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Canadian Firefighters Admit to Fireground Beer Theft
The Canadian Press
OLIVER, B.C. _ A decision by some members of a volunteer fire department to take six kegs of beer from the fire-ravaged Mesa Hotel in Oliver, B.C., last month and open at least one for their own consumption could leave bitter feelings between firefighters and councillors in the south Okanagan town.
Mayor Pat Hampson said Monday although the firefighters paid the hotel owners for the beer, council was ''astounded and distressed'' at their poor judgment. RCMP and internal investigations have begun and two firefighters have been temporarily suspended.
The 98-year-old downtown hotel was gutted in a spectacular blaze on May 23.
Hampson said rumours of the beer's removal soon starting circulating and were confirmed on June 9.
''The fire chief advised us that three people on the fire department said: 'Yes, we did remove the beer and that was a stupid thing to do. We know we're not supposed to remove things from the fire scene,''' Hampson said.
The kegs were apparently transported by a private pickup truck to the fire hall, where at least one keg was tapped.
He said the town intends to address what he terms as a ''serious breach of discipline.''
''Their actions are a breach of trust for our residents who deserve to expect that the fire department will safeguard their property as they would their own,'' he said.
The mayor said he has heard a number of reasons for the beer removal, including that they could have been damaged when a backhoe arrived on scene to demolish the hotel's blackened remains.
A meeting between council and the entire fire department is scheduled possibly as early as this Thursday. With a police investigation underway, Hampson said council is wary of ordering any further disciplinary action at this time.
In the meantime, a ban on drinking alcohol in any town building has been issued. The fire hall's bar area in future can only be used for occasional licensed social events.
Hampson said he has also written a letter of apology to Don and Lisa Kazakoff, the owners of the Mesa Hotel. He noted the incident reflects on the whole town.
''It's a huge black eye and that's why it had to be jumped on very quickly,'' he said. ''It's going to cause tension and probably some hard feelings between some members of the department and council.''
Hampson acknowledged some fire department members would have preferred to have seen the whole issue settled internally.
''Apparently they felt they had resolved it with the owners, because the owners were paid for the beer,'' he said.
Fire chief Dave Janzen could not be reached for comment Monday.
News of the beer scandal comes on the heels of the June 13 slide which destroyed five homes and ruined orchards and vineyards next to Testalinden Creek south of Oliver.
Hampson said the last few weeks have taken on almost biblical connotations. First the fire, then the slide and flood, and now the ''locusts'' in the form of this current controversy. (Penticton Herald)
Copyright 2010 The Canadian Press
All Rights Reserved
June 22, 2010
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brian Mackie on
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Roy, maybe he was just shocked that we could commit such acts of brazen disregard for the law, and do so without even a gun. I mean, he must be used to way more serious stuff, like arson, and internal theft etc. that this Canadian beer theft is just plain boring and small potatoes compared to his idea of fun lol.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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No, what I find incredible is that they are not in jail awaiting trial, at least according to the above report. That at least according to the report, it appears that people are trying to sweep it under the rug.
My reference to felony charges in Texas merely points out the way it is here. I don't have a clue about Canadian Law. I know in some states in the US, the dollar amount would still not be high enough for anything more than a misdemeanor theft charge.
I also know of a former member of my department, who was immediately terminated for pocketing loose change picked up at an accident scene. Pretty "small potatoes", but that's how serious my department is about our personnel committing any crime.
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Permalink Reply by Spanner 122 on
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Idiots! Although, since they are a small department of less than 40 "A list" (what the heck does that mean) firefighters, it was really nice to see that Canadian firefighters stole the beer, as opposed to Oliver firefighters. Nitpicky? Perhaps... but if it happened in Butthole, Nebraska, it wouldn't have been titled, "American firefighters steal beer".
Lol... either way... Idiots.
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Jail and awaiting trial? Seriously? Charges perhaps, but felony theft for less than $300 worth of product? I am not condoning it in any way, what they did was wrong and illegal, but not worth backlogging the Legal system. Charge them, dismiss them if having a summary conviction on record is part of their agreement and move on. Set a better example going forward and hopefully the department can be a little more choosy who they hire.
I believe felony theft is $1500 or more, unless stealing directly from a person (wallet/purse, etc).
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Permalink Reply by Steve Orr on
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Like Oldman said, it depends on the dollar amount. In Montana that is $1,000.00. What is the retail price of a keg of beer in Canada, What it the Felony charge amount? Was it a more expensive beer? Many questions as to what level of charges they could or should be facing. But we are missing the point.
Yes "downunder" the owners would have given them the beer; but that is the point, ther owners did not give the firefighters the beer. The firefighters removed it and consumed it before the owners had the chance to even offer it.
As a firefighter, I feel sorrow for any firefighter that gets into trouble but, have we lost all moral standing. It would not be right if it had been stolen by a citizen. It would be an outrage if it had been taken by a law enforcement officer. Then why is it being scoffed because the offenders were firefighters?
We are supiose to be the good guys. The people that yiou count on when you are in great trouble. The taxpayers expect us to do what we have sworen we will do, the reason we were established, the reason they they pay their taxes to support us; help them in there time of need, not steal them blind. It is not big crime, it is a moral outrage and gives a bad name to the fire service world wide.
I do feel for the firefighters involved. One bad judgement call has caused so many problems. They may be very good people who made a bad choice, but the fact remains that people "trust" Firemen. This is a breach of trust and that is a shame.
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