# Fake FF lures kids out of locked vehicle



## ffemt8978 (Jul 23, 2012)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/07/23/2029819/fake-firefighter-gets-3-kids-to.html


----------



## bahnrokt (Jul 23, 2012)

So pedo or wanna be hero? 

I'm guessing he is a member of the local VFD and he is also the same guy that carries a jump bag into the local diner "just in case he is needed".


----------



## Tigger (Jul 23, 2012)

bahnrokt said:


> So pedo or wanna be hero?
> 
> I'm guessing he is a member of the local VFD and he is also the same guy that carries a jump bag into the local diner "just in case he is needed".



In the story the police state that though he identified himself as a firefighter, he is not an FF in the state despite wearing a t shirt identifying himself as such. Was that a shot at volunteer FFs?


----------



## bahnrokt (Jul 23, 2012)

Tigger said:


> In the story the police state that though he identified himself as a firefighter, he is not an FF in the state despite wearing a t shirt identifying himself as such. Was that a shot at volunteer FFs?



It's not a shot at Vol FFs.  I'm a Vol myself.  However, VFDs end up attracting some nutty people that join for the wrong reason.  I've known a few guys that would try something like this expecting a heroes welcome.


----------



## Chimpie (Jul 23, 2012)

Yeah, I have two fire dept shirts, one from Indiana and one from California.  I have/had nothing to do with the one from Cali, it was a gift.  The one from Indiana is a dept that I did a ride along with one time.  It, too, was a gift.

I know many people that own similar shirts that wear them to support their local volunteer departments.


----------



## firetender (Jul 23, 2012)

The guy was drunk and lingering so that is what cooked his goose, but, still this is summer (even in Warshington it gets hot) and three children locked in a car in a parking lot without an adult would be something I'd be curious about -- if not alarmed. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to feel they'd be safer in a visible, public spot at the store entrance while the Mom was found.


----------



## bahnrokt (Jul 23, 2012)

The car could have been running with the ac on.  The article doesn't specify.


----------



## bigbaldguy (Jul 23, 2012)

bahnrokt said:


> The car could have been running with the ac on.  The article doesn't specify.



Still unacceptable.


----------



## bigbaldguy (Jul 23, 2012)

I'd like to know if the mother will face any charges. If she were running into a 7/11 for 2 mins I might call this borderline but a Walmart?


----------



## exodus (Jul 23, 2012)

bigbaldguy said:


> Still unacceptable.



I don't see it as unacceptable. A 13 year old can be in charge of two younger siblings in a car without any problems?


----------



## akflightmedic (Jul 23, 2012)

Agreed....where is this unacceptable???

You have a 13 year old and a 7 year old motioning a 4 year old...completely appropriate.

Every child baked in a car incident I have heard of has been the toddlers as they cannot unbuckle themselves, cannot exit the vehicle or quite simply do not know that they should or could exit simply because they are hot and cannot breathe.

The guy is a douche, should not have done what he did. The 13 year old has a cell phone as well...I think the situation was under control.


----------



## bigbaldguy (Jul 23, 2012)

A running car full of kids with a borred 13 year old. Yeah I can't imagine how that could ever go wrong


----------



## abckidsmom (Jul 23, 2012)

bigbaldguy said:


> A running car full of kids with a borred 13 year old. Yeah I can't imagine how that could ever go wrong



And yet at some point, humans stop being children and start being adults. 

It is totally fine for a 13 yo to babysit, at home or in a car, if the parent of the 13 yo deems it appropriate.


----------



## EpiEMS (Jul 23, 2012)

bigbaldguy said:


> A running car full of kids with a borred 13 year old. Yeah I can't imagine how that could ever go wrong



I tend to agree. Then again, a 13 year old can easily be left home alone, if their parent judges it appropriate.


----------



## exodus (Jul 23, 2012)

abckidsmom said:


> And yet at some point, humans stop being children and start being adults.
> 
> It is totally fine for a 13 yo to babysit, at home or in a car, if the parent of the 13 yo deems it appropriate.



My thinking right here. There are a lot more dangerous things in a house than in a car. And if worst comes to worst, a 13 year old can figure out how to drive a car pretty well. 13 isn't that young.


