What's not wrong with this?

[baileydonk]

See stories below. I personally would never accept an award from PETA for anything, but for this it is particularly ridiculous...

PETA Honors Houston Department With Award

Houston firefighters will receive an award Tuesday for something they do not normally do.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is awarding the Houston Fire Department with a "Compassionate Lifesaver" award for rescuing a cat from a northwest Houston sewer on Dec. 1.

Firefighters originally responded to the call because they thought the cat was a trapped baby.

However, the cat's owner later explained that the cat's name is Baby. She was ticketed for making a false report.

Previous Story (From December 1):

Woman Claims 'Baby' Stuck In Sewer
Police Cite Cat's Owner For Filing False Report

HOUSTON -- A woman was issued a ticket for making a false call for help when firefighters respond to rescue her baby but end up pulling something else out of a northwest Houston sewer, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.

Houston firefighters rushed to rescue a baby from a sewer on Bolivia Boulevard near De Soto Street at about 11 p.m. only to find a cat instead.

Police said a woman called the fire department three times about her cat being stuck in a sewer.

Authorities said on the fourth call, the woman claimed her 2-year-old baby was stuck in the sewer.

Firefighters responded to the scene and rescued the cat, which is named "Baby."

"They said they were desperate, didn't know what else to do. They didn't know who else to call, so they called 911," Houston Fire Department Capt. Keith Ellery said. "It is not a type of rescue we normally do … but on this particular incident, we felt compelled to kind of help them out."

Carearl Malone, the woman's son, said he and several friends tried rescuing the cat.

"We had some cheese. We had a shirt and a chain to try and get him out. It didn't work. It grabbed onto it and then it let it go," Malone said.

The woman tried to explain herself to police but they still issued her a ticket for filing a false report, a Class B misdemeanor in which the woman could be sentenced up to six months in jail.

[Co11FireGal]

An award from PETA...isn't that a reason to celebrate?! :rolleyes: Maybe the Houston guys could show their appreciation by inviting the PETA folks back to the firehouse for a barbecue! :D :p ;)

It is great that they saved the cat...my dog died not too long ago, but I would have done anything for him. I don't condone the woman's behavior, but I can understand why she did what she did, and I can understand why the guy that TrojanHorse mentioned did what he did. The woman being cited for making a false report...that wouldn't be an issue here b/c, had she dialed 9-1-1, we would have simply been called for an "animal rescue" call. If a dept. didn't want to take the call, the next due would be called until someone did...we would never not respond to an animal rescue call unless we had something that took priority pending.

[medicmaster]

So are you saying the fire department is not a public service agency?...and yes, public service includes getting cats out of trees (or as in this case sewers.)

If you don't like working for the people who pay taxes to support your programs, go work in the private sector.

As for being cited for making a false report...true, she did, but probably wouldn't have if the department responded on the first call. For that, it is rediculous they are getting an award...even if it is from those loonies at PETA.

[hwoods]

Some years back, quiet summer evening, a woman calls 911 Screaming "My baby's choking!' over and over, hysterically. You guessed it, our First Due. We go, FAST, and arrive to find a 60something Mom at the front door and her 40 year old "Baby" totally drunk, and puking his guts out on the kitchen floor.
We made sure that he was not in any danger, except for a hangover, and left. Mom got a light "lecture" on how to explain the situation to 911 operators in case she ever needed to call again.

[arhaney]

P eople
E ating
T asty
A nimals


:D :D :D

Sorry, couldn't help myself! That being said, my family has a little dog that is almost like one of the kids. What say, Spearsm????? :)

[CaptainGonzo]

So are you saying the fire department is not a public service agency?...and yes, public service includes getting cats out of trees (or as in this case sewers.)

I beg to differ. We do not do the "cat in a tree" call. I cannot justify sending a $500,000 piece of fire apparatus and the manpower required to operate it to rescue a cat, especially if I only have one ladder truck in service that day to cover the City. Even if both of our ladders were in staffed and in service, I cannot justify it.

[pkfd7505]

An award from PETA...isn't that a reason to celebrate?! :rolleyes: Maybe the Houston guys could show their appreciation by inviting the PETA folks back to the firehouse for a barbecue! :D :p ;)


HAHA I love it!

