What would you do when EMTs Won't Help Distressed Woman.mp4

Do things right, or do the right thing?

Medics literally "phone it in" when a pregnant woman experiences a medical emergency while they are on their break.  Sure, they have a right to take their break, but was phoning it in the right thing to do? What would you have done? This investigative piece reports on the incident, then sets up a similar situation and records what people will do when EMTs refuse to help.



Do things right, or do the right thing?

One of my favorite speakers at our Fire Academy Graduations was Fire Chief Mark Martin, Santa Ana Fire Dept (Ret.) Not only was he an eloquent speaker, but he told the best stories. My favorite is about compassion. Compassion is not on the curriculum in any of our Fire Service training manuals. It isn't even listed in the "Desireable" section of the job flyer. But Chief Martin told the following stories about compassion (my apologies to Chief Martin and anyone else who wants to tell me I messed up the stories. This is how I heard it. This is how I tell it.)

As a young medic, he told us about a call he received early one morning, at the end of a very busy shift. It was a man in his 50's that had suffered a stroke, while sitting on the toilet. Not an unusual event. Except this was a very large man, almost 400 lbs. He had fallen from the commode and become wedged between the vanity and the toilet. And yes, there was feces. Quite a bit. After removing the victim and ensuring his medical condition was stable (he was alert, frightened and unable to communicate) They then took the time to clean him up and change his clothes before transporting him. Not in the job description, but the made one of the worst days of this man's life just a bit more tolerable.

He told another story of a local fire crew that responded, again, early in the morning,at the end of a shift, and found a mother of 4 children, all under the age of 4, who had been dead at least 3 days. The children were with the body and unsupervised during that time. The PD informed them that social services would come for the children, but they wouldn't start work for another hour or so. The police officer offered to take the kids to the police station to wait for social services. The Firefighters, realizing the trip to the police station, would not be in the best interest of the kids, chose to stay with the kids and wait for Social Services to show up. They made them breakfast and watched cartoons. Not in the job description, but they made one of the worst days of those children's lives, just a little bit more tolerable.

The last story was about an engine crew that worked for him. They were on their way back to the station early one summer evening and they were stopped at a light. An elderly woman, crossing the street pulling one of those little wire shopping carts, tripped and fell, right in the middle of the crosswalk, and her groceries went everywhere. The firefighters got off the rig and checked her out and picked up her groceries. She was uninjured. They loaded her, and her groceries onto the engine, and gave her a ride home. Chief Martin called the Captain into his office the following day.

"I know what you did last night," he opened with. Then he went on to list the SOPs that were broken and the legal liabilities the Captain had exposed the department to. And then he told him that if it ever happens again, he would hope the Captain would do exactly the same thing. Because sometimes it is more important to the the right thing, rather than to do things right.

Recently, one of the first firefighters I met when I joined the fire service, passed away. I realized how lucky I was to get to know him first. He was one of those guys, that if your wife or your daughter or your mother, were having the worst day of their life, and found themselves in a predicament, naked, and vulnerable, you would hope that Don - or Mark, or someone just like them would show up. Not only would they treat them with kindness and compassion, they would probably give them their jacket. The idea of finishing their coffee break or taking a photo of the victim and posting it for others to see would never have occurred to them.

I like that. We should hire more like them.


What are your Ethics? Try this quiz (without cheating) and find out. (If you don't like the results you can always take it again and change the answers) http://www.newint.org/features/1997/04/05/quizque/

Teaching a lesson? Here is a full lesson plan Ethics in the Fire Service complete with media, handouts, activities and more! From CTE Online.

Do you have underlying beliefs about people from other cultures or religions? Physical disabilities or age? Find out with these tests from Harvard.

How do you deal with problems? Are you a "decider"? Find out more about yourself with these Personality quizzes from PersonalityLab.org

What do you really think about people with mental health issues? What are your unconscious or uncontrolled reactions when you think about anxiety, depression, alcohol, eating disorders, or persons with mental illness? Try these quizzes from Harvard and find out!

What about your religious beliefs? Check it out at Beliefnet.com

Mark Bezos: A life lesson from a volunteer firefighter

Hiring practices, management of Coatesville Fire Department criticized | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/28/2009

Hiring practices, management of Coatesville Fire Department criticized | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/28/2009 By Kathleen Brady Shea Inquirer Staff Writer

On Jan. 17, 2001, police responded to a domestic dispute involving a man in camouflage gear waving a semiautomatic pistol. As two officers approached the Caln Township residence, a shot was fired "in such a manner as to place individuals in danger," court records said.

