Police cuff Firefighter

[hertzvanrental]

Forgive me if this has already been posted (I could'nt find it). But what is wrong with some of the cops on your side of the pond?

http://news.sky.com/story/1207268/cop-slaps-cuffs-on-firefighter-at-crash-site

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OVCbadSqQg

[scubanurse]

A lot.

[island emt]

Firefighters and police officers both have large amounts of TESTOSTERONE, which leads to many such pissin contests to see who has the biggest one..

Most are also hyper type A personalities, so they are easy to rile.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Before we pass judgement on this officer, there is more to this story(As there ALWAYS IS). From what I'm reading, this firefighter parked the apparatus in an area where it shouldn't have been. The fire department is making a big deal out of this. The firefighter from what I've read made a HUGE deal out of this.

I'll have to dig up the news reports but the fire fighter was also in the wrong so let's not all jump down the officers case because the firefighter was partly in the wrong here as well.

It could have been handled better on both ends.

[scubanurse]

I read that the fire truck was parked to protect the scene which is what they are aupposed to do.

[island emt]

I wasn't jumping on either ones case Ruff.

Just stating a point of fact.

They both are in a profession where type A personalities abound and both professions have their own ideas of whats the right way for things to be done.

California is not the only place this happens.

NJ state troopers pride themselves on being in control and telling Fire what , Where , & when to park their apparatus. At least once a year they arrest some fire officers for disagreeing with them.

Problem starts with different training.

Law is taught to keep traffic flowing as best they can around an accident scene.

Fire is taught to put the big ass truck to block a couple lanes and provide a safe work environment.

The scenario goes something like this::

LEO: hey captain, could you move that damn big truck over and let me get traffic going????

Fire :; No way, I'm protecting my crew by giving them a safe work area.

LEO : I'm telling you to move it or else.

Fire: you & who else???

Leo: move it NOW.

Fire : turns his back & walks away.

LEo Pulls out the cuffs and the battle is on

[hertzvanrental]

but in this situation where is an "area" that it shouldn't have been?

Over here, sure the traffic cops want the road open ASAP, they also appreciate that the patient will always and does come first.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Island, the jumping wasn't directed to you, believe that.

What I was referencing is one report where the fire apparatus the guy was driving was actually reported to be on the other side of the road and not protecting anyone.

Other outlets are saying that this firefighter started the ruckus by making a scene and refusing to even discuss things with the officer and when the officer tried to talk to him he walked away.

I'll have to try to find those articles but I might not be able to.

What should have happened is that they should have finished up the scene, then the trooper and his supervisor should have gone to the fire house and discussed this with all involved. But that didn't happen.

If yo watch the video, or one of them, look at the firefighter, he's loudly saying "Look, he's putting the cuff's on me" or something to that effect thus escalating the situation to a level that should not have gotten to that level.

I'll be the first to chastise the trooper but it seems that we need to look at both sides before we go after one or the other becuase I think that both sides handled this badly.

And Island, for what it's worth, I never thought you were jumping on either one of them, I am just seeing all over facebook and the other sites I visit that they are soundly slamming the trooper and not holding the firefighter responsible for his actions which were immature as well.

[island emt]

It always takes two to tango.

In the majority of these cases both sides are equally at fault for dealing with the issue unprofessionally.

Edit to add:

Feb. 06--After a California Highway Patrol officer handcuffed a Chula Vista firefighter for refusing to move his engine at the scene of a crash, the chiefs of both agencies said in a statement Wednesday that they shared the "utmost respect" for each other's missions.

The incident occurred at the scene of a rollover crash Tuesday night. The CHP officer had ordered the firefighter to move a fire truck because he felt it was unsafely blocking a lane of traffic at the scene of a collision on Interstate 805.

The fire truck had arrived at the scene of the accident before the CHP. The driver, a 12-year veteran of the Fire Department, was parked behind an ambulance that was loading patients for transport to a hospital.

Watch Arrest Video

When the firefighter refused to immediately move the truck, saying he needed to confer with his captain, the CHP officer handcuffed the firefighter and put him in the back of a patrol car, where he remained for about 30 minutes. No arrest was made.

The incident was caught on film and shown on local television.

On Wednesday, Chula Vista Fire Chief Dave Hanneman and CHP Chief Jim Abele met to discuss the incident. After the meeting, neither side admitted fault, but the two issued a joint statement expressing "utmost respect for each other and our respective missions."

They went on to call it "an isolated incident" that would be the topic of future joint training sessions, "in an ongoing effort to work more efficiently together."

Before the joint statement was issued, the Chula Vista fire chief issued an individual statement saying, "I am very proud of how Engineer Jacob Gregoire and the other firefighters on the scene handled the situation."

tony.perry@latimes.com

Edited February 7, 2014 by island emt