BAN HBO and other PORN from EMS/Fire Stations

[crotchitymedic1986]

I too think the OP could have done a better job framing this discussion -- after about 10minutes of google searches, i turned these links up, which doesnt really defend the position, but it makes me wonder about the sorry employee that you finally get to fire, and then they come back at you using sexual harassment or hostile work environment to save their sorry hyde:

http://career-advice.monster.com/conflict-...-Work/home.aspx

http://www.emsresponder.com/web/online/Top...rminated/1$1473

within that link read: The investigation also found that Moynihan fostered a work environment where off-color jokes, teasing and innuendo were common occurrences.

http://cms.firehouse.com/web/online/News/D...t-Suit/46$55100

and from a construction company education site: A contractor is also liable, however, if the contractor merely knew or should have known, that sexual comments or conduct make its working environment hostile to women. Most sexual harassment claims are such "hostile environment" claims.

Examples of conduct that may create a hostile working environment are as follows:

Unwelcome sexual touching.

Sexually explicit or abusive language.

Sexually suggestive or degrading remarks about a person's body or clothing.

Display of sexually explicit or suggestive literature, pictures or objects.

[Chief1C]

Didnt Scuba die once and come back???? hmm, EMTcity must be deathproof..

Scuba was the Queen, the Drama Queen, of chat room death. Even sat beside herself, willfully, as she lay in a coma, for sixteen hours.. Before being released, to come home like a Hollywood coma and recovery. Golly gee, aunt Bea, it's touching.. So, touching.

[firedoc5]

Since I'm getting in here late, I'm going to forego reading seven pages of posts and just state my own thoughts.

There was always some kind of porn at the FD I was at, especially the substations.Occasionally it was brought up. Now I can see any dept. or agency banning printed porn from like the bathroom magazine racks or where it is visible to any outside visitor. If someone wants to bring their own each shift in their duffle/ gear bag, then so be it, :jerk: as long as it's put away back into their own personal bag. And not just left lying around.

But as far as the TV, having HBO, Cinemax, whatever, I would be completely against the ban. It is something that is out there in the public sector anyway. Now if something that was being watched and visitors came in, it would be in good taste to change the channel. I don't know about now, but it use to be almost impossible to get those premium channels anyway. One of our Capt.'s sons worked for the cable co. so he set us up with everything they had to offer...free. The Dept. was only being billed for the most basic service they had to offer.

It was that way for several years. Then one day a rookie, not knowing of the "favor" called the cable co. to complain that one of the channels was being real fuzzy. They looked on their computer and found out that they weren't even suppose to be getting that channel. So, BUSTED. But by that time, that Capt. had passed away and his son had move somewhere out of state. I don't know the particulars, but they did get back all the channels eventually.

So, to me: No porn laying around or "belonging to everyone". Personal porn, as long as kept out of sight, is OK. TV programs, while being watched responsibly is fine, but change the channel if something that may be seem inappropriate might be on. Same as if there is computer access. If someone is looking at porn, as long as no civilians are exposed from it, to each his own. Just be mindful of those who may come visiting.

I'm getting tired of jumping off my little box. :sleepy3:

[EMT City Administrator]

If this topic gets back on topic, I will keep it open.. otherwise I will lock it.

[firedoc5]

If this topic gets back on topic, I will keep it open.. otherwise I will lock it.

I hope I wasn't off topic...at least not too much. Sorry if I did.

[Dustdevil]

One of our Capt.'s sons worked for the cable co. so he set us up with everything they had to offer...free. The Dept. was only being billed for the most basic service they had to offer.

It was that way for several years. Then one day a rookie, not knowing of the "favor" called the cable co. to complain that one of the channels was being real fuzzy.

ROFL! Oooops! Way to go, rookie!

