Make a Change: Ending Harassment in the Fire Service (FireEngineering)
• Confronting Workplace Violence in the Fire Service (FireChief.com)
• Enough is Enough: 5 Ways to End Bullying in Fire and EMS (FireRescue1.com)
• Yes, Bullying and Harassment and Violence are Alive in the Firehouse
• Bullying: Does It Really Matter? (Dr. Candice McDonald)
• The tragedy and disgrace of bullying in fire and EMS
• How fire chiefs can end bullying and harassment
• Rape, harassment and retaliation in the U.S. Forest Service: Women firefighters tell their stories
• #MeToo and Sexual Violence in the U.S. Fire Service
• Think Twice: Harassment in the Fire Station
  
• They reported sexual harassment. Then the retaliation began
• 7 steps to an inclusive fire department culture
• Don't Leave Workplace Civility to Chance Civility (Leadership Now)
• 5 Reasons Firefighter Training on Harassment Fails (by Linda Willing for FireChief.com)
• "Exploring Workplace Bullying in New Hampshire Fire Departments" (David F. Emanuel, Durham (NH) Fire Department, EFO Paper)
• 20 Subtle Signs of Workplace Bullying (HR Insights Blog) & Table defining subtle vs. overt bullying and more
• Definitions of Workplace Bullying
  The article defines bullying, outlines how to document if you are being bullied and how to report bullying in the workplace.
• Bullies at Work: Stamping Out Abuse in the Workplace (Manfred Kets de Vries)
• Workplace bullying widespread at fire departments, survey shows
• Retention of Internal Stakeholders in the U.S. Volunteer Fire Service
• Bullying in the Workplace Causes, Symptoms, and Remedies

Special thanks to the Safety, Health and Survival Section (SHSS), Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS), the Human Relations Committee, International Association of Women in Fire & EMS (iWomen) and others who've championed this cause and contributed to this toolkit.