Firefighter Facing Discipline For Rushing
3-Year-Old Burn Victim To Hospital
After Ambulance Never Showed
The Police Tribune,
by
Holly Matkin
Original Article
Posted By: Grateful,
2/2/2021 3:10:06 PM
A veteran Oklahoma City Fire Department (OKCFD) major has lost his role as senior company officer of his station after he rushed a three-year-old burn victim to the hospital on a fire truck because the ambulance was taking too long to respond. “We don’t transport patients,” OKCFD Chief Richard Kelley told KFOR. “That’s not our job.” The complaint against OKCFD Major Corey Britt was field by EMSA, the emergency medical and ambulance service that serves Oklahoma City.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
jimincalif 2/2/2021 3:17:07 PM (No. 682791)
So what's the chief saying? Their job is to sit on their butts for an hour waiting for an ambulance that never shows? Guess he never read "The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America".
59 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
anniebc 2/2/2021 3:23:32 PM (No. 682796)
We live in such an over processed world these days. The stupid shirts are so disconnected from real life, they screw everything up. Do they want robots or humans working for them? The future of a sin filled world where up is down and down is up, folks. This is so freakin sad.
40 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
mindsport 2/2/2021 3:27:36 PM (No. 682802)
What an outrage! We'll see if the union protects him.
26 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Venturer 2/2/2021 3:33:12 PM (No. 682809)
What was the Fire Truck doing there to begin with?
They responded because in many cities now the Fire Department dispatches Fire Apparatus to the scene to give immediate care , because Ambulances have a bad response time.
They were there to give care. The child needed to be transported, they transported.
I have faced this same thing and I suggested that instead of sending a 3/4 of a million dollars Fire Apparatus to such call to place a station wagon at each station. Sending Fire Apparatus that costs so much money on Medical calls is crazy., and a waste of expensive apparatus.
But that doesn't change the fact that this man in charge did what is right.
This sounds to me like a turf battle between the Ambulance service and the Fire department, One that has no business being fought. The Officer made the right choice. More than likjely the child was going into shock. This department should ba ashamed of itself for not sticking up foe their people, and telling the AMBO people to shove it.
37 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Omen55 2/2/2021 3:33:27 PM (No. 682810)
Line up the lawyers on this one it's gonna get interesting.
8 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Lazyman 2/2/2021 3:34:00 PM (No. 682812)
We are supposed to be a free and logical nation that won wars because the totalitarian enemy was afraid to think out of the box and feared their own chain of command. As we become more totalitarian we will see more of this.
24 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Mizz Fixxit 2/2/2021 3:34:02 PM (No. 682813)
Poster 3, I doubt that the union helps him. The department and the union all slop at the same trough.
17 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
padiva 2/2/2021 3:35:25 PM (No. 682815)
Hey Chief! What if it was your child or grandchild?
Anyway, it is better for this fine man to face the complaint of the ambulance service rather than have the memory of letting a child die.
43 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
red1066 2/2/2021 3:54:59 PM (No. 682841)
Ask the taxpayers that pay for the fire trucks if the major made a mistake. My next question would be, was no one else there? A neighbor, some other family member, a police officer that could have driven this child to the hospital? Certainly the police were there. Your going to tell me they couldn't have driven this child to the hospital?
14 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
valinva 2/2/2021 4:00:02 PM (No. 682847)
What a sick world we live in. Let the child die rather than break the rigid rules put into place by Unions and city lawyers.
24 people like this.
If posters would read the article, they’d know the union did support him and continues to support him. The fire department was there responding to a call about a tipped over fondue pot which started a small fire and badly burned the child. The fireman didn’t lose any rank over the incident and had the support of his fellow firefighters and the girl’s parents for his actions. The chief had to make a stink since the major violated — sensibly — Department regs and state law.
8 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
Son of Grady 2/2/2021 4:01:54 PM (No. 682851)
Chief Kelly likes to hand out service Pins and push papers.
I would want a decision maker like Britt who knows how to handle a problem, not
sit around and complain.
5 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Bur Oak 2/2/2021 4:02:00 PM (No. 682852)
Corey Britt should feel honored to be disciplined for doing the right thing. The OKCFD doesn't deserve him. Richard Kelley and EMSA should be ashamed.
12 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
LeeBertie 2/2/2021 4:03:00 PM (No. 682857)
"With a servant's heart, an unwavering dedication, and an insatiable desire to make his department the best it can possibly be, Chief Kelley resolutely propels the Oklahoma City Fire Department forward." https://www.okc.gov/departments/fire/about-us/meet-the-fire-chief
What a CROCK!
9 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
jimincalif 2/2/2021 4:13:47 PM (No. 682870)
"With a servant's heart, an unwavering dedication, and an insatiable desire to make his department the best it can possibly be, Chief Kelley resolutely proclaims "That's not our job"!. Fixed it for you.
14 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
Strike3 2/2/2021 4:16:32 PM (No. 682872)
IOW: Our territory and income is far more important than the life of an injured child. The cost of one ambulance ride these days is the equivalent of two payments on the ambulance. I realize they have costs but not if they are going to arrive at McConnell's pace. You have flashing lights and a siren, you know that don't you?
4 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
JimBob 2/2/2021 4:26:54 PM (No. 682882)
Strike3 (#16) hit it on the head.
The REAL 'wrong' is to deprive the ambulance service of a PAID CALL.
To the bean counters and bureaucrats, the CASH is way more important than the LIFE of the CHILD.
8 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
RuckusTom 2/2/2021 4:28:35 PM (No. 682885)
You're on Flight 93. Stay in your seat and keep your seatbelts buckled. Just wait until the man with a foreign accent who's now flying the plane lands you safely at your destination.
