WJBK-TV is following up on a picture posted last weekend on the Internet of a Detroit police officer sleeping on the job. The story above, posted Friday, has pictures of another cop and two EMS supervisors all giving the appearance of being asleep.
One of the EMS workers is behind the wheel of a parked vehicle. The same supervisor was snapped again inside an office at a desk. Nearby, another supervisor, also apparently asleep at her desk. That supervisor is the wife of EMS Chief Gerald James. Chief James acknowledges that is his wife in the picture and says the photos will be investigated.
Also on STATter911 …
- Facebook fine: Paramedic and lieutenant in Memphis suspended over posting of young patient’s picture. – August 3, 2011
- The police beat: Maryland cops shooting hostage taking bank robber is shown live on TV. Detroit’s chief releases video of shootout at police station. – January 28, 2011
- Fire SUV spends part of Thanksgiving blocking hydrant at the Squeeze Lounge. NJ’s North Hudson Regional F & R investigating citizen complaint. – November 30, 2011
- The latest from Detroit: Paramedic crew taken off the streets after slow response. Reporter Charlie LeDuff says delay happened before ambulance got the call. – December 24, 2010
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Is this really newsworthy? Someone seated at a desk with their eyes closed? Really?
Behind every picture is a story. Let’s not to quick to judge. We all have nodded off when on the job. Think about it guys and girls.
I am actually okay with the 15 minute cat nap. Tired people make mistakes, and ours is not a profession where we need additional errors.
The public safety sector is one that degrades normal sleep patterns. When I read the NIOSH write-ups the anecdotal evidence seems to point to more firefighters dying between the hours of 1-5 in the morning than any other time of day. If departments were more realistic and encouraged their staff to nap for 30 minutes between noon and 2 pm, I think we would see fewer accidents and deaths.
On the EMS side, do well rested medics make better decisions? I’d love to know the patient outcomes for similar types of patients at different times of the day. Are better rested medics better able to identify a change in a patient’s condition and initiate the necessary pre-hospital interventions faster than tired medics? Then why don’t we change the system?
I’d much have well rested police officer pull me as I was driving down a lonely road in Oklahoma than one who was tired. As a parent I can tell you that the shifts I worked after my children were up all night with colic, ear aches, fevers, flu, etc, were never my best shifts. I survived due to massive doses of caffeine delivered at regular intervals.
How many of us have come close to dozing off while driving home after a sleep deprived 24? How many wrecks do we know of where the driver of the box, squad, engine, tanker, probably fell asleep, was jarred awake, and overcompensated.
What amazes me about the fire service (and I include all of my EMS brethren), is the denial that sleep is an important part of preforming the job well, and yet every department I know has some rule about not being allowed to rack out in your bed until after a certain hour.
I actually want the chief or EMS supervisor over me to take a nap now and then. Tired people make more mistakes and they are more likely to snap over inconsequential points.
I believe that several large US school districts delayed the start of their day, and found that students slept more, and that test scores went up.
Leave sleeping dogs and chiefs alone.
The chief needs to explain to the reporter chick that whether they are sleeping or not is irrelevant. While it may not look professional, there is more to the story the reporter is missing. They are obviously assigned to an administrative position. Some of the folks shown in the video would not normally respond to EMS calls in the field. That is not their primary responsibility. We all have various fire and EMS certifications as a result of being in the business. That does not mean that we still utilize those skills every single day. The top fire chief at one time likely had firefighter certification. That does not mean he or she turns out in PPE and fights fires everyday.
Just a thought.
I think it’s a case of less here than meets the eye, at least in the case of EMS. Police officers are supposed to be alert and on patrol when not on an assignment. For EMS, it’s important to answer the radio (or respond to the page) and respond to the call promptly. You can do that while closing your eyes and resting without compromising public safety. After all, does anyone think that the fire fighters stay awake all night long?
The problem here is one of public perception. It’s one thing to take a cat nap out of public view. It’s another to appear to be sleeping in a public place.
Speaking of public places, a supervisors office is not an unlimited public place and I think there should be some expectation of privacy.
C’mon Dave….this is a BS story. So ya have a tired Emergency Services Worker, wow.
Is this journalism or are you TMZ. Embarassing.
This is again a case where the general public has NO idea what goes on in fire and ems or just how we function. 12 hour shifts are a bit different, but if they are 24, you have to sleep at work and noone seems to understand that.
Fox News can kiss my @$$! They are just trying to start trouble.
