janetupnorth
Gold Member
- 14,814
So, it's Sunday night, I'm in the middle of cooking dinner for my family and mother when...
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP
"X county dispatch to Y First Responders." You have a motorcycle vs. bear accident at 1234 Hwy K. 1 party injured. Bear is still alive.
Well, we do our job, tell dispatch to page the Fire Department too, ask for Sheriff's to be on scene to help and take care of the bear so we can do our job.
Anyway, fast-forward about 15 minutes...all on scene, patient just loaded in ambulance, I just head down the road to take traffic duty for another firefighter who had reflective gear on but not an orange traffic vest.
I take over holding traffic (we just held both ways to get the ambulance out). Ambulance passes, cars from other direction were released behind the ambulance - about 15 of them. I am about to release 15-20 cars from my end.
I look over and a gentleman about age 60 (found out later he was 66) is stomping along the should of the road towards me. He looks at me and yells, "Who is &%&($&()$ in charge of this scene." I was shocked that a guy of his appearance age would be that irate and disrespectful of someone in full turnout gear and vest so I turned and said, "What?!" He said, "Who is &%&($&()$ in charge of this scene" and took a step toward me. At this point I wasn't sure if I'd have to run in 30lbs of gear or use my stop sign to whack him over the head when he came at me so I reached down and grabbed my radio. He said, "&%&($& you" and stormed on toward the accident. I called on the radio and asked for a sheriff immediately at my end because I had an irate bystander using profanity headed toward the accident scene. (NOTE TO ALL YOU READING - IT IS NOT YOUR RIGHT TO GO PAST ANY UNIFORMED PERSONNEL - FIREFIGHTERS OR SHERIFFS WITHOUT PERMISSION OR DIRECTION - MY STOP SIGN MEANS THAT - STOP FOR YOUR SAFETY) Anyway, I digress...I also have a pet peeve of people not pulling over (BOTH SIDES if there isn't a concrete divided barrier in the rode) for a HUGE FIRE ENGINE with an air horn and plenty of lights coming your way!
They send the sheriff to me immediately, I had turned back to traffic when he stormed on since I couldn't safely hold traffic and confront a guy. The sheriff asks where he is and he is gone! I pointed the direction he last headed. The sheriff heads back to find him when another FF calls to report rustling in the trees - he thinks it may be mama bear because cub was hit in the accident. Sheriff goes in after it (he has the gun after all!!!!). Anyway, it is this distinguished gentleman who ducked in the woods to avoid the sheriff and he is in all his glory taking a leak. Sheriff asks him if he had words with a firefighter...he says, "well I guess so". Sheriff asks him if he used profanity, he said, "I supposed I did." Sheriff says, "Turn around you are under arrest."
I get a call 1 1/2 hours later saying he was charged with disorderly conduct and was quite "jacked up". (Drunk) Here to find out, he was out with 3 other people and got ticked off that his side wasn't released first! Uh, like you can see 1/2 mile down the road past big trucks that you ARRIVED before them?!?!
Anyway, he pled guilty on Monday, had to pay about $400 in fines and write a "sincere note of apology to Ms. XXXX (me)" to be sent to the DA's office.
I was thankful that after giving up my family time and dinner to help someone who NEEDED it. That the Sheriff's department stepped up and took care of someone being disrespectful to us for doing our job! (...and volunteering at that).
Now, I am curious to read this "sincere note of apology" because it would be funny for a court to demand an "insincere not of apology"...really, how do you regulate that?!
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP
"X county dispatch to Y First Responders." You have a motorcycle vs. bear accident at 1234 Hwy K. 1 party injured. Bear is still alive.
Well, we do our job, tell dispatch to page the Fire Department too, ask for Sheriff's to be on scene to help and take care of the bear so we can do our job.
Anyway, fast-forward about 15 minutes...all on scene, patient just loaded in ambulance, I just head down the road to take traffic duty for another firefighter who had reflective gear on but not an orange traffic vest.
I take over holding traffic (we just held both ways to get the ambulance out). Ambulance passes, cars from other direction were released behind the ambulance - about 15 of them. I am about to release 15-20 cars from my end.
I look over and a gentleman about age 60 (found out later he was 66) is stomping along the should of the road towards me. He looks at me and yells, "Who is &%&($&()$ in charge of this scene." I was shocked that a guy of his appearance age would be that irate and disrespectful of someone in full turnout gear and vest so I turned and said, "What?!" He said, "Who is &%&($&()$ in charge of this scene" and took a step toward me. At this point I wasn't sure if I'd have to run in 30lbs of gear or use my stop sign to whack him over the head when he came at me so I reached down and grabbed my radio. He said, "&%&($& you" and stormed on toward the accident. I called on the radio and asked for a sheriff immediately at my end because I had an irate bystander using profanity headed toward the accident scene. (NOTE TO ALL YOU READING - IT IS NOT YOUR RIGHT TO GO PAST ANY UNIFORMED PERSONNEL - FIREFIGHTERS OR SHERIFFS WITHOUT PERMISSION OR DIRECTION - MY STOP SIGN MEANS THAT - STOP FOR YOUR SAFETY) Anyway, I digress...I also have a pet peeve of people not pulling over (BOTH SIDES if there isn't a concrete divided barrier in the rode) for a HUGE FIRE ENGINE with an air horn and plenty of lights coming your way!
They send the sheriff to me immediately, I had turned back to traffic when he stormed on since I couldn't safely hold traffic and confront a guy. The sheriff asks where he is and he is gone! I pointed the direction he last headed. The sheriff heads back to find him when another FF calls to report rustling in the trees - he thinks it may be mama bear because cub was hit in the accident. Sheriff goes in after it (he has the gun after all!!!!). Anyway, it is this distinguished gentleman who ducked in the woods to avoid the sheriff and he is in all his glory taking a leak. Sheriff asks him if he had words with a firefighter...he says, "well I guess so". Sheriff asks him if he used profanity, he said, "I supposed I did." Sheriff says, "Turn around you are under arrest."
I get a call 1 1/2 hours later saying he was charged with disorderly conduct and was quite "jacked up". (Drunk) Here to find out, he was out with 3 other people and got ticked off that his side wasn't released first! Uh, like you can see 1/2 mile down the road past big trucks that you ARRIVED before them?!?!
Anyway, he pled guilty on Monday, had to pay about $400 in fines and write a "sincere note of apology to Ms. XXXX (me)" to be sent to the DA's office.
I was thankful that after giving up my family time and dinner to help someone who NEEDED it. That the Sheriff's department stepped up and took care of someone being disrespectful to us for doing our job! (...and volunteering at that).
Now, I am curious to read this "sincere note of apology" because it would be funny for a court to demand an "insincere not of apology"...really, how do you regulate that?!
That along with the picture of a motorcycle hitting a bear (in slow motion) can give a little chuckle...Add a porcupine or something and it would have been a fun evening.
ear Ms. S_____:I am writing this apology the day after my court appearance while the event is embarrassingly fully on my mind. I know how hard it is for volunteers to do their jobs with only a mild thank you once in awhile from the public. I know you firefighters provide a needed and valuable service for the public (of which I am one) and we couldn't do without your skills, time volunteered, and caring.