Lifeguard fired after beach rescue

[goldshellback]

Note-to-self : We're on our own........


Lifeguard fired for helping in beach rescue in Hallandale Beach - Sun Sentinel

Something about this just ticks me off.............
Ya'll be careful out there, swimming or otherwise.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[IronMike]

So...he left his post?

[MattInFla]

So...he left his post?

Well, sort of. His post was still covered by other lifeguards. He was at his post when he was approached by a bystander who reported that a man was drowning. This story has hit CNN, and the company is enjoying nationwide publicity on this - and 99% of the commentary on the various sites is extremely negative towards the company.

They're probably going to be losing some contracts as this gets out. Rightly so, IMHO.

[rstickle]

According to the news I saw last night almost all of the lifeguards working for the company have now quit. None of them are going to stand buy and watch someone die because they are on the wrong side of a sign! Nice to see some people willing to give up their jobs to do what is right, I sure hope someone watching that has jobs make sure they are employed again soon.

[ksholder]

Market forces should force this company out of business, however, because their customers are government agencies, who knows. At least if they lose their staff, they will be in breach of contract and could lose their business over that. Governments hate having to close beaches and lose tax revenue that comes from the spending in the area. This company will likely end up in the trash heap where it belongs either way.

[gunthorp]

That wouldn't happen on "Bay Watch."

"Rules are rules" is nanny-speak, like "I was only following orders."

[Chad Rogers]

So...he left his post?

Yeah, the seems to be the bottom line. But he saved somebody's life in the process.

Seems to me termination was an extreme response. He could have been suspended for a few days and the company could have fulfilled its employee discipline policy.

[ccw9mm]

1984

[Palumbo3284]

He didn't loose his job because he left his post. He lost his job because he saved someone's life that was on the other side of a boundary marker that technically was not in his or the company he worked for's "jurisdiction".

The company responded saying they have those rules for liability reasons...good thing the lifeguard threw those out the window and used basic human common sense.

[Chad Rogers]

1984

Not sure I understand the connection between a lifeguard being fired by the private company he worked for, for leaving his post by 5 football fields of distance, and Orwell's government monitoring every aspect of citizens lives book 1984.

[DMan]

He left his post to save a life and got fired, I wonder what would have happened if he looked at the bystander and said "Sorry, no can do, its outside of the patrolled area, and my assigned area". Can you smell the lawsuits on that one? He was damned either way, and I am glad he choose the moral and correct side, of the issue.

[Gene83]

Yeah, the seems to be the bottom line. But he saved somebody's life in the process.

Seems to me termination was an extreme response. He could have been suspended for a few days and the company could have fulfilled its employee discipline policy.

Supposedly, company supervisors are reviewing the matter and say that if he was terminated in haste they will make it right up to and including offering him his job back. The job only paid $8.25 an hour according to news reports. I'd say all the publicity will probably get him a better job offer than that.

[Chad Rogers]

He left his post to save a life and got fired, I wonder what would have happened if he looked at the bystander and said "Sorry, no can do, its outside of the patrolled area, and my assigned area". Can you smell the lawsuits on that one? He was damned either way, and I am glad he choose the moral and correct side, of the issue.

Sometimes that's the choice you get. Deal with the actual happening right now, or the theoretical that isn't actually happening.

I understand the company's legitimate concerns. But I think, in this situation, suspension for 3 days would have been a better overall response.

[ccw9mm]

1984

Not sure I understand the connection between a lifeguard being fired by the private company he worked for, for leaving his post by 5 football fields of distance, and Orwell's government monitoring every aspect of citizens lives book 1984.

Dystopia becoming real. Orwellian 1984 wasn't simply about control.

[paaiyan]

This sort of reminds me of the fire department that didn't put a guy's house fire out. No pay, no spray: Firefighters let home burn - US news - Life - msnbc.com Because they're out of the fire department's normal jurisdiction they were supposed to pay a $75 yearly fee. They forgot/didn't and the fire department watched their house burn down. They did, however, take care of the fire the sparked at the neighbors' house, as they had paid the fee.

Personally, I applaud the other lifeguards who have quit in protest. In this economy, it takes guts to quit any job, even to move to another one that may or may not work out. But to just up and quit in support of a friend and colleague, that shows major league class to me. If the company wanted to discipline the guy, I could understand a suspension, written reprimand, remedial training or something along those lines, but firing him was way over the line in my opinion. I work for an IT company. It's not ever my responsibility to save someone's life in the line of duty, however if I ever happened across a situation while out for work that presented a need for that, I'd step up in any way I could regardless of the consequences. It's just a matter of decency and compassion. I wouldn't want to work for any company who would fire someone over having a heart.