I do think that it is great that they rescued the cat, but I am not sure it is a good use of the 911 system. It is great to perform public service calls like this but you have got to keep in mind that taking apparatus out of action to rescue an pet might put the lives of humans in danger. As far as the charges against the couple? Well in all honesty I tend to think that if they do nothing about this, then everyone else will feel it is acceptable for them to call 911 when their kitty is choking on a hairball.

[Bones42]

Police said a woman called the fire department three times about her cat being stuck in a sewer.
Authorities said on the fourth call, the woman claimed her 2-year-old baby was stuck in the sewer. Umm, if they knew it was her fourth call, don't you think they might have known it was still about the cat? But then again, we don't know how long a timespan those 4 calls were made in either.

As to whether to send the $500k truck or not, it would depend on availability, if they can do so and still have their area covered, use it as a training for newer operator. I personally have gone and removed 2 cats and 3 seagulls (even though I HATE seagulls). We had the time, we had the coverage, for us it was good PR with my taxpayers. We have also turned down requests due to availability and lack of coverage.

[MalahatTwo7]

I tend to agree with Capt G here, and a bit with pkfd. Firstly, has anyone ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree before? I've had cats most of my life and never seen it once. Cat goes up... cat comes down....

On providing a public service, yes that is what we do, however that being said, what kind of award do you think the Houston folks would have gotten if there'd been a major incident for which they did not respond because they were tied up with the cat? Yes, it looks good in the paper to do animal rescues - and when nothing else happened, it's great PR too. But there is that flip side.....

[Dave1983]

So are you saying the fire department is not a public service agency?...and yes, public service includes getting cats out of trees (or as in this case sewers.)

We are a public EMERGENCY service agency. A cat in a tree is not an emegency. Ever see a dead cat in a tree? They got up there, they will get down. CLimbing up and down things is what cats do. ;)

We will sometimes respond to animal calls. Depends on the situation. But, we do not put any of our people at risk as our workers comp insurance will not cover any injuries that happen doing that kind of thing. And, if we do send a rig, they respond with traffic (no lights/sirens) and they stay in service and available for emergency calls.

[FireSlayer1098]

I agree with many things being said, and trojan brings up a very valid idea here.....We can send a rig and possibly more to pump out a flooded basement, which hopefully will be advised stay in service depending on the circumstances of coverage, etc. And that dictates a response......but rescuing someones animal from a place actually needing rescue isnt worthy?! We are a public service organization. That is our sole purpose, to serve the public, generally in times of emergency. We can go racing lights and sirens to a call for someone "hemoraging" to get there and discover they have a papercut. But we cant send a unit non emergency to take a look at least to see if they can help retrieve a beloved family pet?! WHat kind of world are we living in now where if "it aint showin and blowin, i aint goin"?!?!?! I can sympathize with staffing, apparatus availability, etc.....but damn, at least send a white helmet over to check it out and see if there isnt something that can be done with relative ease without straining the departments capabilities.

[pkfd7505]

I have seen animal rescues for horses, cows, dogs, and cats. The question is, where on the animal food chain do you draw the line? We had a barn collapse a few years ago from the weight of the snow. We were called to help. We pulled cows and horses from the barn, except for the dead ones. Should we have not gone because these were animals and not people.

Horses and cows would be considered livestock, and therefore are considered business property. It would be the same with trying to save items of value from a burning business. Pets don't fall under that same category. We had a fire at a barn on a farm that breeds multi million dollar thoroughbreds, needless to say protecting the horses was a high priority.

But do not misunderstand me, it is VERY important that we go the extra mile for our public. You cannot put a price on what it means for a kid (or adult for that matter) to watch the Fire Fighters come and save an animal, or anything that means something to them. Had my department gotten this call, we would have made the rescue. We already have several animals rescues to our credit, including one particularly heroic rescue of a suicidal turtle from a ravenous wild fire! No bragging but it was me that made that rescue. :D

All I am saying is that we have to be cautious in the message that we send to the public. If we send the message that it is ok to call 911 and lie about an emergency then we are making allot of trouble for everyone. We should also not send out the message that we don't care if your pet is stuck, don't call us. I think whoever mentioned that at least a white hat should have been sent to check out the situation was right on the money. Lets face it, allot of times we are damned if we do, and damned if we don't anyway.

