"Copper Fire Chief Defends Hijinks"

[Mountain Res-Q]

Hijinks? Hazing? A Waste of Tax Payers Money? A Threat to Public Safety with the capability of hindering Patient Care? Or just good clean fun? In my local paper today:

Around sundown on Saturday, Aug. 29, the two on-duty Copperopolis Fire Protection District trucks pulled into the parking lot in front of Micki and Larry’s Sports Pub with lights flashing.

Inside the bar were district board member John Maness and his son Nick, 20, a district firefighter, taking part in revelries at Nick’s bachelor party.

What happened next was, depending on who you ask, either a mark of the district’s rediscovered esprit de corps or an abuse of taxpayer dollars that put lives at risk.

Three firefighters pulled the younger Maness into the parking lot and, one man holding each arm, sprayed him in the face and groin with a fire hose.

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.uniondemocrat.com/2009091897866/News/Local-News/Copper-fire-chief-defends-hijinks

 

[JPINFV]

The article is missing the most important question. Who goes to their bachelor party with their father?

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

The article is missing the most important question. Who goes to their bachelor party with their father?

Considering the region I live in, having your father at your bachelor party is not at all strange as the bride was probably his sister...

 

[Kookaburra]

Considering the region I live in, having your father at your bachelor party is not at all strange as the bride was probably his sister...

Heh, yeah - most of the Cletus' around here don't think nothin' of watching porn with their fathers, uncles, cousins.:wacko:

 

[EMTinNEPA]

Unprofessional and yet another horrible example that I'm sure everybody will forget about.

 

[Bloom-IUEMT]

Shirley, however, suggested the district could face liability issues if someone had driven up to an empty station with a medical emergency during the incident.

“Imagine if somebody drove a loved one that was having a heart attack to the fire station while this incident was taking place and found nobody available to help them,” he wrote in an e-mail.

Exactly!

Cantrell guessed such drive-ups happen a few times a year and said the person would simply have to dial 911. Crews are away from the station “way more” than they are there, he said.

Cantrell and the elder Maness said the complaint could be equally extended to the variety of charity events the district conducts, from Christmas tree lightings to ride-alongs and the annual “Fill the Boot” fundraiser, all of which occupy staff time and vehicles.

It's different if your away from the station for a community event or some official event but I'm pretty sure going to a bachelor party while on duty doesn't count. The first scenario is acceptable and the latter is bordering on public endangerment. And even if you only get a couple walk-ons a year, the time you'll probably get one is when you are off the station doing something stupid.

Whether the hazing that is common in fire districts across the country is integral to a successful firefighter squad has long been debated.

Ronny J. Coleman, former California Fire Marshal, addressed the issue in a 1999 essay in Fire Chief magazine titled, “Can We Forge Camaraderie Without Hazing?”

Colman begins by writing “(I) don’t believe that all hazing is for benevolent reasons, but I do believe that there’s still a compelling need for all firefighters to be tested and found worthy to be part of a team that could be exposed to life-threatening situations. Is this an unresolvable dilemma?”

I'm sorry is that a joke? What a bunch of bulls***! First, I'm sorry you wasted your time writing an essay about something so stupid. A good way to be tested and "found worthy" is to---idk----perform at your job well. I fail to see how getting sprayed in the groin tests your worth as a fireman. I mean are we living the lives of frat brothers because we never got to go to college? Try being just a tad more professional it will pay dividends.

Furthermore, my issue is if the trucks actually ran L&S to get to the pub. Imagine if someone got into a wreck because of this.:glare: