Ethics

Code of Ethics of the State fire and Rescue Service

Issued pursuant to Section 72, Paragraph one, Clause 2 of the State Administration Structure Law

I General questions

1. Internal regulations prescribe the basic principles of behaviour and ethics of officials of the State Fire and Rescue Service (hereinafter - institution) with a special service rank, a civil servant of the State civil service and an employee with whom an employment contract (hereinafter - employee) has been entered into, which an employee of the institution must observe in performing the duties of the service (work), as well as outside the time period of performance of the duties of the service (work).
2. The objective of the Code of Ethics of the institution (hereinafter - Code of Ethics) is to promote the honest performance of service (work) duties of employees in the public and national interest in accordance with legal norms, to give binding recommendations of behaviour, to promote ethical behaviour of employees, to reduce the possibility of conflict of interest, as well as to increase public trust in the institution.
3. the Code of Ethics of the is a description of the values, ethical principles and general rules of conduct of the institution. In situations that are not regulated in the Code of Ethics, the employee shall act in accordance with the general ethical principles and norms of conduct prescribed by Section 10 of the State Cabinet of Ministers Structure Law. An employee, in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Ethics, increases public confidence in the institution, knowing that the overall image of the institution in society consists of the behaviour and behaviour of each individual employee.
4. The Code of Ethics shall be presented by:
   1. management of the institution and assistant to the head of the institution - employee of the Human resources Administration of the institution;
   2. employee of the unit of the central apparatus of the institution and employee of the independent unit of the institution - an employee assigned by the head of the unit accordingly;
   3. An employee of the Latvian fire Museum - an employee assigned by the Director of the Latvian fire Museum;
   4. the employee of the territorial unit of the institution, the part of the territorial unit of the institution and the employee of the item - accordingly, the employee responsible for record keeping in the territorial unit of the institution, the commander of the part or position of the territorial unit of the institution.

II Fundamental principles of value and professional ethics

An employee shall observe the following values and basic principles of professional ethics based therein:

Professionalism and efficiency

• the employee of the shall, in performing his or her service (work) duties, take care of the safety of the population and continuously increase the level of safety;
• the employee aspires to excellent customer service so that everyone in contact with the employee of the institution is satisfied with the service received;
• the employee of the shall aim to reduce the administrative burden and comply with the “advise first” principle;
• the employee shall utilise and develop the competences, skills and knowledge necessary for the work of the State, take over the good practice and international experience of the sector;
• the employee is targeted and result-oriented;
• the employee is working effectively, achieving the objective and qualitative result with as little resources as possible;
• the actions, decisions and opinions of the employee shall be substantiated and weighted, based on the analysis of the situation, objective facts and data;
• the employee is open to change and engages in new approaches and innovations.

Integrity

• the employee shall perform the duties of the Service (Labour) in a fair, open and independent manner, observing regulatory enactments, ethical norms and other binding requirements;
• the employee shall not be placed in a situation of conflict of interest and shall be informed in a timely manner regarding personal interests or other circumstances which may cause personal interest and hinder the performance of duties in good faith;
• the employee if he or she has facts at his or her disposal, shall inform (raise an alarm) in accordance with the specified procedures regarding possible violations observed in the performance of service (work) duties, as well as shall treat employees who raise an alarm with dignity.

Responsibility

• the employee shall perform the duties of the service (work) responsibly and diligently, knowing that his or her activities affect the joint results of the work of the institution;
• the employee is able to make clear and reasoned decisions and take responsibility for them;
• the employee with property and other resources owned, possessed or used by the institution shall act gently, economically and rationally, preventing the loss, damage or use thereof for his or her own private needs or for the private use of other persons;
• the employee is able to acknowledge and take responsibility for his mistakes.

Work for the public

• the employee act in the public interest to the greatest possible benefit to the State and society;
• the employee shall respect equality of all members of the society, as well as the principle of equity in finding fair and proportionate solutions;
• the employee shall observe the principles of legality and political neutrality in the performance of the duties of the Service (Labour), as well as based on professional criteria regardless of his or her political beliefs.

National sustainability and public Welfare

• the employee shall take into account and skillfully balance the common interests of the various stakeholders, industry and country;
• the employee in performing the duties of the Service (Labour), shall observe the basic principles of responsible consumption;
• the employee contributes to the sustainable development of the state and the welfare of society by ensuring good inheritance for future generations in the performance of the duties of the Service (Labour);
• the employee is strategic and flexible, able to adapt to changes in society and global processes;
• the employee promotes observance and preservation of Latvian values and historical traditions of the sector;
• the employee shall purposefully promote the knowledge acquired in the institution regarding security issues, especially among those most in need.

