Fighting a New Enemy: How the Pandemic Changed the Role of Firefighters

Objective: this study aimed to examine the influence of the pandemic on the work performance of firefighters in a state in the southeast region of Brazil, considering perceived discretion, individual aspects, and institutional factors. Theoretical approach: the literature encompassed street-level bureaucracy in crisis contexts. In general, the study investigated the role of state firefighters during the pandemic period. Method: a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach was conducted using a survey strategy applied to firefighters from a state in southeastern Brazil. Exploratory factor analysis of a sample of 382 participants was employed to explore the underlying structure of the data and reduce its dimensionality. Subsequently, the median test was used to compare the central tendency between non-parametric samples. Results: the findings revealed significant differences in individual aspects of firefighters' performance during the pandemic but not in institutional factors or perceived discretion. There was an increase in the variance of individual aspects during the pandemic, suggesting greater heterogeneity in participants’ responses. On the other hand, the reduction in response skewness indicated a shift in data distribution, making it more symmetrical. Conclusions: the study reveals implications for both public policy implementation and organizational performance improvement. Additionally, the research developed a multidimensional measurement instrument for bureaucratic performance, contributing to future investigations on street-level bureaucrats in emergency contexts.