25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. (The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:25)
We live in a world where truth seems to have less and less value. Maybe it’s just the current season of mid-term election politics, but am I the only one who thinks political commercials mirror our times where the truth seems hard to find?
One mark that sets the truly devoted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ apart from his or her peers is a determination to always tell the truth. In fact, an individual who relies on truth-telling as a way of life will garner much advantage in every way.
If truth-telling has great advantage, how do we apply that to the world of our daily lives? How do we apply truth-telling to our work lives, our home lives, or our civic lives? We can begin by determining to always tell the truth throughout every phase of every process in our daily lives. Please allow me to share an example from my business life.
I have had the privilege to work in the field of fire protection for 45 years. I began as a fire fighter in 1965 and moved on into fire protection engineering in 1969. During the 45 years of my career, I have participated in the design of, or in the review of, several thousand fire protection systems.
The process of providing a fire protection system for a building involves the following steps:
- manufacture of the equipment
- fire protection system design
- approval of the design
- installation of the system
- acceptance testing of the system
- maintenance and periodic testing of the system
In order to apply truth-telling to this process, every person involved along the way must commit to total transparency and complete honesty.
The manufacturer of the equipment must build a product that meets rigorous national standards and obtain listing of that equipment from a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories Inc., Factory Mutual Approvals, or other laboratory acceptable to the Authorities Having Jurisdiction. Of course, the product must actually work and provide features that a building owner will need in order to meet the goals and objectives he or she has set for his or her building.
A qualified designer must begin by recording the design in carefully written specifications. Don’t leave anything to chance. Don’t leave any room for misleading interpretation. Don’t leave gaps that may later allow you to coerce an installer into providing something that you did not really include in the specifications. In other words, by means of detail specifications, tell the truth about exactly what design requirements you expect the fire alarm system to meet. Avoid using statements in the specifications that will leave decision-making open ended.
Next, as a designer, use absolute truth-telling as a guiding principle in creating the design drawings that will accompany the specifications. Make certain that the drawings leave no room for guessing on the part of contractors who will submit bids. Give everyone who will read the drawings as much information as possible. Avoid placing “catch-all” notes on the drawing that refer to compliance with the various codes and standards when you have not included a code- or standards-complying design on the drawing. To do so means you are depending on your cleverness rather than on the truth.
As an Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)—fire chief, fire marshal, building inspector, insurance inspector, corporate engineer—as you review the specifications and design drawings for the purpose of granting preliminary approval, make certain that you adhere to the principle of truth-telling. Do not substitute your own opinions and prejudices for the hard and fast requirements of the appropriate national and jurisdictional codes and standards.
Make certain that every criticism you transmit to the designer has a factual, truthful basis. Facts stated in a truthful way ensure the integrity of your review and, in fact, help build your own reputation for fairness and accuracy. If you don’t know something, say so. Whatever you do, don’t pretend to have knowledge. When you lie about your own level of understanding, you will jeopardize the faithfulness and value of your review.
As an installing contractor preparing to submit a bid on a fire protection installation, base your decisions and your communications on the principle of truth-telling. Don’t say one thing, and then intend to do something else. Make certain you have clearly understood the specifications and design drawings. Develop your bid based on the clarity of the design documents. If you don’t have certain information that you need to make a proper bid, make certain that you promptly and insistently ask for that information. Avoid including catch phrases in your bid that will mislead the owner into thinking you will provide something that you have no intention of providing.
Once you begin your installation, adhere to all proper installation practices. Don’t cut corners. Faithfully fulfill the true and proper intent of the design documents. Follow the installation requirements of the national codes and standards. If you don’t understand those requirements, seek help from a qualified code professional.
And, when you conclude your work, truthfully represent what you’ve done by conducting testing in a codes- and standards-complying manner. Make certain you provide an accurate, written testing report.
As the AHJ, when you witness the system acceptance tests, rely on truth-telling to provide a proper assessment of the work completed. Don’t use the power of your office to force changes simply because you failed to diligently review the initial design. Rather, if you’ve missed something, truthfully report that to the owner and explain why the missing item is needed. And, make certain you provide a written acceptance report.
Once the installing contractor completes the system, the owner needs to execute a periodic testing and maintenance contract to assure the long-term reliability and dependability of the fire protection system. Again, rely on truth-telling as the guiding principle in this transaction.
The principles embodied in this narrative can easily apply to every area of your life. Mark your life—your home life, your work life, your civic life—with the principle of truth-telling. Live and act consistently. The Lord Jesus Christ expects no less of us.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. (The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:25)
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