Cooperation

• the employee shall perform the service (work) duties as a team effort based on common objectives, which includes cohesiveness and concerted action;
• the employee develops a respectful and collegiate relationship with other employees and institutions, shows initiative and flexibility;
• the employee shall co-operate, be open to other employees and other institutions, facilitate mutual communication and exchange of information, provide or receive the necessary assistance for the implementation of the assigned service (work) duties;
• the employee is open to cooperation initiatives with specialists in other fields by engaging in solving issues affecting several departments, institutions or sectors.

Impartiality

• the employee shall perform the service (work) duties of the objectively and fairly, with a high legal conscience, taking into account the equality of persons and without showing special favour or creating unjustified privileges for a person;
• when preparing or taking a decision, the employee shall take into account only verified and objective information on the basis of documents and acquired evidence and shall act in accordance with regulatory enactments and general principles of law.

Confidential

• the employee has been exposed to the public in his or her professional activities, while observing the conditions for the circulation of restricted information;
• the employee which has become known in performing the duties of the Service (work), shall use, process and store information in accordance with the laws and regulations and regulations regarding the use of the type of information specified, as well as shall not disclose it to others, including also other employees, for whom such information is not necessary for the performance of the duties of the Service (work) and shall not be used in personal interest.

Loyalty

• the employee is loyal to the State and institution in public statements and respects the objectives and core values of the institution's activities;
• the employee in the performance of service (work) duties shall always regard the interests of the State as overriding in relation to personal interests;
• the employee shall explain or express the opinion of the institution in public statements related to professional activities, knowing that he or she forms a public opinion regarding the image of the institution;
• the employee shall not participate in activities and measures which could objectively raise doubts regarding action in the interests of the State or society, hinder professional performance of service (work) duties, compromise or embarrass the institution. The institution shall respect the privacy of employees and shall not restrict their private activities outside the time of performance of the duties of the service (work) in so far as they do not harm the image of the institution.

III General rules of conduct

1. The employee, when communicating with other employees, expresses criticism and recommendations directly, without the intermediation of third parties, indicating mistakes, without personal harm, while motivating the employee to improve the situation and indicating how to correct mistakes.
2. The worker reflects carefully on his statements, doesn't use words, gestures and hints that can be offensive to the self-esteem of others. Do not prejudice the honour and dignity of a person. Not arrogant and authoritarian, but tolerant of the views and beliefs of others, regardless of a person's race, nationality, gender, education, service (work), age, disability, sexual orientation, religious, political or other beliefs, material or family status, or other circumstances.
3. An employee shall endeavour to prevent unlawful or unethical conduct and shall not conceal, conceal or support such conduct.
4. An employee, in performing the duties of the service (work), as well as outside the time period of performance of the duties of the service (work), shall act in such a way that he or she does not harm himself or herself, the institution or the State or harm the reputation of the institution or State administration.
5. An employee, outside the time period of performance of service (work) duties, shall choose such style and content of behaviour and communication that does not raise doubts regarding the performance of objective and fair professional duties and the image of the institution as a professional and responsible institution in the society, as well as provide assistance to the public or persons who are at risk or are in a helpless state.
6. An employee shall maintain a proper and applied working environment and shall not place personal matters therein, which may cause doubts regarding the conformity of an employee with a position in the State administration or create a false, negative impression regarding the significance of such matters.
7. The direct manager of the employee promotes the formation of a professional microclimate in the unit – creates a work environment based on openness, participation, professionalism, respectful and equal attitude, avoiding expressions of intrigue, favouritism, mobbing and bossing.

IV Rights and obligations of the worker

An employee has the right to:

• in accordance with professional competence, in the decision-making process, to express and defend in a reasoned refuse to perform the assigned tasks, if they are in contradiction with regulatory enactments;
• to request compliance with the norms of the Code of Ethics from other employees and free manner such opinion as is in the public interest, achieving the widest possible benefit to the State and society;

An employee has a duty to:

• observe generally accepted norms of behaviour both during and outside the performance of service (work) duties;
• promote the creation of an atmosphere of favourable and professional work in an institution;
• share experience with employees regarding issues of professional concern;
• adopt a correct, applied style in both behaviour and appearance at the place and time of performance of service (work) duties.