Less than four years later, the person who shot the gun, Kevin Johnson, was hired as an assistant fire chief in Coatesville.

His hiring is an example of Coatesville's weakness in screening firefighting personnel, said Richard G. Poulson, the attorney for the city's 13 paid part-time firefighters and four full-time firefighters.

The latest instance, he said, involved Robert F. Tracey Jr. Tracey - recently recommended for a job by Johnson, now the chief - was charged Monday with setting two of the 70 fires that have left dozens of residents homeless and caused millions of dollars in damage over the last 13 months in the Coatesville area.
Poulson also accused Johnson of severely underreporting the number of fire calls in the city.

Johnson denied that, saying his list excluded fires that did not involve a structure or were put out quickly. He also said he would not discuss his decision to hire Tracey.

He wasnt reporting outdoor fires, vehicle fires or any fire that was extinguished "quickly". How quick is "quickly"? What is wrong with this picture?

Kristin Geiger, a city spokeswoman, said all candidates for police and fire positions are subject to a psychological evaluation, drug and alcohol testing, and a check of criminal-history and driving records.

She said that "blemishes" on candidates' records do not make them unemployable. "It depends on the type of conviction and the position they're applying for," Geiger said.

Tracey was hired on Feb. 9. Court records show he had a March 2007 conviction for passing bad checks, citations for driving an unregistered vehicle and disregarding a traffic-control device, and two citations for operating a vehicle without a valid inspection.

What do you think? Should the "blemishes" on Tracey's record have been enough to disqualify him from the job of firefighter?

Tracey is the seventh arson suspect in custody; investigators said they have linked 24 fires to the seven...

Until mid-February, Coatesville had reported 15 arson fires in 2008. In response to repeated requests from The Inquirer for 2008 data, the city changed that number to 26. Geiger attributed the error to different reporting mechanisms for county, city and state agencies.

Poulson said the National Fire Incident Reporting System standards should be the guide.

When Johnson became chief in 2006, he assumed control of incident reporting, Poulson said. The union continued to keep its own records, Poulson said, and did not learn of discrepancies until early in 2008, when the union applied for a federal grant.
Poulson said the city typically has about 700 fire calls a year. Johnson reported 295 in 2007, while union records show 733. When the union discovered the difference, it complained to city officials, but nothing was done, Poulson said.

What problem's do you see with Johnson's underreporting? Why was the Union keeping it's own records? Poulson said the National Fire Incident Reporting System standards should be the guide. Do you agree or disagree?

"Fire-suppression services are in complete disarray," Poulson said of Coatesville, adding, "It's like the perfect storm for an arsonist."

What makes this the "perfect storm" for an arsonist?

Click the link above to read the complete article.
We will be discussing the article and the questions in class next week!

The difference between winning and success: Coaching for people, not points

About this talk: With profound simplicity, Coach John Wooden redefines success and urges us all to pursue the best in ourselves. In this inspiring talk he shares the advice he gave his players at UCLA, quotes poetry and remembers his father's wisdom.

Why you should listen to him:

Born in 1910, Coach John Wooden is the first person to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame both as a player and coach, while ESPN ranks him as the greatest coach of all time, across all sports. In his 40 years at UCLA, he has mentored legends such as Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His career has been illustrious to say the least, and he has created a model, the Pyramid of Success, and authored several books to impart his insight on achievement to others.

Coach wanted his players to be victors in life and not just on the court, so he treated them as an extended family and emphasized that winning was more than scoring. Indeed, most of his inspiring theories were born from conversations with his father, as a boy on their farm in Indiana. One that sums up his ideology quite well is his often quoted definition of success: "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

"Coach Wooden is a humble, private man who has selflessly given up his life to make other people’s lives better ... John Wooden gave us the necessary tools to overcome the adversity and obstacles that he knew from the beginning would always be in our way. He taught us to find a source of motivation to inspire us to ever higher levels of preparation and work."

Bill Walton

Facebook rant burns firefighter | The Sun |News

Facebook rant burns firefighter | The Sun |News
A FIREMAN has landed in hot water after a foul-mouthed attack on people he had helped rescue appeared on his Facebook profile.

Moaning Mike Sabz allegedly wrote: "I am grumpy, tired, and so would you be if you had to put up with the sub human scum that I have had to endure this morning.

"I mean how f------ hard is it to keep your car on the road and not set fire to your house??????? Selfish b-------! Do they not know I need my sleep!"

