3.5 Professional Standards Guide Values & the Packet's Two Value Lists
Key Takeaways
- The official packet prints two separate ten-item value lists: the Section Two organizational values and the Section Six Professional Standards Guide values.
- The Professional Standards Guide values are Safety, Teamwork, Service Excellence, Innovation and Empowerment, Diversity, Health and Wellness, Honor and Respect, Communication and Relationships, Integrity and Honesty, and Sustainability.
- Only Teamwork and Honor and Respect appear with identical names on both lists.
- Sustainability appears only in the Section Six list; Pride and Ownership appears only in the Section Two list.
- The packet defines organizational values as governing the ethical responsibilities of all members, and names the Professional Standards Guide the foundation for behavior.
3.5 Professional Standards Guide Values & the Packet's Two Value Lists
Quick Answer: The official packet prints two different ten-item value lists. Sections 3.1–3.4 taught the Section Two list. Section Six — inside the Training Academy expectations — prints a second set, the Professional Standards Guide (PSG) organizational values: Safety, Teamwork, Service Excellence, Innovation and Empowerment, Diversity, Health and Wellness, Honor and Respect, Communication and Relationships, Integrity and Honesty, and Sustainability. Only Teamwork and Honor and Respect carry the same name on both lists. Sustainability appears only in Section Six; Pride and Ownership appears only in Section Two.
Most candidates memorize one values list, see a values question, and answer from the wrong page. The packet gives you two lists in two different places, written for two different purposes, with overlapping but not identical names. A matching item that offers "Health and Wellness" and "Total Wellness" as separate choices is not a typo — those are the Section Six and Section Two names for related ideas. This section closes that gap.
Where the second list lives and what it governs
The PSG list does not sit under Section Two with the culture statement. It appears later, in Section Six (Firefighter Recruit Training and Expectations), immediately after the Prevent Harm / Survive / Be Nice expectations and just before the academy performance requirements. The packet introduces it with a definition worth quoting:
Organizational values are intended to govern the ethical responsibilities of all members within an organization.
It also states the authority behind the list:
The Phoenix Fire Department Professional Standards Guide is the foundation for behavior for our members. The Professional Standards Guide provides the mission, vision and values that are the focus of service delivery and behavior for all our members.
| List | Where it appears | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Section Two values | Early culture block, right after mission/vision/motto | The department-wide culture statement every member learns |
| Section Six (PSG) values | Inside recruit training expectations | The behavioral standard recruits are measured against in weekly grading (see 10.3) |
That second row is the reason this list matters operationally, not just for recall: RTOs grade behavioral and attitudinal performance every week against the Professional Standards Guide.
The ten Professional Standards Guide values
| # | Value | Packet definition core |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Safety | Safety of members and community is our primary objective; the driving force in all we do and the essence of the service we provide; we are unconditionally accountable to accepted safety standards and overall situational awareness |
| 2 | Teamwork | We work and train as a team; teamwork is the building block that drives the labor/management process; seek and value input at all levels; cooperate locally, regionally, and nationally; all members have a responsibility to mentor others |
| 3 | Service Excellence | Exceptional service through professional, well-trained, humble, dedicated, competent, hardworking, and safe members; active participants in the communities where we live and work |
| 4 | Innovation and Empowerment | Embrace personal development, training, and adaptation to ever-evolving needs; empower members to professionally implement effective methods and creative solutions |
| 5 | Diversity | Every person is unique; value organizational diversity and leverage it for the best possible service; dedicated to reflecting and respecting diversity throughout community and organization |
| 6 | Health and Wellness | Individually and collectively responsible for physical, mental, spiritual, and financial wellness; committed to the resilience of community and organization through healthy lifestyle education and resources |
| 7 | Honor and Respect | As a fire department family, tradition is important; respect the contributions of past, present, and future members; committed and accountable to each other and the community at all times because lives depend on it |
| 8 | Communication and Relationships | Communication and relationships are essential to the unity and performance of the organization; effective and responsive communication throughout organization and community; investing in alliances with partners |
| 9 | Integrity and Honesty | We value the public's trust; honest and ethical behavior on and off duty; self-discipline is our foundation for managing our behavior; hold ourselves accountable; personal commitment to organization and community |
| 10 | Sustainability | Holistic sustainability of members, organization, and community; actions and decisions driven by social, environmental, and economic factors, woven into everything we do |
The four highest-yield definitions
Safety is the trap pair with Section Two. Section Two says safety is our highest priority; the PSG list says safety is our primary objective and the driving force in all we do. Both are correct — in their own sections. The distinctive PSG phrase to remember is "unconditionally accountable": the packet allows no conditions, exceptions, or "just this once" reasoning about accepted safety standards.
