A picture of how the UK has changed.

[InsaneApache]

Perusing the papers, as you do, I came across these two little gems.

A fireman is facing disciplinary action after plunging into a river to rescue a drowning woman.

Tam Brown, 42, is the subject of an internal investigation by Tayside Fire and Rescue because he breached safety rules during the rescue in the River Tay in Perth.

He spent eight minutes in the cold water and at one stage feared that he would be swept to his death. But after dragging the 20-year-old woman to safety he was told by his employer that he had acted improperly by risking his life.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle1567322.ece

and then I read this.....

While he was a constable serving with the Cardiff City Police, Kenneth Farrow made a desperate and prolonged attempt to save the life of a drowning child, narrowly escaping with his own. He was not a strong swimmer and the circumstances were exceptionally hazardous.

He was on patrol during the early evening of June 21, 1948, when a group of people ran up to him in a state of alarm shouting that a child had fallen into the “Feeder” at Pembroke Terrace. The Feeder is an aquaduct supplying water from the River Taff to Cardiff Docks. It runs for most of its length under concrete slabs but was open at the point where the child had fallen in.

He was also highly praised by the witnesses to his action and, in consequence, he was awarded the Albert Medal in October 1948.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle1610265.ece

So there we have it. Sixty years later a fireman is to be disciplined for saving a young girls life. I despair.

[English assassin]

I meant to post this myself a while back.

I've got a great idea for David Cameron. What we need is a "Stop Being So ****** Stupid Act" This act could be cited by anyone who is being hassled by some jumped up little git with a uniform and a clipboard and would entitle you, in law, to ignore whatever bureaucratic nonsense they were spouting until they could prove that they were not being ****** stupid.

With any luck we would see a long queue of out of work heath and safety "experts", "diversity advisors" and their like down the jobcentres.

[Andres]

I wonder what the employer would have said if the fireman had saved his daughter...

Common sense, does it still exist in our modern western societies?

This is so, so, so wrong

[TB666]

What the fudge !!!
That is fubar to the extreme.
The guy should be hailed as a hero, not be punished.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

I'd resign and tell the fire service to **** off if I was treated like that, quite frankly.

[KukriKhan]

...With any luck we would see a long queue of out of work heath and safety "experts", "diversity advisors" and their like down the jobcentres.

wearing signs:

Here's Yer Sign Video

Having been properly tagged (signed), reasonable people could know to ignore such folk.

[InsaneApache]

I wonder what the employer would have said if the fireman had saved his daughter...

He'd probably thank him, and then give him his P45.

[Proletariat]

In EMT courses in the States it's heavily stressed that you always secure your personal safety first, then that of the victims. Idea being if you get yourself killed, you can't do anyone good, particularly any other victims in danger, who are more easily saved.

Sort of the harsh way any triage system works, you're supposed to overlook the quadruple amputee bleeding all over the place in his death throes, and attend to the victim lieing next to him who 'merely' has a severe femoral arterial bleed. In a seemingly cold thought process, you save the most likely to survive, and don't bother in the case that it's likely you'll get yourself killed along with the patient.

Not playing devil's advocate here, just throwing out what may be some of the reasoning. Also, never heard of anyone actually getting in trouble for that sort of heroism here. We do have the 'Good Samaritan Act', so evidentally we were suing people here when they didn't save our lives 'properly'. In the US of all places, shocker.


The Illinois version of that law;
http://ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilc...+Samaritan+Act.

[doc_bean]

I blame the lawyers

[JR-]

I meant to post this myself a while back.

I've got a great idea for David Cameron. What we need is a "Stop Being So ****** Stupid Act" This act could be cited by anyone who is being hassled by some jumped up little git with a uniform and a clipboard and would entitle you, in law, to ignore whatever bureaucratic nonsense they were spouting until they could prove that they were not being ****** stupid.

With any luck we would see a long queue of out of work heath and safety "experts", "diversity advisors" and their like down the jobcentres.

agreed.

[Shaka_Khan]

There's definately less people willing to save one's life because of that.

Maybe the fireman and his employer didn't get along. What kind of person would punish a hero?