A woman spotted the comments and complained to Sabz's senior officers at the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

Disciplined

Assistant Commander Iwan Cray carried out an investigation and Sabz, 34, was disciplined.

Ceredigion area Commander Stephen Evans wrote to the complainant saying: "I have had a look at the entry and I don't like what I see."

Sabz, who is based at Cardigan, Dyfed, is said to have claimed that someone hacked into his Facebook site and posted the comments in his name.

A fire service spokesman said yesterday: "A complaint was received in relation to a fireman, which led to an internal investigation, and as a result the individual concerned was disciplined.

"We have dealt with this matter in accordance with our Service Polices and Complaints Handling Procedures and the matter is now closed."

They refused to say what action had been taken against Sabz, who has kept his job and was not on duty today.

Last month Essex office worker Kimberley Swann, 16, was fired after moaning on her Facebook page about her job being boring.

A growing number of employers have banned Facebook from the workplace because staff spend so much time on it.

Cops: Firefighters started blazes to get work - Crime & courts- msnbc.com

Cops: Firefighters started blazes to get work - Crime & courts- msnbc.com

PHOENIX - Four firefighters have been arrested on suspicion of igniting between 15 and 20 fires in western Arizona so they could get paid for fighting them, officials said Tuesday.

Authorities also charged two men suspected of setting fires to get money from the firefighters, and were seeking arrest warrants for two former firefighters who have moved out of state.

The firefighters worked at the fire district in Ehrenberg, a town of about 1,200 people and about 140 miles west of Phoenix on the Arizona-California line. They got $10 an hour per fire.

click the link above for the rest of the story.

L.A. fire inspector suspected of taking a bribe - Los Angeles Times

L.A. fire inspector suspected of taking a bribe - Los Angeles Times

Dennis Archie, 58 of Thousand Oaks allegedly demanded and received a $500 bribe from a board and care facility. The alleged payment was monitored by LAPD detectives in a sting operation.
By Richard Winton
7:34 PM PST, January 12, 2009
A Los Angeles Fire Department inspector was arrested Monday for allegedly accepting a bribe during a sting operation, Los Angeles Police Department officials said.

Dennis Archie, 58, of Thousands Oaks was booked on suspicion of commercial bribery by detectives, said LAPD Officer Karen Smith.

Police allege that Archie demanded and took a $500 bribe from a board and care facility operator to sign off on a compliance check to allow changes to be made to the facility.

The alleged transaction was being monitored by LAPD detectives as part of a sting orchestrated after authorities learned the veteran fire official was allegedly requesting payments for inspection approvals, officials said.

Ron Myers, a Fire Department spokesman, said the department was aware of the arrest and would be assisting in the investigation. "When the facts become available we will relay them to the public," Myers said. "The fire chief considers this a very serious matter."

Archie's arrest is one of the first to stem from the work of the Fire Department's Professional Standards Bureau, the department's newly formed internal affairs unit. The unit contacted police to initiate the sting after learning that Archie had allegedly demanded a bribe from the facility's owner.

Smith said Archie was arrested and taken to the LAPD's West Valley station, where he was being held in lieu of $20,000 bond. A respected and decorated Fire Department veteran, Archie was promoted from paramedic to fire inspector in 2006.

richard.winton@latimes.com

The Associated Press: Astronaut who lost tool bag admits making mistake

The Associated Press: Astronaut who lost tool bag admits making mistake

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The astronaut who lost her tool bag on a spacewalk admitted Wednesday that she made a mistake by not checking to see if the sack was tied down, and said she's still smarting over the whole thing.

Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper said in an interview with The Associated Press that it was "very disheartening" to lose her bag full of tools. She was trying to clean up grease that had oozed out of a grease gun in the backpack-size bag, when the tote and everything in it floated away Tuesday.

The bag was one of the largest items ever lost by a spacewalking astronaut.

For a split second, she thought she might be able to grab it and she tried to judge how far away it was. Just as quickly, "I thought, no, that would probably just make things worse and the best thing to do would be to just let it go."

"There's still the psychological thing of knowing that we made a mistake and having to live through that," she said. "During the spacewalk ... it was easy to put it aside because I knew that we still had five hours of spacewalk work to do and the work needed to get done and you can't dwell on a mistake. It was hardest coming back in and having to face everybody else."

Click the title above to read the rest of the story.

Chewing gum for your brain...

To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world!

China earthquake: Teacher admits leaving pupils behind as he fled Chinese earthquake - Telegraph

China earthquake: Teacher admits leaving pupils behind as he fled Chinese earthquake - Telegraph
In an act of moral foolhardiness, Fan Meizhong set out on a blog his guiding principle: in matters of life and death, it's every man for himself.

When the quake struck, rather than overseeing an orderly evacuation, he said he just shouted "Stay calm, it's an earthquake!" and ran for it without looking back to see if his pupils were following.

"I ran towards the stairs so fast that I stumbled and fell as I went. When I reached the centre of the football pitch, I found I was the first to escape. None of my pupils was with me," wrote the man now known across China as 'Runner Fan'.

When his pupils began to arrive, they asked: "Teacher, why didn't you bring us out?"

His explanation was simple. "I have a very strong sense of self-preservation," he said. "I have never been a brave man and I'm only really concerned about myself."

While newspapers have largely followed instructions to concentrate on uplifting tales of rescue work since the earthquake, the internet has seen a wild variety of tales emerge.

It was internet sites that first reported the quake, and where some of the first pictures of collapsed schools were posted. Internet users have debated how to apportion blame for shoddy building work, as well as rallying praise for emergency services and politicians seen to have done a good job.

Other local officials have been vilified by name for a variety of offences, some relatively trivial, such as smiling too much during visits by their superiors.

Some plotlines have been wild, such as those which have discussed whether fortune-tellers could have foretold disaster, but few have hit upon such a sensitive topic as Mr Fan.

He was not the first to raise the issue. Many news reports have focused on stories of teachers putting children first, almost certainly representing the vast majority, such as that of another teacher, Tan Qianqiu, whose body was found shielding four of his pupils, all of them alive.

But some schools were uneasy that their teachers had a higher survival rate than pupils.

One such was Juyuan School, where hundreds of pupils died - parents say 500 to 700 though the official number is 278 out of 900 - but only six out of 80 teachers. Parents pointed out that teachers stood nearest the doors.

But Mr Fan went further, attempting to justify his abandonment of his pupils, who all survived the quake.

"I didn't cause the earthquake, so I have no reason to feel guilty," he said in an interview. "When I got back to the classroom, the students were all fine."

He also risked angering those closer to him, saying he would not have tried to save his own mother if she had been present, though he might have made an exception to his general rule for his one-year-old daughter.

He pointed out that education law does not demand that a teacher save his pupils during an earthquake.

"If every teacher was like Mr Tan, then we'd have no more heroes," he said. "I admire heroes like Mr. Tan, but I can't do that myself. I love my life more."

Now the head of the private school where Mr Fan worked is under pressure to fire the teacher, and publicly questioned Mr Fan's wisdom in being so frank. Running might be a normal reaction, he said, but talking about it afterwards was something else entirely.

One commentator in a state newspaper, the Shanghai Daily, described Mr Fan as a "courageous coward" for admitting what happened - but added that his courage was not sufficient to exonerate his cowardice.

Mr Fan may as he said have been trying to prick the hypocrisy of "insincere tears", the commentator said.

"Yes, there are insincere tears but you, Fan Meizhong, should have challenged hypocrisy with sincere tears," he wrote.

5th Fire Inspector fired for running personal errands, filing false reports.

News: Man charged with impersonating firefighter at Katrina, 9/11 disasters

News: Man charged with impersonating firefighter at Katrina, 9/11 disasters | campbell, firefighter, paramedic, people, police - OCRegister.com: "a credit card that wasn't mine to try to impress a girl that was out of my league,' Campbell said."

SANTA ANA - A Huntington Beach man was arraigned this morning on charges that he impersonated a firefighter at the scene of disasters such as the World Trade Center collapse and hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Jim Campbell, 45, pleaded not guilty in Central Justice Center to one misdemeanor count of impersonating a firefighter and to two felony counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Officials say that Campbell posed as a paramedic captain and helicopter pilot to gain access to disaster scenes.

Campbell said he didn't obstruct official efforts at the disaster scenes.

"I was crawling under collapsed buildings, pulling people out from under collapsed structures," Campbell said.

Campbell was arrested Sept. 7, 2007, after a search of his home that capped a two-month investigation.

"This is a guy who lived out his life as a firefighter; he was completely obsessed with the idea," Deputy District Attorney Andre Manssourian said at the time. "He had turned his home literally into a shrine to the fantasy of him as a fireman, including fake letters of commendation he had made."

Campbell's lawyer pointed to a shooting by a retired Anaheim police officer Monday for a comparison.

