When to cut a kid some slack

[chaser]

... If there are females present and I am working, and a person curses.. I kindly ask them not to. If they continue I ask them again. If they still do it, I might get pissy about it depending on the situation...

That is so far from the issue. Regardless of the gender of the caller, it was uncalled for. Had this been an upset son, somehow the outcome would be different?? That calls for a different reaction???? It shouldn't.

I can only speak for me, but someone "curses" if front of me-- who the f**k cares. Do your job.

Oh, and I am female, just for the record.

Edited May 5, 2009 by chaser

[AnthonyM83]

In addition, if he responded like that to someone having a crisis over the phone...I bet he's screwed some people over on the streets who were having a crisis, too. One of the bigger lessons I learned while working there was not to take things personally and realize the people you come in contact with are having a much worse day than you are...if you can help them instead of go head to head with them, they'll much appreciate it in the end (AND it's what they're paying you for).

Same lesson has carried over in EMS. Can't count the times a patient or family member was pissed or swearing at me at-scene or en-route, and I still played nice. Almost every time, they apologized profusely one at the hospital saying they were just having a bad day or letting out steam.

[FireMedic65]

That is so far from the issue. Regardless of the gender of the caller, it was uncalled for. Had this been an upset son, somehow the outcome would be different?? That calls for a different reaction???? It shouldn't.

I can only speak for me, but someone "curses" if front of me-- who the f**k cares. Do your job.

Oh, and I am female, just for the record.

I was just giving an example. I don't like it when people curse around females, I never have. I just find it disrespectful. Does it inhibit my job, most definitely not.

[RatPack]

When people dial 911 its probably one of the most scariest times of their lives, a loved one sick or injured, swearing while maybe inappropriate I'm sure is a common occurrence.

This guys an idiot. He was more concerned with the language then the emergency going on.

I agree fired, fired, fired...No pension, and maybe a slap to the back of the head wouldn't be so bad.

This guy was on a power trip. No place for that in a position of authority.

[HERBIE1]

Don't know the history of this dispatcher. Assuming he was a sworn officer and not a civilian, he might not be happy about being there. Sometimes, an officer may be assigned to dispatch when he is unable to function on the street- medical or injury issues(light duty). Another BIG possibility- he was assigned there for punitive reasons.

Bottom line- no excuses, no rationale, no alibis- he should be fired. Thankfully the patient is OK, but this is a slam dunk lawsuit that will cost that city millions, and rightfully so. I'm not a big fan of lawyers, but in this case a lawsuit is warranted.

I agree with the comment that if someone in public safety is offended by a 4 letter word, they are in the wrong business. I've been cussed out so many times, I almost answer to some of those names... LOL

[Kaisu]

I've been cussed out so many times, I almost answer to some of those names... LOL

There was the patient who called me an ugly white m*****f*****. I told her "Hey, I ain't ugly."

[zzyzx]

Geez, you guys are harsh. Fire a 20-year veteran, and in this economy? Yeah, he did something incredibly stupid, but a two-week suspension is enough punishment if this is the first time he's gotten into trouble. I wonder if perhaps he was temporarily put in dispatch for a work-related injury, and then wasn't properly trained. It's unlikely that a professional. experienced dispatcher would have done this. Reminds me of the thread from a couple of months ago---remember the nurse who was supposed to triage calls and ends up refusing to send an ambulance because the caller was rude?

Edited May 5, 2009 by zzyzx

[Chief1C]

Like I always say; the public isn't trained to handle their emotions in crisis. That's why we have to be. You get people, possibly handling a true emergency for the first time in their life. We can educate the public on when to call 9-1-1, why they should call 9-1-1 and how to call 9-1-1. But when it comes down to having a situation where they just don't know what to do, all that public education is going to go out the window. He voluntarily broke the chain of survival, per se, several times. Even if he did have a momentary lapse of judgment, that could have cost someones life. No second chances.

[EMS49393]

Fire him. Don't hide behind the economy crapola. If he were concerned about his economy, he would have worked harder to do the right thing at his job. He should have been able to diffuse the situation. If it were any one of us... I bet we'd be looking for alternative employment.

It's their emergency, it's our JOB.

[Richard B the EMT]

I note something interesting that the reporter said.

This officer was placed on a 2 week suspension WITHOUT PAY!

Most times I see any officer, a LEO, FD, EMS, or a Security/Special officer on suspension, it usually reads Paid.

However, that could just be the mind think of folks from NYC like myself, to pick up on that sort of thing.