“Trying to Eat an Elephant”: The Complexities of Bullying Training in the Fire Service

Maria Koeppel; Brittany Hollerbach; Terry von Thaden; Hannah Kelley; Christopher Kaipust; Nattinee Jitnarin; Walker Carlos Poston; Christopher Haddock; Sara Jahnke

doi:10.29333/ajqr/12533

Maria Koeppel ¹ ^* , Brittany Hollerbach ², Terry von Thaden ³, Hannah Kelley ⁴, Christopher Kaipust ⁵, Nattinee Jitnarin ⁵, Walker Carlos Poston ⁵, Christopher Haddock ⁵, Sara Jahnke ⁵

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AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 6, Issue 3, pp. 155-167

https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12533

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Abstract

Bullying in the fire service has long been overlooked, although efforts to understand the phenomenon have increased over the past few decades. Recent research has highlighted high rates of bullying in the fire service, regardless of gender and race. Despite established issues of bullying, workplace bullying training has yet to be examined in the fire service. Using qualitative data from interviews with a national sample of firefighters and fire service leaders, this foundational research sought to understand current and future needs related to training on bullying prevention and effective messaging for the fire service. Common themes that emerged from the data include current training opportunities, the effectiveness of training, and components of effective training.

Keywords: qualitative methods, firefighters, bullying, training.

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Citation

Koeppel, M., Hollerbach, B., von Thaden, T., Kelley, H., Kaipust, C., Jitnarin, N., . . . Jahnke, S. (2022). “Trying to Eat an Elephant”: The Complexities of Bullying Training in the Fire Service. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 6(3), 155-167. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12533

Koeppel, M., Hollerbach, B., von Thaden, T., Kelley, H., Kaipust, C., Jitnarin, N., . . . Jahnke, S. (2022). “Trying to Eat an Elephant”: The Complexities of Bullying Training in the Fire Service. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 6(3), pp. 155-167. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12533

Koeppel M, Hollerbach B, von Thaden T, et al. “Trying to Eat an Elephant”: The Complexities of Bullying Training in the Fire Service. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2022;6(3), 155-167. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12533

Koeppel, Maria, Brittany Hollerbach, Terry von Thaden, Hannah Kelley, Christopher Kaipust, Nattinee Jitnarin, Walker Carlos Poston, Christopher Haddock, and Sara Jahnke. "“Trying to Eat an Elephant”: The Complexities of Bullying Training in the Fire Service". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2022 6 no. 3 (2022): 155-167. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12533

Koeppel, Maria et al. "“Trying to Eat an Elephant”: The Complexities of Bullying Training in the Fire Service". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 6, no. 3, 2022, pp. 155-167. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12533

Koeppel M, Hollerbach B, von Thaden T, Kelley H, Kaipust C, Jitnarin N, et al. “Trying to Eat an Elephant”: The Complexities of Bullying Training in the Fire Service. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2022;6(3):155-67. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/12533