"Here's a man that's been retired from the Anaheim police force for 31 years who identifies himself as a police officer and shoots someone and it's OK because he's a member of the club," Scott Well said. "But my client is out saving lives and rescuing people and he's being prosecuted."

Campbell owns a company called Frontline Safety Products, which sells firefighting equipment and offers CPR courses. The news of his arrest "has all but destroyed his business," Well said.

"He led people to believe in his sales pitches by fraudulently representing himself as a firefighter," Manssourian said at the time of Campbell's arrest. Manssourian left the arraignment Wednesday without commenting.

Campbell didn't lie when he called himself a firefighter, Wells said, pointing to his training in various aspects of firefighting and his volunteer work.

"He can say, 'I'm a firefighter,'" Well said. "That doesn't mean he works for the Orange County Fire Authority or LAFD. There's a tradition of volunteer firefighters that's being lost."

Campbell used to be a paramedic in Arizona, but lost his license after a 1987 conviction for stealing a credit card.

He moved to California in 1995 to work as a paramedic again, but was fired in 1997 for not disclosing his felony arrest record, officials said.

"We're all put on earth to do one thing and this is what I was put here to do," Campbell said.

Campbell said he's always wanted to be a firefighter. He started out in that direction with a job as a lifeguard when he was 14, he said, but the felony conviction kept him from going further.

"I spent money on a credit card that wasn't mine to try to impress a girl that was out of my league," Campbell said.

Buzzer beater from Autistic student drives crowd wild

A basketball story.

The Last Lecture

An academic tradition at Carnegie Melon asks faculty to consider what they would tell their students if they learned they were dying and could only deliver one more lecture. This is Randy Pausch's Last Lecture on achieving your dreams. 11:52 (an excellent investment of your time IMHO) Thanks Therese!

Mandatory Drug Testing Considered for Boston Firefighters

Mandatory Drug Testing Considered for Boston Firefighters - Firehouse.com News
Wow!! What do you think about this???

All Boston firefighters should undergo random drug and alcohol testing and be pushed to get and remain in shape, according to recommendations by a panel formed after two firefighters died in a restaurant blaze, according to a draft copy of the report obtained by the Herald.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino is expected to discuss the 22-page report during a briefing at 10:30 a.m. today at City Hall.

Autopsy reports revealed West Roxbury firefighter Warren Payne had traces of cocaine in his system and Paul Cahill had alcohol in his system, according to officials briefed on the results of the autopsies. Cahill and Payne died battling a fire Aug. 29 at the Tai Ho Chinese restaurant in West Roxbury.

The mandatory drug testing recommendation would have to be negotiated with the city's firefighter's union, which in the past has blocked such testing.

The panel, convened after the autopsy results were made public, wrote that fire department cooperation is crucial.

"We can design the most effective drug and alcohol testing policy imaginable, but it will be worthless if it is not actively supported by the department," they wrote.

Perhaps the most unique recommendation is that a committeee, including union, city and fire officials would be tasked with implementing the seven recommendations.

Firefighters Local 718 president Ed Kelly was unavailable for comment this morning.

The following are the seven recommendations contained in a draft report provided to the Herald:

1. Establishment of a "strategic planning committee" made up of fire department, city and union leadership to implement recommendations

2. Reorganize and augment the fire commissioner's civilian staff so the commissioner has three deputy commissioners focused on administration and finance; planning and organizational development; and labor and management

3. Institution of "accepted management and oversight practices" by the commissioner and fire chief

4. The department should establish a "credentialed professional development academy" program with specific curricula developed for company and chief-level officers

5. The deapartment should offer classes to help department members prepare for promotional exams as a way of nurturing new leaders and promoting a "diverse departmental leadership."

6. Immediate steps should be taken to improve the health, fitness and wellness of Boston firefighters by establishing a "comprehensive health, fitness and wellness program."

7. Random drug and alcohol testing for all Boston Fire personnel in "safety-sensitive positions" from the commissioner to entry-level firefighters.

The panel reviewed the department's policies and procedures dealing with supervision, accountability and "substance abuse and impairment," among other things, according to the report.

Panelists were James M. Channon, president and CEO of the National Fire Protection Association, Dr. Sheila Chapman, Boston Medical Center addiction and medicine professor, and Craig P. Coy, president and CEO of Homeland Security Group.

900-pound man removed from home

900-pound man removed from home - U.S. News - MSNBC.com
One of those calls where a little compassion-and creative rescue skills- comes in handy! (But did they have to cover his face?)