Some of us work 24 hour shift, and are expected to nap or sleep while on shift. Why is this even interesting?
“Catching zzz’s on taxpayer time” – if you want to be a jerk you can say every firefighter working a 24 hour shift and sleeping is “catching zzz’s on taxpayer time”. I for one am not being a jerk about it. We all do it, and sometimes you have to. We are not machines, we do need sleep.
Do they work 8, 12 or 24 hour shifts? Let’s not jump to conclusions here…. EMS is so totally different than any other job… and I agree, is this really newsworthy??? Some reporters are just out looking for trouble… Let them try our jobs for a couple weeks…
OMFG………This just shows the stupidty of the community. Do they really expect the Paramedic & EMT’s to be up for days at a time and then care for their loved ones in their time of need? I have been in EMS for 10yrs and we are the “black sheep” of Emergency Medical Services!!! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! I THINK THAT THE COMMUNITY SHOULD LEARN WHAT “AMBULANCE DRIVERS” DO & BE THANKFUL THAT THEY ARE RESTED WHEN THEY ARE SAVING YOUR LIFE OR YOUR ASS WHICHEVER ONE COMES FIRST!
I would love to see “ordinary” people that work a 9-5 job do what we do in 24hrs…..to have the ability to think on their feet in very high stress situations with little to no sleep sometimes over an extended period of days. We work 24hr shifts, I personally work 2 full time EMS jobs and work 5-24hr shifts a week. Would you really want me to come to your aid or the aid of a loved one on NO SLEEP???? Think about it!!!
i don’t see why this could be a problem. the job tires you out. So you take the time out and have a little nap. big deal. those people who don’t work in EMS have to understand the long hours take a toll on your body and sleeping pattern.
Is this newsworthy for the public? No, not by any means. Is it newsworthy for us? Yes. Dave’s fault? No, Dave is reporting on the report.
Think about it. Who reads Dave’s site? Firefighters and EMT’s. Why is it newsworthy for us? Because you guys offer a decent view and reasoning why this ISN’T newsworthy.
Like one of the comments said that it is down to public opinion. People don’t (and probably never will) understand what we do. We take naps on occasion to remain on our game at all hours of the day.
I don’t blame Dave at all. It is the original reporters fault for making issue with this and the Detroit PIO’s issue to deal with…something they should deal with immediately!
EMS is the downfall of the FD
Who took the pic in the office anyway….?? And who the hell gave it to the news media. I think, not an EMS worker? It reflects badly on the whole Det system that runs with units closed just about every night. I don’t think those on duty have the time to do this. If not an EMS worker then better consider the source.
Mr. GetReal has the first comment on this post and asks a very simple and important question: “Is this really newsworthy?”
My gut as a reporter is probably not and certainly not without some answers that give more context to these snapshots.
Before going any further some full disclosure: I, and more than few of my colleagues, have long understood the benefits of a few minute power nap on the way back from a news story or while on a stake out waiting for something newsworthy to happen. I have also thought how it might look if a viewer snapped a picture of me snoozing and put it on the Internet. BTW, it has become harder to do when you are a one man band and no longer are assigned a photographer to handle the driving.
Here are some of the questions that I would want answered about the Detroit pictures:
1. Are these people expected to respond to emergency calls?
2. How are they alerted to these calls? (If it requires their monitoring the radio to decide where their supervisory skills are needed, there is more news value.)
3. Have there been any accusations that calls have been missed?
4. Is this a chronic problem with these people and others that has impacted responses or response times?
5. Is there a separate standard allowing firefighters to sleep and not EMS, and if so, why?
6. What/who is the source of the pictures and the motive for taking them?
I give the EMS chief a high mark for going on camera and confirming that his wife is in one of the pictures. I think some answers to the above questions from the chief and/or reporter would go a long way in making everyone understand what this story is really about. Depending on the answers you may discovery it really isn’t newsworthy, or possibly there is a bigger story.
To the person who makes this argument- “I personally work 2 full time EMS jobs and work 5-24hr shifts a week. Would you really want me to come to your aid or the aid of a loved one on NO SLEEP???? Think about it!!!”
I am not sure you will get very far with the argument you have to sleep on one job because you were out working long hours at another on your days off. If you are really working five, 24-hour shifts a week, I strongly suggest you read Texas Gordo’s comments.
To the person who asked if I am turning the blog into TMZ and others who are critical of me for running the WJBK-TV story I understand your point of view. But my audience on the blog is not the general public. I see my role as giving you the good, bad and ugly of what is out there for you to make your own judgments.