V Action taken to prevent conflict of interest

1. The employee avoids situations where there could be a real, possibly or perceived conflict of interest or conditions favourable to corruption.
2. An employee who, within the meaning of the Law on Prevention of conflict of interest in activities of State Officials, is considered a State official, is permitted to accept gifts in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Prevention of conflict of interest in activities of State Officials.
3. An employee does not engage in such private activities, as well as refrains from adjacent works and combining positions that hinder the responsible and professional performance of his or her service (work) duties, as well as may cause suspicion of potential, real or perceived conflicts of interest and reduce public trust in the institution.
4. An employee does not refer to his or her position or institution in order to pursue his or her interests in situations unrelated to the performance of service (work) duties or the performance of tasks and thereby gain an advantage. . An employee does not use contacts made in the performance of service (work) duties to gain undue favor or unjustifiable benefits in his or her private life.

VI Action taken in contact with interest representatives

1. Representation of interests means any direct or indirect communication by an individual in his or her own interests or in the interests of other individuals with a public authority representative in order to influence the initiation, development, adoption or application of a public decision.
2. The employee shall inform the direct manager or the head of the institution regarding the expected meeting with the representative of interests, as well as provide information received from the representative of interests.
3. The Authority shall ensure openness both in liaison with interest representatives and in providing information on the interest representatives contacted, the interests of the persons they represent, the proposals they make and how they are taken into account.

VII employed communication in the media and social media

1. Upon receipt of an invitation as a representative of the institution to a meeting with representatives of the public or the media, the employee shall inform his or her direct manager and the preventive and public information division of the institution thereof.
2. The employee shall only express the official opinion of the institution on social media and in the mass media with the permission of the preventive and public information Unit of the institution.
3. An employee does not post or post comments, information, images, photographs or videos on social media that contradict the institution's values and basic ethical principles, suggesting violations of general behavior norms or disloyalty toward the institution or state.
4. An employee, using social media, shall evaluate whether the content placed therein invites violations of regulatory enactments, shall not express hatred-inducing ideas and opinions, including those directed against the Republic of Latvia. An employee refrains from using social media where his or her presence in itself may give rise to a belief that the employee personally supports the ideas and opinions expressed therein.
5. Prior to posting information on social media, an employee shall evaluate whether such information contains information and facts which may disclose confidential information, personal data, create a false impression or doubt regarding the processing of legal data.
6. An employee shall not distribute information directed against the Republic of Latvia, State administration and institution.
7. The employee does not make statements in the media and social media that would objectively cast doubt on the employee's loyalty, civic and moral stance, as well as could harm the reputation of the institution and its employees. The worker is personally responsible for containing the record, story, or comment that was made.
8. An employee, sharing a post or information on social media, evaluates whether it is true and reliable, and refrains from further disseminating it in case of doubt. Deliberate spreading of fake news is not allowed.

VIII responsibilities of the Head

1. The head of the unit of the institution, the commander of a part or post of the territorial unit of the institution (hereinafter - the head), shall facilitate the formation of an atmosphere of professional service (work) in the unit, shall care for the maintenance of favourable psychological microclimate in a collective and shall be a model for the observance of ethical principles.
2. The manager shall always act within the limits of his or her powers and requirements which he or she imposes on subordinates.
3. The manager supports an underdog creative approach and initiative to improve the work process.
4. The manager, when deciding questions regarding the conformity of the employee with the position, shall not allow any form of discriminatory treatment. . Only the professionalism of the employee and the willingness to work for the institution shall be used as a criterion.
5. The manager shall facilitate the expression of public recognition to the employee for the performance of particularly good service (work) duties.

IX implementation and evaluation of basic ethical and behavioural principles

1. If the employee has doubts regarding the conformity of the intended action with the requirements of the norms of the Code of Ethics, the employee may consult with a higher official or with a trusted representative in ethics matters, which has been appointed by an order of the institution.
2. An employee shall submit a submission with a complaint regarding a possible violation of the norms of the Code of Ethics to the head of the institution, informing the head of his or her unit thereof.
3. An employee shall indicate in a submission regarding violation of the norms of the Code of Ethics:
   1. the person involved in the violation;
   2. the nature and circumstances of the violation;
   3. facts confirming the essence of the violation and the indicated circumstances.
4. The evaluation committee shall examine non-compliance with and violation of the norms of the Code of conduct in accordance with the resolution of the head of the institution.

X closing questions

1. Declare invalid Internal Regulations No Fire and Rescue Service of the State fire-fighting and Rescue Service of 12 March 2007 .5 “Code of Ethics for State fire and Rescue Service employees”.

Agreed with the Ministry of the Interior on 9 November 2023.

SFRS Chief Colonel M.Baltmanis