LANSING, Mich. - Firefighters cut a hole in the side of a house and used a forklift to extricate a 900-pound man from his second-floor bedroom after a visiting nurse became worried about his health.

Rescue workers were called in Tuesday by the nurse, who determined the 33-year-old man needed medical help, Fire Chief Tom Cochran said.

Cochran said the man had not left his home since 2003.

The man’s brother, who lives with him, said he suffers from Prader-Willi Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that creates a chronic feeling of hunger that can lead to overeating and life-threatening obesity.

Rescue workers brought in a forklift, high enough to raise a platform to a hole cut into the wall of the house. They covered the man with a blue tarp to shield him from onlookers and slid the platform onto a flatbed truck for a trip to Sparrow Hospital.

Prostitution Ring Eyed at Fire Houses

WTF????

Former Atlanta fire chief Dennis Rubin is dealing with new trouble at his new job in Washington D.C. where fire officials are investigating whether department employees have been running a prostitution ring out of several of the city's firehouses.

Sources close to the investigation told the Washington Times that as many as a dozen employees stationed with at least four fire companies citywide are being investigated for involvement in the prostitution ring.

The sources reportedly said the ring has been referred to as "D.C. Fems" -- a play on the acronym for the city's Fire and Emergency Medical Services department.

Investigators are looking into whether female emergency medical technicians performed sex acts for money on men, including male fire department employees, in the bunkhouses of fire stations since late last year, sources said.

The investigation is also looking at whether a male fire officer might have also been involved in coordinating the operation, sources said.

Fire officials apparently learned of the ring during a criminal investigation last month of claims that a sergeant exposed himself to a female emergency medical technician.

Fitness for duty

Fitness for duty -- baltimoresun.com
Fitness must be a pre-requisite---NOT A HOOP!!!

The Baltimore Fire Department failed recruit Racheal M. Wilson long before she entered a burning rowhouse in a training exercise. It accepted her into a cadet class in 2006, when it probably shouldn't have. Officials overlooked her failings on an agility test and sent her into a live-burn exercise when she apparently wasn't ready to handle it.

An independent investigation of Ms. Wilson's death reaffirmed that many mistakes were made during the training exercise, but it raises new concerns about a firefighter's fitness for duty that shouldn't be ignored.

Ms. Wilson died in the Feb. 9 exercise after she was overcome by heat and smoke and couldn't climb out of a window to escape. A department probe found dozens of safety violations, which led to the firings of the academy director and two other officers and an overhaul of the training-safety division.


But the independent evaluation of the accident ordered by Mayor Sheila Dixon also suggests that Cadet Wilson may not have been ready to enter training. And the question that must be asked is why the department would admit Ms. Wilson after she performed poorly on agility tests.

Firefighting is a demanding, dangerous job, and its newest recruits should be in the best shape, physically and mentally. If not then, when? The department should have an overall fitness standard; resistance to one, either by officials or firefighters, is unacceptable considering the rigors of the job.

Fire Chief William J. Goodwin Jr. rejects the suggestion that Ms. Wilson died because of problems related to her performance on one aspect of a five-part agility test. The safety lapses and mistakes on the fire scene that day - some very basic - were responsible for her death, he says, and we don't disagree.

The department that performed so poorly that day, he says, isn't the one he was raised in. But it is the agency he commands. The investigative report offers a chance to revisit the fitness issue. Can seriously overweight firefighters do their job ably and safely?

The report by Howard County Deputy Chief Chris Shimer also harshly criticized a view in the department that "recruits must be exposed to heavy fire conditions in order to be adequately prepared for the field." That literal trial by fire sounds more like a hazing rite than a professional firefighter's code.

Chief Goodwin should ask Mr. Shimer to return in three months and undertake a performance audit to see whether policy changes ordered by the chief are being followed and the firefighter culture has improved. The work at the Fire Department is not done.

Firefighter's Prayer

FIREFIGHTER'S PRAYER
-Anon

When I am called to duty, God
Whenever flames may rage,
Give me the strength to save some life
Whatever be its age,
Help me embrace a little child
Before it is too late
Or save an older person from
The horror of that fate
Enable me to be alert and
Hear the weakest shout
And quickly and efficiently
To put the fire out
I want to fill my calling and
To give the best in me,
To guard my every neighbor and
Protect his property
And if according to my fate
I am to lose my life,
Please bless with your
protecting hand
My children and my wife.