----------



## JakeEMTP (Jul 23, 2012)

The 13 y/o did not exercise enough judgement to stay in a locked car where the guy on the outside could not pose an immediate threat to him. He did not call his mother or 911 by cellphone. He did not honk the horn to attract attention. He allowed himself and the younger kids to be coaxed out of the car by an intoxicated stranger.  That does not sound like someone who is ready to take charge of younger kids alone.


----------



## abckidsmom (Jul 23, 2012)

JakeEMTP said:


> The 13 y/o did not exercise enough judgement to stay in a locked car where the guy on the outside could not pose an immediate threat to him. He did not call his mother or 911 by cellphone. He did not honk the horn to attract attention. He allowed himself and the younger kids to be coaxed out of the car by an intoxicated stranger.  That does not sound like someone who is ready to take charge of younger kids alone.



In which case we are talking about the judgment of this one 13 yo and not 13 yos in general. 

I am just playing the devils advocate here because more rules about how we can parent our children are the last thing we need.


----------



## the_negro_puppy (Jul 23, 2012)




----------



## bigbaldguy (Jul 23, 2012)

Apparently I have less faith in 13 year olds then some. Maturity does vary by age and it is possible this 13 year old was very mature but I still don't like the idea. If this had been a quick run into the corner store I would say sure leave em for a few minutes but unless this Walmart is unlike any Walmart I've ever been in there's nothing quick about ducking in.

I have to admit being lured out I don't think is necessarily a sign of immaturity in this situation. We beat into our children that they must respect authority and this guy pretended to have it. Every once in while you hear about adults being fooled in similar situations for robberies and such.

I don't have kids nor do I have much experience with them so I will agree that in this case maybe it was acceptable. Since there was no mention of the mother being charged apparently the police on scene didn't think it was a problem either.


----------



## JakeEMTP (Jul 23, 2012)

abckidsmom said:


> In which case we are talking about the judgment of this one 13 yo and not 13 yos in general.
> 
> I am just playing the devils advocate here because more rules about how we can parent our children are the last thing we need.



The article only listed one 13 year old involved in this incident.

Rules? No but how about some commonsense for parenting?  Parents need to be more aware and educate their children to their surroundings rather than just assuming all 13 y/o kids are all mature enough to know what to do in a situation like this.  Some parents teach kids a lot younger than 13 to call 911 and not open doors to strangers.   Sometimes it is also the adult who is not aware of their environment and take to much for granted.


----------



## heatherabel3 (Jul 25, 2012)

Maturity doesn't have a whole lot to do with this, in my opinion. As parents we teach our children not to talk to or open the door to strangers, UNLESS it is a police officer or fire fighter. This kid simply did what he was taught and since he was in the car I see no way he could have known the guy was intoxicated. Maybe the mom shouldn't have gone into walmart but that is far from the point here and far from who fingers should be pointed at.


----------



## ShannahQuilts (Jul 27, 2012)

heatherabel3 said:


> Maturity doesn't have a whole lot to do with this, in my opinion. As parents we teach our children not to talk to or open the door to strangers, UNLESS it is a police officer or fire fighter. This kid simply did what he was taught and since he was in the car I see no way he could have known the guy was intoxicated. Maybe the mom shouldn't have gone into walmart but that is far from the point here and far from who fingers should be pointed at.



If I am leaving a 7 year old and a 4 year old in someone's care, then maturity matters a lot to me.  There are 17 year olds I would be afraid to leave them with, and yet, there have been a couple of 13 year olds I would be fine leaving them with.

If I'm leaving young kids with someone, I want them to have the judgment to be able to make decisions by something other than very simplistic "Do as a firefighter tells you."  I have also read "Protecting the Gift" by Gavin de Becker, and I would never tell children not to talk to strangers.  Far better to tell them not to *go anywhere* with someone other than the adult in charge.  

I find it really scary that the 13 year old would be willing to take the two younger kids and go with the guy into Walmart.

I also find it completely irresponsible for the mother to be leaving her kids in a car on a summer day in a Walmart (or other big box store) parking lot on a summer day.  If the car wasn't running, the heat could be an issue, if it was running, one of the kids putting into gear could be an issue.

Ultimately, the kids were safe, which one could argue meant that the 13 year old was competent enough, but honestly, this could have gone wrong in so many ways that I think the mom was negligent.


----------