Integrity and Honesty is where the packet ties values back to the PFD Way. It names self-discipline as the foundation for managing our behavior — the same idea as Cornerstone 3. If an item asks what the department names as the foundation for managing behavior, the answer is self-discipline, not supervision or discipline imposed from above.
Honor and Respect carries the packet's strongest justification clause: members are committed and accountable to each other and the community at all times because lives depend on it. That phrase converts a soft-sounding value into an operational one, and it is quotable on both written and oral items.
Sustainability is the value most often missed, because it has no counterpart anywhere else in the packet. Note that the packet's sustainability is not limited to environmental practice — it names social, environmental, and economic factors and applies them to members, organization, and community. An answer choice that reduces sustainability to recycling or fuel use is too narrow.
Telling the two lists apart
Learn this crosswalk rather than trying to hold twenty separate items in memory:
| Section Two value | Closest Section Six (PSG) value | Name match? |
|---|---|---|
| Pride and Ownership | (no counterpart) | Section Two only |
| Customer Service Excellence | Service Excellence | Different name |
| Teamwork | Teamwork | Identical |
| Communication | Communication and Relationships | Different name |
| Integrity and Professionalism | Integrity and Honesty | Different name |
| Diversity and Inclusion | Diversity | Different name |
| Safety and Prevention | Safety | Different name |
| Total Wellness | Health and Wellness | Different name |
| Honor and Respect | Honor and Respect | Identical |
| Progressive and Innovative | Innovation and Empowerment | Different name |
| (no counterpart) | Sustainability | Section Six only |
Three rules carry most of the points:
- Only two names are identical on both lists: Teamwork and Honor and Respect.
- Sustainability is Section Six only. If a question lists ten values and includes Sustainability, it is quoting the Professional Standards Guide list.
- Pride and Ownership is Section Two only. If a question includes Pride and Ownership, it is quoting the culture list from Section Two.
Use rules 2 and 3 as list identifiers: spot either name in the stem or options, and you instantly know which of the two lists the writer is testing — then answer from that page only.
Study checklist for Section 3.5
- Recite all ten PSG values in order; use the Sustainability item as your "did I finish the list" check.
- State the packet's definition of organizational values: they govern the ethical responsibilities of all members.
- Name the Professional Standards Guide as the foundation for behavior and the source of mission, vision, and values.
- Pair each Section Two value with its PSG counterpart, and flag the two names with no counterpart.
- Memorize four distinctive PSG phrases: unconditionally accountable (Safety), self-discipline is our foundation (Integrity and Honesty), because lives depend on it (Honor and Respect), and social, environmental, and economic (Sustainability).
With both value lists secured, Chapter 4 moves from what Phoenix values to how Phoenix expects you to behave — the PFD Way and its six cornerstones.
Which organizational value appears in the packet’s Section Six Professional Standards Guide list but has no counterpart in the Section Two values list?
According to the study packet, what are organizational values intended to govern?
How does the Professional Standards Guide list describe the department’s stance toward accepted safety standards and situational awareness?
Under the Professional Standards Guide value of Integrity and Honesty, what does the packet name as the foundation for managing our behavior?