Picture from Town of Richmond website.
Click here to follow STATter911.com on Facebook (hit “like”)
In Richmond, Maine a firefighter is claiming harassment after he arrived at the station for a call to find his boots filled with water. According to Keith Edwards with the Kennebec Journal, Town Manager Marian Anderson sent a letter to every member of the Richmond Fire Department with notification that a formal investigation is underway that will result in disciplinary action and possible criminal charges:
The town “is committed to providing a work environment that ensures that every employee is treated with dignity and respect,” she wrote. “Workplace harassment is a serious matter that the town of Richmond does not tolerate.”
Anderson said Wednesday that she could not discuss details because it is a personnel matter. She acknowledged, however, that the town has retained an investigator, whom she declined to identify.
The incident occurred on August 3, a day when the Richmond FD handled six calls due to a storm.
From the Richmond Fire Department website:
The Richmond Fire Department is made up of 25 call firefighters. We provide 24-hour protection every day. Since no two emergency calls are the same, we are prepared to handle a variety of emergency response situations.
Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.
Also on STATter911 …
- UPDATED: Berlin, MD cuts all funds to volunteer fire company. Cites hostile work conditions including homosexual slurs against career medics. VFC says it’s a control issue. – August 21, 2012
- You always remember your first. Brand new fire department is criticized for response to very first blaze. – February 10, 2012
- Berlin Fire Department tells its story. Posts details of claim defunding by town is control issue & not sexual harassment. – August 23, 2012
- DC firefighter disputes Chief Kenneth Ellerbe’s claim that training academy harassment did not involve ‘physical sexual misconduct’. Tells about touching & comments. – May 8, 2013
Comments
Powered by Facebook Comments
feeeeeeelings… everyone has feeeeeeeeelings….
You guys are dorks! It’s a joke! What do you think happend at a fire? You get wet!!!
Wonder how the public views the more “mild” firefighter pranks, like water in boots? Does it register with them? Do they shake their heads and groan “all they do is sit around and…” etc.?
Seems like a greater danger is the language used, to describe such situation. The words “prank” or “practical joke” versus, say, the words “equipment sabotage.” Let the S-word get thrown around, and eyebrows probably start raising.
Now im all for a little practical joking, but Where I’m from PPE is off limits!!! You don’t mess with what protects, and may be the difference between life, death, or serious injury to a person. He’s preparing to go on a call, and has boots full of water!! That’s just dumb!!!
thats the life of the brotherhood,always has been,always will be
Im right there with you on that, dude just needs to grow up and find a new career!
I dont believe with anybody ever messin with somebody’s s%^t. It’s just something you just don’t do. Kids, wife, and momma neither. However, everything else is fair game.
As far as respect and dignity, I ever never got that from being a rookie to making Captain, HA HA HA
Pranks can be good for team building, as long as it isn’t taken too far to make it unsafe or only directed at one person where they feel harassed.
Water in the boots – I heard a story about this happening, firefighter stepped into water filled boots, splashed up, clothes under gear got wet and got steam burned at a structure fire. Not sure if this was a firehouse myth but sounds possible? If that is the case then yeah, I would say it’s unsafe.
Look, everyone needs to be able to take a good rubbing every now and then, but one thing that is (or should be) never tolerated is screwing with someone’s gear.
Pies to the face, water dumped on you, is all good and fine. Maliciously tampering with personal protective equipment should get you suspended or fired. Water added to boots? What happens when the boots now heat up in a fire and the firefighter sustains steam burns to his feet and lower legs?
Personal Protective gear is off limits, always.
Same here, TOG is off limits. As it should be.
Beyond that, yes, it’s a prank. Formal investigation? Really? Tell everyone to knock it off and move on.
I agree PPE is sacred and you can get hurt if its not right… bit a formal investigation that’s taking it to far.
i agree pranks are ok but dont mess with someones turnout gear…becouse if something happens in a fire were they get hurt or even worse killed then who ever played the prank is going to deserve what they get….pranks are ok but not with turn out gear……..
stupid? yes, unsafe? yes….lack of leadership? MOST DEFINITELY!!! you just don’t “sabotage, play with or prank” somebody’s protective gear……I’d personally be kicking somebody’s …well I’d handle it myself…..cause what would be next? plugging somebody’s SCBA so they can’t breathe???
28 years in the fire service. Bottom to top.
Had them played on me.
I played them.
I had to discuss them.
