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+--- Thread: Why did a con fire a lifeguard because he was trying to save somebody outside his zone? (/thread-46090.html)
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Why did a con fire a lifeguard because he was trying to save somebody outside his zone? - heidegger_001 - 11-27-2012 06:39 AM
A Florida lifeguard has been booted from his lifeguard chair for running to save a man who was floundering in the surf.
Tomas Lopez , 21, was fired by his supervisor for vacating his lifeguarding zone to save a man drowning in an unprotected area of the beach in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Monday, reports the Sun Sentinel.
Lopez' employer is not paid to patrol the zone where the man had been in trouble.
According to the Sun Sentinel, Lopez was approached by a beachgoer who pointed out a man struggling in the water nearly 1,500 feet south of his post.
Instinctively, he ran down the beach to save him. By the time Lopez got to him, he had been pulled to shore by fellow beachgoers.
Following his rescue attempt, Lopez was let go for leaving the area he was supposed to be covering.
Jeff Ellis and Associates, a private aquatic safety contractor, is hired by the city to patrol the beaches. The company is also in charge of hiring and training the city's lifeguards.
Susan Ellis, spokeswoman for Jeff Ellis and Associates, told the Sun Sentinel that Lopez broke company rules when he left his zone, and cited "liability issues" that may have occurred as a result of Lopez leaving his designated area.
Ellis could not be reached for further comment.
Some of Lopez's friends rallied for him on his Facebook page where he had posted the Sun Sentinel's article.
"thats messed up but im proud of you for standing up like that and doing whats right. Tomas Lopez = Hero!!" one commenter wrote.
Tom Gill, spokesman for the United States Lifesaving Association, said Lopez's firing came across as a little harsh.
"It seems unfortunate that a guard would do what he's trained to do and be fired for it," he said.
Gill said that the boundaries set by Jeff Ellis and Associates were most likely set by the city of Hallandale Beach in a private contract.
"Usually when the municipalities hire someone to [lifeguard], those organizations are not only taking on the responsibility of the job, but a lot of the liability," he said.
USLA is recognized as the authority on open water lifesaving by the Red Cross, and certifies agencies and associations around the country based on their training.
Gill said Jeff Ellis and Associates has not applied for certification with USLA, and so he could not speak on the company's regulations or training.
"As far as being fired for going outside the zone, I couldn't tell you how they could make that justification," he said.
The guy he was trying to save was drowning, cons. I hope you guys feel happy now.
- Angry Black Woman - 11-27-2012 06:47 AM
How do you know it was a "con"? Nice link BTW
- LiberalsRNutz - 11-27-2012 06:47 AM
Sounds more like union rules gone wild to me.
BTW you didn't even prove he was a conservative.
- Brian B - 11-27-2012 06:47 AM
A:There is no justification for believe the employer in this case was a Con.
B: There is likely more to this relatively unimportant story.
- Shovel Ready - 11-27-2012 06:47 AM
There are numerous other examples of public safety officials being disciplined for leaving their posts. This is not unusual.
- Passion - 11-27-2012 06:47 AM
That was pretty cold blooded.
- ahandle101 - 11-27-2012 06:47 AM
I didn't see any reference to the employer's political beliefs. Maybe the employer was just worried about getting sued by some liberal lawyer.
- John Hinkle - 11-27-2012 06:47 AM
WTF? No where in your cut and paste does it say a thing about anyone being a con or a lib or anything else. Personally I suspect the company was liberal owned since it was milking a government contract (with out proper certifications no less) and fired the guy. If it had been a Conservative run company he would be getting an award as we speak.
- brucec83 - 11-27-2012 06:47 AM
Who cares about his employer's politics? This is just a typical example of what happens when you "privatize" public services.
Millions of Americans are wrongfully dismissed every day because of our "at will" employment laws. Many are typically wrongfully accused of misconduct, so the employer does not have his unemployment compensation tax increased. Yet wrongful and unfair dismissal has been illegal in most of Europe for almost 50 years and there are special employment courts to prevent it and compensate the victims.
Life Guarding is not supposed to be profitable, it is supposed to save lives. Many cities afford civil service protections to life guards, and some are even trained and sworn in as peace officers. Civil Service was created thousands of years ago for the specific purpose of assuring that public employees, especially those engaged in essential services, like lifeguard or police, are only concerned with service to the public and are not subject to the desire to profit from every action or to political influence and corruption. From ACORN to BLACKWATER, when public services are privatized, scandals follow.
- Dynamicunderwear531 - 11-27-2012 06:47 AM
Because He was an idiot liberal, why else. I bet a lib made that rule.