Once, my female partner and I were catching an extra shift at a station neither of us usually worked. The medic crew had a separate bunkroom so the hose monkeys didn't have to get woken up with us everytime the tones dropped. In the bunkroom was basically two beds, a desk and chair, and this little maybe 15 inch television. It wasn't hooked up to anything. The dayroom tele had cable, but not the bunkroom. Just the rabbit ears. This night, we were running constantly. Everytime we got back to the station, we had to go right back out. Finally, around 0300, we get back to the station. We're exhausted, but both too scared to try and go back to sleep again and jinx ourselves. So we just sat down and relaxed, taking our sweet time getting undressed. I reach over and turn the TV on, in the unrealistic hope that there might be something on worth staying up for. I'm slowly flipping through the channel knob (remember when TVs had knobs?), and there's nothing on channel 2, so I go to channel 4. But wait! There was something on channel 3! That's weird. We don't have a channel 3 here. But every now and then, when conditions are just right, you will get channel 3 out of Waco, so I flipped back to see what it was. We both sat there staring at this fuzzy picture, trying to figure out what it was. We could make out shapes and movement, but not really what the picture was. Then, just as the camera backed away from the action for a wider shot, so we could see what it was, we heard the cheesy guitar music. It was an ultra close-up of the old in-out! Hardcore, full-penetration pr0n! My partner and I looked at each other and were like, WTF?!?! I looked behind the TV to see if it was connected to a cable box or something, but nothing. We couldn't figure out where it was coming from! It was a ritzy neighbourhood, so to this day I am going on the assumption that it was some local techno-geek ham radio operator playing around with a low power transmitter or something. Whatever it was, we sure enjoyed it!

[crotchitymedic1986]

not sure where we got off point -- but i did read the whole thread, so to save you the trouble:

I think what the OP was trying to say was:

1. You can not watch nudity on tv in any other business, and in most businesses if you were caught doing so, you would receive disciplinary action.

2. Wathcing nudity in the workplace at best was unprofessional in his/her opinon, could be possible sexual harassment.

3. Most people who have replied thought there was nothing wrong with the practice and that the original poster was an idiot, religous zealot, or a virgin.

I think that sums it up.

[Dustdevil]

I think that is a fair assessment. Unfortunately, the OP FAILS to also note that, in most businesses, if you were caught sitting in a recliner and watching ANYTHING on television, you'd be fired. You'd also be fired for sleeping on the clock, or speeding or busting intersections in the company car. So quite obviously, it is a stupid analogy that simply doesn't work. EMS shift work is not a normal business situation.

[WolfmanHarris]

You know, I've never felt the inclination to watch porn with a bunch of other guys in my workplace. A bunch of girls? I'd consider that, but probably not at work.

[Dustdevil]

There was a station I worked for over a year where we had porn night once a week. Just like kitchen duties and station chores, guys were assigned the responsibility of providing the porn for the coming shift. We always watched late at night, after bedtime, when the doors were locked and no chance of the public walking in. We'd pop popcorn, sit back, and hoot and holler at it for a couple hours. Quality time with the boys. Our captain was uber cool, and participated occasionally. Then he got promoted to Deputy Chief. Our new captain had a reputation as a hard-ass. Nobody in the department seemed to like the guy. Everyone had horror stories about what an unbearable jerk he was to work with and for. We went a couple shifts with him, and we couldn't really get a read on him. He was being okay with us, but we certainly didn't trust him. But porn night was coming up next shift, so a decision had to be made.

One thing we did learn about our new captain was that he was an early sleeper. He was in bed long before porn time, so we figured we'd stand united and hold our regular porn night despite him. We took every precaution. We started late to make sure he was in bed. We went to the training room instead of the open dayroom. We kept the lights off, and the volume extremely low, to avoid attention. And someone kept the remote control in their hand, with their finger on the stop button at all times. We had all our bases covered, and we were not to be denied!

We pop in the first movie and watch it all the way through. It took forever, because anytime the heater turned on, we'd all freak and hit the stop button. Every little noise in the station was feared to be the new captain, so we had to keep stopping the movie. By the time it finished, we were secure in our belief that he was sound asleep and everything was cool. So now we pop in the second movie. It was the kind of porn movie that every man hates; it had an actual plot. At one point, some pool boy is cleaning a swimming pool while several hotties in bikinis lounge around watching him. No nudity. No dirty language. No sex. Looks innocent at this point, but you know that something good is about to happen! We're all intensely watching and waiting for the first bikini top to come off when, one by one, we all notice the captain standing behind us and staring at the TV. We were all speechless, and of course, the last guy in the room to notice the captain there was the guy with the remote.

So the captain watches the screen for a moment, then turns to walk into the kitchen for a drink of water. Just as he started to walk off, the cheesy 70s electric guitar, bow-chicka-bow-wow starts playing. The captain stops in his tracks, turns back to the room and says, "Whoa! Wait a minute! I know what that music means!" And sure enough, about that time, the girls start getting nekkid. We nervously giggled, but figured we were all going to be written up and suspended. Nope. The guy sat down and said, "Geeze, guys... you weren't going to invite me? I'm hurt!" Then we all cracked up and watched the rest of the movie. He never became a regular with us on porn night, but he did turn out to be one of the coolest officers I ever worked with. We scratched our head for the next year trying to figure out why nobody else like him. We loved him!