They never, ever left the department, period.
Your call.
Maybe IM missing something here -steam burns ?????? because your boots are wet ? I guess I am the only one whos feet sweat. Dump the water out and go on – No wonder will will soon all be speaking in Chinese.
That’s what i’m saying. Apparently these guys don’t sweat in their gear.
Times are changing and people are just too sensitive these days. I’ve been in the fire service since 1979 and if I told how many and what kind of pranks I went through as a rookie, including water, floor wax, and a number of other items in the boots, half the people reading this would have a seizure. I look back upon it with fondness and part of the process of bonding and becoming part of the Brotherhood. Like I said though, times are different.
The firefighter who this happened to, if he thinks this is harassment and needed to file a complaint, he is not a team player. Get the violin out. Learn to dish it out and take it to! That is the most minor prank I’ve heard of. Wet boots? Everyone needs to get over it and move on. It won’t be last and now that this happened, I pity this guy – Let the all out assault begin! Big Baby.
Theres no room for such nonsense in todays fire service(Right). What if there was a fire and the equipment was needed? Blahh Blahhh Blahhh. You dont hire an outside person to investigate water in the boots. Theres gonna be more here that you see or hear about, that being said if theres not more to the story then a dose of man the hell up is in order. People have been freezing uniform shirts, watering boots and various other items for along time. As long as your not caused physical or mental harm (had to) then roll on. The men and women in Fire Departments deal with death, serious injuries and other mental stressing events. If water in the boots breaks you down, you’ve got problems that cant be fixed. I mean tacks in the boots are bad and painful (thank you “B” shift, i will always remember to put my gear away after shift change)but H20 is kinda mundane and so old school.
It seems that times they are a changing and interior firefighters and thick skined people are becoming frowned upon.
15 Years ago – Water in boots = Dont leave boots out when shift is complete, message recieved.
2012 – Water in boots = Call press conference, evaluate water for possible weapons of mass destruction, investigate water in boots, determine in civil rights have been violated, call mayor and launch internal probe. Dicsuss with members at mandatory sensativity training the reasons to not put water in boots, after all we are all people and it hurts and lastly create a program that can be put on at IAFC to discuss with other leaders the importance of not putting water in boots.
Yup, we handle things so much simpler now adays
I guess flour in his sheets is out of the question
flour in the sheets — good lord -inhlation hazard – have you seen the msds sheet on that stuff? I heard one time bout that happening – floured his sheets – got a call -LIFE and DEATH – structure fire -he jumped in his gear and broke a sweat , crawled down a ripping hot hallway – steam turned him into a human dumpling. We all had to seek counsling.
I was taught over 30 years ago, don’t play around with someone else’s PPE.
Plain and simple.
I would comply and move to stage 2 – dry contents of Kool Aid packets. Those my friends will change socks and feet to your flavor/color of choice for months. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
As my favorite Captain (now retired) once said, “What this department needs is some DESENSITIVITY training!”
Yep.
I probably could get whoever the new “investigator” is as well. While they are inside questioning, perhaps some peanut butter under the car door handles.
It could turn into a real Richmond, ME who done it……..
Had a real creative guy on the crew way back when, like before facebook and crying about wet boots on the internet.
Anyway, guy took a bottle of aspirin, some colored markers and a large bag of skittles candy. He colored the aspirin with said markers tossed them in with the skittles.
GOOD TIMES!!
So the lessons learned from a couple days of reader comments here are, I guess…
1. Messing with PPE isn’t cool (or worse).
2. Water in boots is no big deal (though directly contradicts #1).
3. Complaining up the chain about #2 is a bigger issue, and a symptom of someone maybe not part of the team (which #2 was actually intended to promote).
4. Bringing the matter to the attention of people outside the department is an even bigger deal, particularly because “unwanted physical play” is regarded as a form of harassment through the eyes of, say, Human Resources officers.
mjl
Shouldn’t you check your equipment when you come on shift? And store it when going off? Then you don’t have to worry about something being wrong when a call comes
Don’t screw with PPE. Period.
Was this mischief or malice? We certainly had our fun with each other over the years, but you don’t hurt anyone and you don’t screw with their turnout gear. Simple.
We Should Have Never Even Heard or Read About This Incident…Should Have Been Taken Care of In House! Cry Babies Should Not Consider Being a Part of The Fire or Military Service! Man Up or Walk Away as They Say
Never mess with ppe’s