Last weekend units from Station 26 in Olyphant, Pa. responded to a fire at the residence of one of their fire police members. Before the fire was even out, the member was in handcuffs ... arrested for setting the fire.
Sound wierd ? It gets even better.
Seems the guy served time for robbing an armored car several years back and the local PD, who ran the background check for the hose company when the guy applied for membership, missed it completely !
Needless to say many of the local citizens are asking how this could happen. One even called in to the comment line of a local TV station asking how could this man be given a job with so much authority, at which the commentator remarked the "Fire Police have no legal authority anyway..."
That comment has the area fire police really pissed.
Not only was the remark incorrect, but it was irresponsible. What happens when someone who heard the comment and believed what this fool was saying, comes across an emergency scene and decides that they don't have to obey the directions of the fire police blocking the intersection ? If they go barreling through and hit someone or run over a fire hose they will be heavily fined if not arrested.
That sort of uninformed statement is extremely dangerous to everyone involved.