The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Would you be willing to give your life for others like the Japanese Firefighters?
For the firefighters on the ground, it stands to reason that the amount of radiation they are encountering will cause cancer and a pre-mature death. They know this, yet just like the Russian firefighters in Chernobyl, many will perish because of the lethal exposure to radiation.
- Would you sacrifice your life for others, knowing you will die within months?
- Who would be selected to do the job, knowing it has to be done?
- Do you think the politicians and opportunists attacking firefighters today ever think about this part of emergency services?
CBz
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
-
1. If there was no other way to do it, yes.
2. This should be a volunteer-only assignment.
3. You've got to be kidding me.
-
Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on
-
Ben...
I knew you would love question three.
Also, the Chernobyl Firefighters. Did you say that there were 45 that gave their lives for others actually picking up chunks of uranium core rods that were blown up, throwing them back into the reactor using their hands?
-
Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
-
Are Japanese FF's part of the military???
1... To answer that I would say that should go back to the day one even contemplates taking a job, especially in a career dept. Is that not what you are sworn to do? Protect others.
Let's look at this in simpler terms, vs what we see today and learned about from Chernobyl. We have terrorism threats, chemical, biological, and nuclear (dirty bombs) etc are real. Not to mention other widespread hazards that we respond to, from chemical leaks to natural disasters. In some cases, the reality of the situation may mean you truly are putting your life at risk.
It is also because of such risks that there has been a push for presumptive legislation laws to help us and or our families when such exposures are obtained on the job. The difference here is that the risks are known, but such an incident could occur by a similar plant in the U.S.
2.... I would agree with the asking for volunteers, but once again, we are sworn to protect the citizens and to mitigate emergencies. Such questions should be looked upon before one thinks about doing this job, if they are hesitant to accept such realities, perhaps this isn't the right career path.
3... Like 9/11, the thoughts may be there for a little bit, but easily forgotten when the money factor comes talking. It is hard enough to convince such folks about staffing and equipment just for our bread and butter ops, let alone something like this. Do they think about this? IMO, no, why? Because such things are passed off as fear mongering by us until it really does affect us. Instead it is easier to say this is an isolated case and does not justify the costs. It is a shame when such people can so easily put a price on lives.
-
Permalink Reply by capcityff on
-
Shouldn't really even be a question. If you're a career firefighter then you took an oath. If you can't abide by that then you should do us all a favor and quit now.
If someone's a volunteer firefighter then I guess it's different. They never took that same oath and it isn't their main job.
-
Permalink Reply by WestPhilly on
-
There is no oath that I'm aware of that requires firefighters to sacrifice their lives for others. As for me, I'm willing to risk my life for others. But a suicide mission? I don't know the answer to that.
-
-
Here are a couple of sources that discuss the firefighter's actions at Chernobyl and the results:
The Truth About Chernobyl by Grigori Medvedev
Wiki regarding firefighters picking up graphite chunks from the reactor core with their hands.
Here is a video of the "biorobots" to push fuel rods and graphite blocks back into the reactor core after robotic equipment failed due to high radiation levels or being caught in the debris.
"
a> "
-
-
No firefighter oath includes committing suicide while doing something for which you were not trained - career or volunteer.
-
Permalink Reply by Fireyladd - Retired Chief Sharp on
-
I'm with you there Ben. Fact remains most of us would willingly do what we had to do in the moment that presents itself to protect or save our brothers. However to sit here and say I would or would not sacrifice my life in a suicide mission (Kamikaze)is hard to say.I believe that given the Incident management system no one untrained or improperly protected would be allowed the opportunity. However, as we see here it happens. It could be in this instance also that the people directed to go into the scene were military personnel an had no choice. Hard to say.
-
Permalink Reply by FETC on
-
This oath thing is interesting. The term is loosely used now-a-days and to put forth on the C vs V thing is touchy. You see I know many career guys who never - ever had to say an oath. They were hired and were handed their badge and uniforms. No raise your hand and repeat after me...
So some are you are saying that "the oath" is enough to expect a career guy to go into a suicide mission.... Let's see here, I guess their is no risk verse gain modeling in your organization then. You see with such an oath, you are expected to die. So we must charge into every fully involved and vacant dwelling because of the oath? If the IC pulls the troops out, and goes defensive due to our safety, is he or she breaking their oath?
-
Permalink Reply by FF Nick on
-
Hard to say Mike...
Willingly, I'd be implied to say no. All of you be honest with yourself, who wants to know that their actions WILL WILLINGLY kill themselves in 2, 3, 6 months from now? However, I was hired to be a firefighter which involes mitigating hazardous materials. When there's a job to do, the job has to be done. I'd only hope that if that time ever came, I would be able to stand up and face it.
-
Permalink Reply by Just Plain Craig Moyer on
-
We would all say yes sitting here at the computer. Most of us would, at least I hope I would. But the thing is you wouldn't think about the danger until it was to late. I thought about what was happening to them three days in and it made me sit back and say a prayer.
-
-
Nor an oath that includes committing suicide while doing something for which you are trained.
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
