| | Lifeguard fired for rescuing man outside beach zone | |
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Supernova The Book Chamber
Join date : 2010-06-22 Posts : 11954 Rep : 182
| Subject: Lifeguard fired for rescuing man outside beach zone Thu Jul 05, 2012 12:10 pm | |
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| | | Shale ...is a Chamber Royal.
Join date : 2010-09-27 Location : Miami Beach Posts : 9699 Rep : 219
| | | | Nystyle709 ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
Join date : 2010-03-16 Location : New York Posts : 27030 Rep : 339
| Subject: Re: Lifeguard fired for rescuing man outside beach zone Thu Jul 05, 2012 2:18 pm | |
| This was in the paper today. That sucks....but he will get his job back. Or go to one making more money. | |
| | | Alan Smithee ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.
Join date : 2010-09-03 Location : 40º44’18.33”N 73º58’31.82”W Posts : 25792 Rep : 381
| Subject: Lifeguard who was fired for trying to rescue man is offered job back Fri Jul 06, 2012 4:17 am | |
| Can you imagine the uproar if he had just done as he was told and the swimmer drowned? - Quote :
- A Florida lifeguard who was fired for leaving his patrol zone to rescue a man drowning was offered his job back Thursday, NBCMiami.com reported.
But lifeguard Tomas Lopez told NBCMiami.com that he would not be accepting the offer.
The company that fired Lopez, Jeff Ellis Management, was hired by the city of Hallandale to provide lifeguards for the city's beach and pools, the Sun Sentinel reported. Lopez, who became a lifeguard four months ago, was fired when he violated company policy Monday, NBCMiami.com reported. Lopez went into waters outside the lifeguard zone the company is paid to patrol after a beachgoer told him someone was drowning.
A sign separating the zones warns everyone to swim at their own risk.
Company officials told the Sentinel that beachgoers in Lopez's zone were put in jeopardy when he left the area.
"I was on stand, and guests came up to me and told me there was someone drowning, that people were screaming and so I started running in the direction," Lopez told NBCMiami.
NBCMiami.com reported that a manager told Lopez to call 911 instead. Lopez said he couldn't just sit back and do nothing while the man was in trouble.
By the time he arrived, the man had been pulled out the water by other beachgoers, but he assisted in treating the victim.
After filing an incident report, Lopez was fired, the Sentinel reported.
"They didn't tell me in a bad way. It was more like they were sorry, but rules are rules," Lopez said. "I couldn't believe what was happening."
Several coworkers said they quit in protest.
"On radio I heard Tommy saying, 'I'm going for a rescue but it’s out of our zone,' said Kalok Geng, a coworker who quit.
Company president Jeff Ellis said that one employee was fired and three had resigned.
Ellis told the station previously that an investigation would be conducted.
"If he was well-intentioned and tried to do what he believed was the right thing, even if he deviated from policy, I'm not sure termination was the right thing to do," Ellis said in a statement.
City officials felt the situation called for Lopez to go and help the man in trouble.
"The city's position is if there's an actual emergency, the lifeguard should assist instead of waiting for a perceived emergency," Hallandale Beach spokesman Peter Dobens told NBCMiami.com. http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/05/12582497-lifeguard-who-was-fired-for-trying-to-rescue-man-is-offered-job-back?lite | |
| | | Shale ...is a Chamber Royal.
Join date : 2010-09-27 Location : Miami Beach Posts : 9699 Rep : 219
| Subject: Re: Lifeguard fired for rescuing man outside beach zone Fri Jul 06, 2012 8:25 am | |
| I saw this on the news yesterday. This guy is quite young and probably has other lifeguard jobs available to him so he doesn't have to work for such a company that does not make exceptions to its rules when a person's life is at stake.
"City officials felt the situation called for Lopez to go and help the man in trouble. 'The city's position is if there's an actual emergency, the lifeguard should assist instead of waiting for a perceived emergency,' Hallandale Beach spokesman Peter Dobens told NBCMiami.com."
Yep, ppl with a sense of justice have already been contacting city officials. Wonder when contract renewal time is coming up. This debacle will likely cost the company.
"Several coworkers said they quit in protest. ... Company president Jeff Ellis said that one employee was fired and three had resigned."
I did that once and it felt so good. My supervisor was fired for doing the right thing instead of following policy and as soon as they did that, I quit. (I was young and direct care jobs were plentiful)
"If he was well-intentioned and tried to do what he believed was the right thing, even if he deviated from policy, I'm not sure termination was the right thing to do," Ellis said in a statement."
Looks like company prez Jeff Ellis was crawfishing out of his hardnosed policy when he had no workers for his contract. I think his daughter was out working the stands after there were four lifeguard vacancies. IDK who will want to work for this company if there are other options.
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| | | Tony Marino …is a Global Moderator.
Join date : 2010-01-31 Location : New York Posts : 26786 Rep : 607
| Subject: Re: Lifeguard fired for rescuing man outside beach zone Fri Jul 06, 2012 11:15 am | |
| This is just plain stupid, call 911?????????????? | |
| | | Shale ...is a Chamber Royal.
Join date : 2010-09-27 Location : Miami Beach Posts : 9699 Rep : 219
| Subject: Re: Lifeguard fired for rescuing man outside beach zone Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:15 pm | |
| Just as predicted, this ain't going away for the lifeguard company.
The CBS News just ran a piece on Hallandale Beach residents reaction to this incident and they were not pleased with the potential danger of preventing lifeguards from saving a person in need.
The Mayor was shown saying she thot it was inappropriately handled and will not be tolerated. She is having the City Manager address the contract and the question is now whether it will be renewed when it expires later this year. Lifeguards were outsourced in 2003 to save money but ppl are talking about putting it under the Fire Dept. as many beach communities do. | |
| | | Shale ...is a Chamber Royal.
Join date : 2010-09-27 Location : Miami Beach Posts : 9699 Rep : 219
| Subject: Re: Lifeguard fired for rescuing man outside beach zone Mon Jul 09, 2012 7:24 pm | |
| Well that was fast!
The lifeguard that violated policy by saving a troubled swimmer in the surf outside his area just got a commendation at a ceremony in Hallandale City Hall. All the other lifeguards who quit in support were there as well and he deferred some of the adulation to them, saying he did just what any lifeguard would do.
It was announced that the outsourced lifeguard company was withdrawing from Hallandale Beach, so the city is now looking for a replacement for its lifeguard services. Hopefully, if the company is still providing services elsewhere they revamp their policy - even the US Lifesaving Association came out in support of the lifeguard's actions, saying it is how they teach lifesavers to respond.
When will ppl learn that being hardnosed and inflexible in enforcing an unreasonable policy does not help the bottom line of whatever business you're in. | |
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