Fire Fighters, Neighbourhoods and Social Identity: the relationship between the fire service and residents in Bristol
Chapter Five: Ethnographic Work With AFRS
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- Within AFRS
- Data gathering and analysis
- Research questions
Chapter Five: Ethnographic Work With AFRSIn this chapter, I will present the analysis of the data I gathered from AFRS during contact time with them. It starts with a brief description of my data gathering and analytic strategies, which are covered more fully by the literature review and methodology chapters. It then re-states the research questions and links them to the questions that I asked fire fighters in interview and which I considered in my fieldwork contact with fire fighters. These are then linked to the themes which emerged during the analysis, which are presented as a narrative by way of introduction. In the analysis section, each theme is introduced in turn, with a short, descriptive preamble and then a quote which serves as an exemplum from the data. In some cases, more than one quote is provided, often demonstrating competing or subordinate claims within a single theme. Finally, a discussion section looks at the themes in greater detail and in relation to the research aims. Within AFRSWithin the fire service, as with any uniformed service, functions a strict hierarchy. Although the one I describe is what I observed in Avon, I am assured that it is comparable across the country, perhaps even beyond – no doubt adding to the commonality felt between fire fighters from across different services and even different countries and distinguishing them from non-fire fighters (‘civilians’). Within each fire station (or ‘on station’ as fire fighters would say), each fire engine (appliance) is staffed by a ‘crew’ of three or four, with a ‘crew manager’, which is the first promotion step up from fire fighter. Some stations only have one crew per watch, but the stations I worked on tended to have two crews. As with the navy, there are four watches (red, white, green and blue) who alternate ‘tours’, a shift pattern typified by two day shifts, followed by two night shifts and then four rest days. Watch Manager is the next promotion from crew manager, although this is still an active fire fighting role. Subsequent promotions, to Station Manager and beyond, become senior management and are more involved with strategic work, and less with what happens on the ground. The distinctions between these roles are examined more closely in the second Literature Review chapter. When I started this research project, much of the language and culture of the fire service were foreign to me, although, inevitably, it was not hard to pick up. Every attempt has been made to present the information in this thesis in neutral tones, but, especially when discussing aspects from the fire service perspective, this might not always be the case. It should also be said that residents in the three neighbourhoods in which I worked had their own ways of referring to the world, both by speaking in strong Bristol accents, with which I am familiar, and also by discussing local landmarks in their own particular ways. This too took an amount of time to become familiar with, and is discussed in greater depth in the focus group chapter. Data gathering and analysisOver a number of months in 2008, data were gathered during an ethnographic study of fire fighters and other fire service personnel in the Bristol area. As discussed in the Introduction, AFRS have over 20 fire stations in the four local authorities that they serve, with six in the Bristol local authority area: one in the city centre, which is also the head quarters where support staff are stationed; one in the port area; and, four in residential areas. The majority of my time was spent in one of these neighbourhood stations, Norton (Station C), with other time spent at HQ, Control (where emergency calls come through to), a community safety centre located in a neighbourhood and one other station, Station B. In addition, I encountered fire service personnel in my own community and at meetings and conferences outside of the Avon area, including staff from Stations A and D. A summary of the contacts I have had with AFRS personnel is included as Appendix 1. Ethnographic data were supplemented with written material both from the media and from the fire service. Once collated and transcribed, the data were subjected to thematic analysis (Braun, Clarke 2006). Initial coding was reviewed and recoded as further themes were derived, with further analysis continuing throughout the writing stage. The resultant themes are introduced and discussed below. Research questionsIn looking at the relationship between fire fighters and residents, it is necessary to consider how fire fighters view themselves, how they view the communities they work in, and how they view themselves as distinct from these communities. As described below, this is partly managed through a distinct ethos separating fire fighters from ‘civilians’, but also through fire fighters viewing certain neighbourhoods in particular ways, by describing them as ‘busy’, or ‘rubbish fire’ neighbourhoods, and by distinguishing them from the neighbourhoods that they themselves live in and were brought up in, even in some cases where they are neighbouring areas. I approached this study with my research aims in mind, and had particular sub themes which I wished to examine in this respect. As such, whilst I spent time with AFRS personnel, I was paying particular attention to the following issues, which were also reflected in the semi structured interviews I conducted with crew members.
By looking at how fire fighters see their role and the communities in which and with which they work, it is possible to start to examine the relationships between these two groups, to explore where and how hostilities arise and to what extent mechanisms for engaging with communities are effective. Download 0.87 Mb. Share with your friends:
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