Post by twinder on Apr 30, 2012 10:29:51 GMT -5
So, my kids and I watch the program with this name on ABC most Friday nights. It's pretty interesting.
I have found myself in a situation where I keep asking myself if I have done the right thing or, if I have done enough. You all know my position as the Chief of a volunteer Fire Company. I had a call from a resident two months ago. I've known this man for close to 20 years now and he is a very successful businessman in the community.
He called and asked me; "Todd, how can you have a degenerate man like this in your company?" It was right out of the blue. I didn't know who he was talking about. When I was told the name, I said that this person does not belong to the Fire Company where I am Chief. The gentleman wanted me to assure him that this person would never show up at an emergency involving his family. I told him that I couldn't do that as I have no control over another Fire Company. After some more conversation about the individual, the businessman told me that he got involved with this person as a renter of one of his properties. He had to go to court to get him removed after several months without paying any rent. Then, he told me that during the court proceedings, he and his lawyer, used some on-line records agencies and found that the person is a convicted felon and has several aliases. He invited me to his local office to see the documentation.
I met with him that day to see for myself what he had. It was quite extensive. 63 pages in all. Several states with convictions for theft, burglary, assault, etc. There are currently, several outstanding misdemeanor warrants for the person as well and in more than one state.
This particular person actually had the guts to come to one of our Township meetings and tell the supervisors that he was a "former Paramedic/Firefighter in Seattle WA" and proceed to criticize our operation, using false information and outright lies when the whole paramedic issue was in the news. The man's wife has been convicted of prostitution even. I contacted the state of Washington and spoke with people in the Seattle Fire Department administration. Guess what? "No such record" exists of anyone with that name, Date of Birth, or SSI number at any time in their system.
Honestly, my first thought was to be vindictive about the information that was presented to me but somehow, that little voice in my head (the one of reason) always seems to get the upper hand. I compiled information as presented to me from several states. I researched to make sure that I did not have information about someone with the same or similar name as this guy. I then went to our County Dept. of Emergency Services and presented them with the information. In Pa, you must notify the Dept of Health if you have been convicted of a felony before you can become an EMT. Somehow, this guy is an EMT in PA. I find it hard to believe with his convictions and what they were for, that Pa would issue him a license. The people at County told me that they "were not aware of his record" and told me that he told them he had a "bad check charge" in Washington State. If you saw the documents I did, you'd understand that this statement is false.
Before I gave this information to our County people, I met with the Chief of the Fire Company that this guy volunteers with. I told him that I wouldn't want to be blind-sided as a Chief by someone like this (although we all know that I've been attacked with this sort of thing in the past) and I wanted to give him the opportunity to know what was happening. He told me that he was going to remove the guy the next day (we met late in the evening) for falsifying his application. A few days later, we go to a forest fire in another area and this Chief, and the guy, both show up together to the incident.
So here's the question of "what would you do?" I keep getting calls from the businessman asking what this person's status is. I keep calling the County EMS office to find out the status and keep getting told that they want me to provide more information. I've already given them over 100 pages of documents on this guy. It is not my responsibility to police the entire EMS operation in the area. Actually, it is their job to do it. Some of you may think that this doesn't affect me so I won't take a position. It does. You never know who is going to show up when you need an ambulance or a fire company. It is when you are most vulnerable. Do you want someone who is of questionable background in your home?
For the record. My Fire Company, uses an agency to perform background checks on prospective volunteers. We have weeded out people with questionable backgrounds from becoming members. And yes, there are departments in this county who will take anyone, just to have a body in the seat when the truck leaves. We've thrown people out of the Company for breaking the law when it interferes with our By-laws, only to find those same people volunteering with another department in the County.
I don't know whether I should just sit back and wait to see what happens (it's been over two months since it was brought to my attention) or, to go to the media about it since the County office doesn't seem to be taking a stand on it.
I would really rather the businessman, who first found out about all of this, do something but as Sheriff Lusk told me last week, I "have a moral obligation to see this through now that it's been entrusted to you."
