# Life guard fired for saving man outside his "area"



## bigbaldguy (Jul 5, 2012)

Interesting article with some possible similarities to the way EMS is run under some contracted systems.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0...utside-his-zone.-Outsourcing-gone-wrong-video


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## Handsome Robb (Jul 5, 2012)

That's ridiculous. As long as he notified his partners he was leaving his area there's not any reason why he should have been fired. 

I hope that company loses the contract.


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## DrParasite (Jul 5, 2012)

"Sir, why were you fired from your last job?" "Because someone was drowning, and I saved them.  Here is my terminated letter, and the news articles that followed.  I hope you won't hold it against me."


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## Epi-do (Jul 5, 2012)

Just saw on the evening news that his employer released a statement that they acted hastily and are offering him his job back.  I'll see if I can find the link.

Here it is:  Fired Fla. lifeguard offered job back, says no


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## Handsome Robb (Jul 5, 2012)

Epi-do said:


> Just saw on the evening news that his employer released a statement that they acted hastily and are offering him his job back.  I'll see if I can find the link.



I wouldn't take it back. Maybe for a little bit but I'd be out as soon as I had another job lined up.


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## JakeEMTP (Jul 5, 2012)

I wouldn't take the job back either.

There will now be a higher expectation on the Life Guards from the public to protect everyone who ignors the Swim at Your Own Risk signs. The next person swimming in an unprotected area may not be so lucky to get saved with a heart beat and the Life Guard 1500 feet away will be crucified by the public and probably those on this forum.


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## MexDefender (Jul 5, 2012)

doesn't it somewhat go the same with EMS? we can't help if the scene is not safe even though we could potentially save a life...

it sucks that he got fired for this, he did his job and got punished.


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## CANDawg (Jul 5, 2012)

I think the guy has a case for wrongful dismissal. I'm sure there are lawyers lining up asking him to let them take the case to court.

I hope he does. And wins.


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## JakeEMTP (Jul 5, 2012)

dbo789 said:


> I think the guy has a case for wrongful dismissal. I'm sure there are lawyers lining up asking him to let them take the case to court.
> 
> I hope he does. And wins.



The company could also say his actions caused them to lose their contract with the city which will put several Life Guards (including him) out of a job.  The families who were obeying the signs could say he deviated from his duty to protect them. Further investigation could reveal he was not the one who summoned backup and an ambulance.  No I doubt if the lawyers will be from the immediate area who take his case.


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## CANDawg (Jul 5, 2012)

JakeEMTP said:


> The company could also say his actions caused them to lose their contract with the city which will put several Life Guards (including him) out of a job.  The families who were obeying the signs could say he deviated from his duty to protect them. Further investigation could reveal he was not the one who summoned backup and an ambulance.  No I doubt if the lawyers will be from the immediate area who take his case.



If they lost the contract, it would most likely be because they fired him - not his actions directly. He arranged coverage of his zone, the company later gave in and admitted that. And I doubt it matters who calls an ambulance, as long as he ensured someone did.

All that said, neither of us are lawyers (as far as I know - unless you moonlight in night court!), so we could both be crazy. 

That said, I wonder if the supervisor who fired him got fired. That's some extremely bad press for a company that is hoping to get a contract renewal just around the corner.


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## DrParasite (Jul 5, 2012)

Epi-do said:


> Just saw on the evening news that his employer released a statement that they acted hastily and are offering him his job back.  I'll see if I can find the link.
> 
> Here it is:  Fired Fla. lifeguard offered job back, says no


they are only offering him his job back because of all the negative press and PR they are getting.  

If every news stations in the country didn't pick up this story, they wouldn't have thought they acted hastily and offered him his job back.

Some of the supervisors who decided to fire him definitely need to be fired as a result of their "hasty actions."

If I was him, I would accept the job only if they offered to double my salary, offer me a formal and public apology, and get it in writing that I wouldn't be fired in the future for saving someone, which is in accordance with the City's policy.  It isn't going to happen, but if they offered that, than I wouldn't turn it down.


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## gw812 (Jul 6, 2012)

Eh, they'll fight it out in court and only the lawyers will win. They always do...

Personally, I'd use the whole situation as a de facto recommendation to my next employer.


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## DesertMedic66 (Jul 6, 2012)

gw812 said:


> Eh, they'll fight it out in court and only the lawyers will win. They always do...
> 
> Personally, I'd use the whole situation as a de facto recommendation to my next employer.



About a year ago, a couple months after I got hired, I used something along these same lines as a question. The question was along the lines of "you are out of your response area and come across a medical aid which you stop to help. If the patient isn't doing well, do you want us to wait until the ambulance for that area gets there or transport.  The answer I got from "the big dog" was "go for it. We will deal with all the political BS afterwards. If it comes down to it, it will look better in the headlines if you transported instead of waiting".


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## WTEngel (Jul 6, 2012)

JakeEMTP said:


> The company could also say his actions caused them to lose their contract with the city which will put several Life Guards (including him) out of a job.  The families who were obeying the signs could say he deviated from his duty to protect them. Further investigation could reveal he was not the one who summoned backup and an ambulance.  No I doubt if the lawyers will be from the immediate area who take his case.



The families in the area could say he deviated from his duty to protect them if he went into the water in an area that was his responsibility. If you go in the water, you have to arrange back up coverage, no matter where the incident occurred...so this would be a losing argument on their end.

Any talk of not renewing the contract has been directly related to the company's poor management of this incident (specifically in regards to firing the lifeguard and making a statement of saying they should not respond to areas not under contract.)

Ellis and Associates and Jeff Ellis Management need to get a hold on what is going on on the ground. This is one reason why Red Cross, one of the leading authorities on lifeguard certification and education, never branched out into facility management...it is simply too hard to keep a gauge on everything.


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## paramedicjon (Jul 21, 2012)

*me*

Yeesh I have done far worse


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## Handsome Robb (Jul 21, 2012)

WTEngel said:


> This is one reason why Red Cross, one of the leading authorities on lifeguard certification and education, never branched out into facility management...it is simply too hard to keep a gauge on everything.



USLA is the real big dog when it comes to open water lifeguarding. They don't do facility management either to my knowledge, they come once a year to certify the facility and it's staff and that's about it.


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## SubiEmt (Aug 26, 2012)

Good guy Greg lifeguard


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