Comments on: Must see video: Man almost gets run over by tanker at Tennessee church fire.

By: Dep Chief/SD

Dep Chief/SD — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:35:35 +0000

It’s real easy to blame budget cuts, personnel shortages and even the citizen, but none of it is going to help you live with the pain of killing someone’s loved one. What if it was a child? Oh and by the way, that citizen was hearing and mentally impaired (according to news story on TV).

As unfair as it may seem, it is always the driver’s responsibility to watch out or your department will PAY OUT! Worse yet you live with the guilt. Get out of your apparatus, bring an abled bodied citizen over and teach them how to be a backer real quick. There are always people standing around to help if there are no fire or law enforcement personnel available. Trust me if you hit and injure or kill someone you will relive that moment over and over again and wish you had. Just remember use due diligence.

We are here to help, not hurt people. Deputy Chief/SD

By: Ralph

Ralph — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:37:15 +0000

No SPOTTER?!

Backing a “bit” fast.

Civilian walking around the scene.

Bad all the way around. Thank goodness he wasn`t injured. Take it as a learning experiance and move forward.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:47:15 +0000

You can’t always have a back up person. In my department, the tanker usually only has a driver and there is only a driver of an engine at the drop site. They might have been a little busy. But we do have a policy in which we are “supposed” to use a person and if not, walk around the apparatus, kick on all the lights, sound the horn and then back up.

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:32:34 +0000

Unfortunately, staffing probably had a lot to do with the scenario. Five departments and twenty-six firemen to fight a fire this size is a problem of it’s own, hence no back-up man, no water supply officer, etc.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:21:32 +0000

The driver had the big eye and so did the civilian. There was no need, the building was a total loss. Embarrassing!

By: will zooker

will zooker — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:12:22 +0000

William Zooker says,

Where was the back up person? Where I work and volly you do not move a rig in reverse without a spotter. You WILL be charged whether you get a paycheck or not! Wake up folks!

By: the Happy Medic

the Happy Medic — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:38:07 +0000

I saw a tender moving a bit quickly for an emergency scene and a clearly careless civilian. i remember the old days of shuttles and not having a backer when dropping into a tank system, but I did it slowly and carefully. I was taught that no one gets your water if you crash.
Other items on the video need their own posts entirely.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:35:21 +0000

I’m with Dave S. Why are we blaming the EO?

Idiot is not paying attention to anything around him and it’s the EO’s fault?

Where does personal responsibility come into play?

By: Leo

Leo — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:28:13 +0000

There should have been someone backing the driver. Where was the water supply officer during this? And also if fire crews could not watch the scene what about law enforcement? There is a lot in that few seconds of footage that I saw wrong with the scene. BUT you can only work with what you have at hand.

By: tom

tom — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:43:02 +0000

moto-tricycle your obviously not a big city firemen. civilians walk alll over the damn place, trip on hose sit on apparatus. dont blame the civilian they are clueless. the firemen are “suppppposed” to be smarter, i know that askin alot and clearly to much in this case.