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Study of NYC Firefighters Shows Effective Teamwork, but Scars of 9/11 Linger By Linda Myers, Cornell News Service New York City firefighters are able to create self-managing, tightly coordinated teams that enable them to do their jobs more quickly and effectively than other work groups, a Cornell study shows. However, the trauma of the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center terrorist attacks continues to take its toll, with more depression, anxiety, and stress still experienced by those who were there when the Twin Towers fell. In November 2002, the Smithers Institute at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) in New York City announced that it would undertake an independent study proposed by the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) Health and Safety office, led by Philip McArdle. To ensure the independence of the study, it was fully funded by the Smithers Institute. The study focused on the working conditions and emotional health of New York City firefighters after September 11. Researchers surveyed more than 2,000 firefighters and fire officers on such workplace issues as supervision, decision making, communication, job hazards, involvement in rescue efforts following the September 11 attacks, post-traumatic stress, drinking, anxiety, and depression. On April 1, Samuel B. Bacharach, the McKelvey-Grant Professor of Labor Management Relations and director of the Smithers Institute, presented the preliminary findings to the leadership of the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA), Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA), and the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) at the Cornell Club in New York City. The meeting included Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scopetta, UFOA president Peter Gorman, UFA president Steve Cassidy, and many of their key associates. The three-hour session was a focused discussion about the work of firefighters. “It was truly a cooperative labor-management environment,” said Bacharach. In a joint statement, Cassidy and Gorman said, “This study is an unprecedented examination of the work of New York firefighters by a world-class team of researchers. This examination has provided a comprehensive study about the workplace, stress of firefighters and officers in a post–9/11 world. Its significance should help guide this job for decades to come.” Overall findings were similar for both firefighters and fire officers. Sixty-two percent of the survey’s participants were involved in September 11 rescue and support efforts. Among those surveyed, the number of firefighters who reported seeking help for emotional problems rose by 50 percent after the attacks. And firefighters who still suffer from posttraumatic stress from those events— evidently many do—report higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and an increased risk for drinking problems, according to the study’s results. A preliminary finding reported at the meeting was that firefighters and officers are able to work in self-managing and tightly coordinated teams to be effective firefighters. Within those teams, firefighters place a strong emphasis on open communication among all members, reflecting on and learning from mistakes, taking responsibility for one’s actions, and enhancing the performance of the group. “This is a unique self-managing work environment, one that private sector employers aspire to but seldom achieve,” said Bacharach. The study also showed that firefighters feel they should have more input into decision making that directly affects their immediate work experience: job safety, what equipment is provided, transfers, and work rules. Many firefighters say they have very little voice in professional decisions at the department level. Firefighters reported making up to 20 runs during a typical 24-hour shift. In addition to the inherent risks associated with firefighting, they said that they faced a variety of potential hazards on the job, including exposure to dangerous chemicals, communicable diseases, and unsafe traffic conditions, the study revealed. As in many other high-risk occupations, firefighters and fire officers have a work environment that can be conducive to heavy drinking, observed Bacharach. Although the majority of those who responded did not have drinking problems, approximately 17 percent were at risk of having a moderate drinking problem, while 11 percent were at risk for a severe problem. Bacharach viewed those findings broadly: “Everyone seems to be concerned with the use of illegal drugs in the workplace, but the primary drug of choice today is still alcohol. This study confirms among firefighters what we already know about drinking in America. The issue at hand throughout this country is alcohol. Those who are at moderate risk may benefit from a comprehensive workplace education and intervention program, while those with severe problems may benefit from alcoholism treatment,” he said. Bacharach’s research team, which has done many workplace studies assessing people’s emotional health, includes these Smithers Institute associates: Hilary Zelko, senior research associate; Peter Bamberger, visiting scholar; William Sonnenstuhl, associate professor, ILR School; and Yasamin Miller, director of the Survey Research Institute, ILR School. Martin Wells, professor and chair of Cornell’s Department of Biological Statistics and Computational Biology, served as an adviser on the project. 14 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu
The R. Brinkley Smithers Institute Zelko said: “The data are complex. There is much more to tease out here, but we thought it was a good time to highlight some of our preliminary findings for the unions and the department. We will continue to analyze the data over the next few months.” “I have been a firefighter for 30 years. That’s who I am,” said Gorman. “These data tell it very much like it is. Our brothers and sisters have gone through a very difficult time in the last few years, and this Cornell study will surely help me focus on how to help them.” “Every participant took the time to fill out this questionnaire,” noted Bacharach. “My responsibility is to them. I hope that labor and management will use our findings to work in a cooperative way to enhance the work life and well-being of firefighters. This was our way of giving something back to the firefighters,” said Bacharach, who lives in downtown Manhattan. ■ The R. Brinkley Smithers Institute for Alcohol- Related Workplace Studies at ILR is one of Cornell’s most vital outreach programs and an acknowledged leader in research and education related to substance abuse in the workplace. In the 1950s, R. Brinkley Smithers, who devoted much of his life and resources to the study, treatment, and prevention of alcoholism, forged a close working relationship with Professor Harrison Trice at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Together, they Samuel B. Bacharach (right), McKelvey- Grant Professor of Labor Management, directs the Smithers Institute. Here he is pictured with William J. Sonnenstuhl, associate professor of industrial and labor relations and associate director, Smithers Institute. conducted a number of pioneering studies on alcoholism. Their work continues at the ILR School’s Smithers Institute for Alcohol-Related Workplace Studies, which was established in 1986 through the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation. The Smithers Institute is housed in ILR’s Metro New York City Extension Office at 34th and Madison. Its mission is to provide labor and management with up-todate research findings on the problems and to suggest realistic options for handling them. The Smithers Institute has established a rich tradition of continuous research and education. Its research agenda has focused on workplace risk factors, member assistance programs, employee assistance programs, intervention strategies, retirement and substance abuse, and sexual harassment and substance abuse. Its educational agenda has developed programs, which allow labor and management to put important assistance programs into place. Now in its eighteenth year, the Smithers Institute has expanded efforts to an international arena doing more comparative work and working closely with international agencies. R. Brinkley Smithers passed away in 1994. The close collaboration he had forged between the ILR School and the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation continues to be carried on by his wife, Mrs. Adele Smithers-Fornaci, and their son, Christopher B. Smithers. For more information on the Smithers Institute and its initiatives and accomplishments, see the web site at www.ilr.cornell.edu/smithers/. www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 15
Page 1 and 2: ILRCONNECTIONS A publication for al
Page 3 and 4: Faculty Spotlight Getting Off the E
Page 5 and 6: Inside the Classroom Globalization
Page 7 and 8: students are learning from ILR facu
Page 10 and 11: International Projects France Indus
Page 12 and 13: The ILR School and the ILO: Researc
Page 14 and 15: ILR C e l e b r a t i o n Our award
Page 18 and 19: Cornell Tradition Fellows Frederick
Page 20 and 21: Students in the Spotlight Jack Cogn
Page 22 and 23: ILR Alumni Across the Globe • •
Page 24 and 25: Alumni Profile Louisa J. (Jane) Hay
Page 26 and 27: ILR Connections Secure Internationa

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