What would you do?
I have found myself in a situation where I keep asking myself if I have done the right thing or, if I have done enough. You all know my position as the Chief of a volunteer Fire Company. I had a call from a resident two months ago. I've known this man for close to 20 years now and he is a very successful businessman in the community.
He called and asked me; "Todd, how can you have a degenerate man like this in your company?" It was right out of the blue. I didn't know who he was talking about. When I was told the name, I said that this person does not belong to the Fire Company where I am Chief. The gentleman wanted me to assure him that this person would never show up at an emergency involving his family. I told him that I couldn't do that as I have no control over another Fire Company. After some more conversation about the individual, the businessman told me that he got involved with this person as a renter of one of his properties. He had to go to court to get him removed after several months without paying any rent. Then, he told me that during the court proceedings, he and his lawyer, used some on-line records agencies and found that the person is a convicted felon and has several aliases. He invited me to his local office to see the documentation.
I met with him that day to see for myself what he had. It was quite extensive. 63 pages in all. Several states with convictions for theft, burglary, assault, etc. There are currently, several outstanding misdemeanor warrants for the person as well and in more than one state.
This particular person actually had the guts to come to one of our Township meetings and tell the supervisors that he was a "former Paramedic/Firefighter in Seattle WA" and proceed to criticize our operation, using false information and outright lies when the whole paramedic issue was in the news. The man's wife has been convicted of prostitution even. I contacted the state of Washington and spoke with people in the Seattle Fire Department administration. Guess what? "No such record" exists of anyone with that name, Date of Birth, or SSI number at any time in their system.
Honestly, my first thought was to be vindictive about the information that was presented to me but somehow, that little voice in my head (the one of reason) always seems to get the upper hand. I compiled information as presented to me from several states. I researched to make sure that I did not have information about someone with the same or similar name as this guy. I then went to our County Dept. of Emergency Services and presented them with the information. In Pa, you must notify the Dept of Health if you have been convicted of a felony before you can become an EMT. Somehow, this guy is an EMT in PA. I find it hard to believe with his convictions and what they were for, that Pa would issue him a license. The people at County told me that they "were not aware of his record" and told me that he told them he had a "bad check charge" in Washington State. If you saw the documents I did, you'd understand that this statement is false.
Before I gave this information to our County people, I met with the Chief of the Fire Company that this guy volunteers with. I told him that I wouldn't want to be blind-sided as a Chief by someone like this (although we all know that I've been attacked with this sort of thing in the past) and I wanted to give him the opportunity to know what was happening. He told me that he was going to remove the guy the next day (we met late in the evening) for falsifying his application. A few days later, we go to a forest fire in another area and this Chief, and the guy, both show up together to the incident.
So here's the question of "what would you do?" I keep getting calls from the businessman asking what this person's status is. I keep calling the County EMS office to find out the status and keep getting told that they want me to provide more information. I've already given them over 100 pages of documents on this guy. It is not my responsibility to police the entire EMS operation in the area. Actually, it is their job to do it. Some of you may think that this doesn't affect me so I won't take a position. It does. You never know who is going to show up when you need an ambulance or a fire company. It is when you are most vulnerable. Do you want someone who is of questionable background in your home?
For the record. My Fire Company, uses an agency to perform background checks on prospective volunteers. We have weeded out people with questionable backgrounds from becoming members. And yes, there are departments in this county who will take anyone, just to have a body in the seat when the truck leaves. We've thrown people out of the Company for breaking the law when it interferes with our By-laws, only to find those same people volunteering with another department in the County.
I don't know whether I should just sit back and wait to see what happens (it's been over two months since it was brought to my attention) or, to go to the media about it since the County office doesn't seem to be taking a stand on it.
I would really rather the businessman, who first found out about all of this, do something but as Sheriff Lusk told me last week, I "have a moral obligation to see this through now that it's been entrusted to you."
What would you do?