8 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
texaspast 2/2/2021 4:31:34 PM (No. 682886)
To my OKC relatives - y'all gonna put up with that stuff? The OKCFD needs to hear about this loudly from the people who pay their salaries. And so does EMSA, the ambulance service, although that is probably privately owned. They are the ones that filed the complaint against the fireman. Robbed them of a transport fee. Greedy bustids.
8 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
or gate 2/2/2021 4:34:44 PM (No. 682889)
Children are running the show.
2 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
rbruce20 2/2/2021 4:39:27 PM (No. 682893)
Politics #1 reason. In many cities, the fire department responds to non-police emergencies with whatever apparatus that is available. Usually the larger more expensive vehicle is chosen. Fire Depts need to justify having the trucks and large vehicles justify the manpower. So, a FD EMT handles initial care, then a privately contracted ambulance company responds with another EMT. The ambulance will transport victim to hospital. Obvious question is, why don't have more ambulances on call responding instead of the FD? Private ambulance companies do not have the authority to control an accident scene. Gov't can hire their own ambulance services, but they don't want to be held responsible for any negative health outcome. Private ambulances companies are bonded. But mainly, Fire Depts are not that busy. Active FD have branched out to inspections, HazMat spills, education, marine emergencies, and structural dangers. Fighting fires is a minority of their work.
3 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
Bmoc 2/2/2021 4:41:06 PM (No. 682894)
I applaud the efforts of the firefighter. As one of the very first EMT/paramedics in Michigan back in late 1972, we had to work to stop the theory of 'scoop 'em and run.' Then I listened to dozens of people who should have known better that we were 'playing doctor.' One city councilman told us at a meeting that people didn't need their legs splinted, they should be tossed in the back of the closest pickup and taken to the hospital. Ironically enough, two weeks later, he was in an auto accident and his leg was broken. When I looked at him and he recognized me, I asked him if we could just pick him up and let him ride in the back of his buddy's pickup. He declined that offer and his tune changed.
Finally... and I am NOT looking for praise here. We went to a house fire where the (volunteer) firemen were putting on their fire-suits with a child that I could clearly see in the house, but she was too afraid to walk out. I couldn't take it as she was about the same age as my daughter, and I ran in, grabbed her and got out. Ten seconds later, the house collapsed. I was told I was stupid and careless, but I told them they could say what they wanted... the little girl was safe. After that, I didn't care. My only concern was for the kid. I praise the fireman for doing what had to be done. Had I been there, I would have done the exact same thing.
18 people like this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
bgarrett 2/2/2021 5:04:31 PM (No. 682917)
its better to let someone die than to break Union rules
3 people like this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
Geoman 2/2/2021 5:14:20 PM (No. 682927)
The fact that the absent ambulance company filed the complaint makes the situation intolerable. Oklahoma is a conservative majority state; the citizens and their political representatives ought to make their voices heard to file the complaint in the appropriate waste basket.
5 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
downnout 2/2/2021 5:16:49 PM (No. 682934)
The residents of Oklahoma City need to tell that idiot Kelley to drop dead! Would he feel the same way if the child was his?
2 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
DeepSouth 2/2/2021 5:29:05 PM (No. 682943)
I regularly see fire trucks outside Walmart while the firemen are doing shopping. That is not a waste of precious city resources. Why would saving a child's life be any different. The Major did the right thing. Screw the Chain of non-Command.
6 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
Clinger 2/2/2021 5:36:16 PM (No. 682947)
As we surrender to the left we surrender our ability to think or is that the other way around. Part of the appeal of collectivism is in knowing you are no longer responsible and a higher order will decide everything for you. We are being conditioned to conform and that requires we stop thinking for ourselves. Expect to see more and more of the consequences.
6 people like this.
Reply 28 - Posted by:
columba 2/2/2021 5:51:43 PM (No. 682959)
Is the message..it is not OK to save a life if you do not have bureaucratic authorization to use a certain kind o vehicle?
3 people like this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
Mizz Fixxit 2/2/2021 6:44:21 PM (No. 682997)
Sorry, I read the article except for the last 3 paragraphs. Thought I had finished.
1 person likes this.
Reply 30 - Posted by:
skacmar 2/2/2021 6:56:07 PM (No. 683007)
Like everything else today, the ambulance company blamed Covid rules and regulations regarding cleaning. This is not necessarily the ambulance company's fault. It is the rigid Bureaucrat's fault for not giving any leeway or adjusting / changing rules to account for delays caused by the rules that they put into place due to (in many cases overkill) Covid rules. Change the rule to allow for alternate transport or back-up ambulance called if non arrives within a specific response time. If the girl were having a heart attack or bleeding out she would be dead because of the "rules". The Fireman did what he was supposed to do: Save People! If the girl died while everyone watched you can be sure that the same bureaucrats would have been very fast to point fingers at the firemen on the scene for not taking further actions.
2 people like this.
Reply 31 - Posted by:
4Justice 2/2/2021 7:50:04 PM (No. 683032)
In my younger days, he would have been a hero and given a promotion. Our society has turned rotten.
4 people like this.
Reply 32 - Posted by:
DVC 2/2/2021 9:47:49 PM (No. 683108)
Unions...they say that you CANNOT take some other union's job. The ultimate crime. Screw the patients, we are talking union rules.
1 person likes this.
At that point, why wouldn't he be protected by the Good Samaritan law ?
1 person likes this.
Reply 34 - Posted by:
mifla 2/3/2021 5:21:16 AM (No. 683283)
You did the right thing. Ignore those who are telling you otherwise. Well done.
1 person likes this.
Reply 35 - Posted by:
hoosierblue 2/3/2021 7:53:51 AM (No. 683371)
If anyone sees an update on this , please post it.
1 person likes this.
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