Whether you like it or not, this story will prompt more citizens and other journalists to be on the lookout for more snoozing first responders. I figured you would rather be aware of the problem before seeing your own mug up on the screen as you search for holes in your eyelids.
As for the police officers, if their jobs are to instantly respond to help citizens and back up fellow officers based on calls dispatched via radio, this probably isn’t a good practice.
As I am writing this a comment came in from The Fire Critic agreeing with my decision to run the story. Well, now I am going to have to rethink my whole position and get back to all of you.
Thanks for having my back Rhett, but it is going to be awful boring for everyone if we agree on everything. Couldn’t you have at least thrown in a little zinger at me just to make it interesting?
Statter
PS- One more thing. How come my fellow blogger Medic Three gets to take and post pictures of people sleeping on his site and no one gives him any grief? Check it out – http://medicthree.com/2010/04/asher/ . I am outraged.
Why don’t we spend more time and efforts teaching the community about what qualifies as a REAL emergency so they can stop complaining about response times… any one ever think the sleeping beauties may have been on break or just a great picture at a great time… so ignorant and quick judging!
Dave, sorry if my first post was a little terse, I had just gotten off a busy night shift in the Fire/EMS biz…I was tired.
My first point was this: it’s a photo of someone with their eyes closed – maybe asleep, maybe not. I don’t think I would pass judgment based on that snapshot in time.
Secondly, in our line of work we mostly work either 24-hour shifts or rotating day and night shifts. Both of these are unnatural and play havoc with the body’s need for sleep. Providing EMS in an urban environment, like Detroit, is stressful and often quite physically taxing. We are humans, not robots. I don’t know about these particular supervisors but 90% of the time, if an EMS provider can get a short power nap, they’ve earned it.
EMS = Earn Money Sleeping!!
The general public has no idea that a firefighter or Paramedic works 24 hours shifts. And even better, they have no idea we eat or can even cook.
The fools working 2 full time jobs and a part time job really need to reevaluate their lives and spending habits. I was talking to a medic I had not seen in a long time. He works 5 jobs.
Right!!! The iaff is the biggest of all jokes. Hochiman you do not have to read any of this. Dave puts in alot of time and work on this. Why don’t you and your cousin the deputy stay off this board. Its not for your kiddie comments or stupidty!
Mr. GetReal,
To me your first post wasn’t terse at all. A very legitimate opinion that I even agree with when you add in the qualifications I listed in my last post.
Don’t worry, I enjoy it when people disagree and challenge me. While I don’t like what some call toxic comments (yours was not one or even close) I don’t even let them bother me. I just try to boil it down to what the real issues are and pay no attention to any personal attacks.
Thanks for participating. Your opinion is always appreciated.
Statter
Of course from my perspective, a sleeping supervisor is one who I know will leave me alone to do my job.
And no Dave, I don’t blame you for posting this story. In this case you’re just pointing us to a silly story from Fox News Detroit. Personally, I’m glad to see that Detroit is so well run that this is the worst story they can find. It’s not as if the Mayor resigned in disgrace after pleading guilty obstruction charges, is hiding assets to avoid paying restitution, conspired to fire two police officers for investigating his wrong doing, or that money for fire station renovations is being stolen. Oh, wait…
Who cares???? If they have completed all of theyre required admin work and they are not assigned to a run who cares?? Arent there more pressing issues in Detroit?
Detroit EMS is VERY VERY busy and understaffed. Who says this isn’t lunchtime or an approved break, or after shift and catching a nap before driving home??
Just note, this is a local Fox affiliate, not FOX news nationwide.
I think we should call firefighters FIREWORKERS.
The questions that need to be answered are; the department’s policy on sleeping at your desk and on the job;how/when to take breaks; what disciplinary actions are in place if the supervisors were inappropriate (and will they get disciplined) and if having your wife work under you is a conflict of interest; or if there is a policy regarding nepotism; and how many hours had the two supervisors been on the clock on that date?
ok…..so lets jump to conlusions shall we……not. For the one who stated EMS is the downfall of FF.grow up or get into another profession.when will you understand one cannot do their job properly and safely without the other. So a supervisor is taking a cat nap.who in EMS or FF who works 24 hour shifts do not sleep…….those of you who are taking the pics of supervisors sleeping in their office…..which is in a secured building…….grow up and please realize we are all in this togeather.be it front line or in a supervisory role. For me i work the front lines…..to the reporter………..get a life………….”B”………ya ambulance chaser ya.