[Bones42]

We are a public EMERGENCY service agency Does anyone teach fire prevention? How about doing inspections? Neither is an emergency, but something that needs to be done.

not respond because they were tied up with the cat Sometimes I'm scared. Exactly how long would it take to put your aerial back down, pick up your jacks and respond? Under 2 minutes? And yes, those 2 can/may be important but honestly, do you really believe this would stop anyone from responding? :eek:

[CaptainGonzo]

I agree with many things being said, and trojan brings up a very valid idea here.....We can send a rig and possibly more to pump out a flooded basement, which hopefully will be advised stay in service depending on the circumstances of coverage, etc. And that dictates a response......but rescuing someones animal from a place actually needing rescue isnt worthy?! We are a public service organization. That is our sole purpose, to serve the public, generally in times of emergency. We can go racing lights and sirens to a call for someone "hemoraging" to get there and discover they have a papercut. But we cant send a unit non emergency to take a look at least to see if they can help retrieve a beloved family pet?! WHat kind of world are we living in now where if "it aint showin and blowin, i aint goin"?!?!?! I can sympathize with staffing, apparatus availability, etc.....but damn, at least send a white helmet over to check it out and see if there isnt something that can be done with relative ease without straining the departments capabilities.

Not a white helmet, but I have a white shield with two plungers on mine.. and I have gone out in the car to "explain" why we cannot do it for those who will not take no for an answer. The last cat call I had to do that on, the cat was 60 feet up in a dead pine tree about 100 feet from the roadway in the woman's backyard.

1. You can't take a ladder truck off road.

2. Even if we could, the tallest ground ladder we have is a 40 foot ladder with tormentor poles, which takes a minium of 4 people to raise. Seeing that my community has only 2 firefighters assigned to the ladder, to rescue said cat, if we could would require the response of an engine company to assist. Now you have two pieces of apparatus and personnel tied up for a cat in a tree.

Dead tree: risk of branches coming down and striking my personnel, endangering their safety... hmmmmm..

Nope. Not going to do it!

The last "animal rescue" call my group did was for a racoon up a tree. the resident called 911 for that and was outraged that her tax dollars could not be used to rescue the poor animal.

I took the car over there and explained that we would not rescue a potentially rabid animal. She didn't care.

Animal control responded. By the time they got there, the racoon had come down and wandered off into a nearby wooded area.

[lexfd5]

Here in the Horse Capital of the World we act a little differently to large animal rescue. Especially when the "livestock" is valued at $5,000,000. Our technical rescue team has been trained in large animal rescue and my captain has a small horse farm (non-racing types.) So our view is a little different.

Ever notice that you get more recognition from the public doing the "non-emergency" cat out of the tree run than the room and content job...

[cozmosis]

Some years back, quiet summer evening, a woman calls 911 Screaming "My baby's choking!' over and over, hysterically. You guessed it, our First Due. We go, FAST, and arrive to find a 60something Mom at the front door and her 40 year old "Baby" totally drunk, and puking his guts out on the kitchen floor.

We share facilities with police and their communications division (which dispatches us and handles 911 calls). One afternoon, I was sitting in dispatch and listened in on an incoming call. The woman was screaming that her baby wasn't breathing. Of course... We hauled tail over there. Her baby was a 20-something, 200+ pound kid. Talk about being confused on who the patient was. Unfortunately, she really wasn't breathing and we were unable to resuscitate.

[SAFD46Truck]

My department's policy for the cat-in-tree rescue is nope, sorry insurance won't cover it if someone gets hurt. I'm not saying that no animal rescue response has ever been done. If they are done they fall under "assist the public" and are absolutely NOT code3 responses though.

[BWeer641]

In our country rescueing an animal is part of the job.

If any animal is in danger we come, with our expensive truck.

It doesn't matter if its a $5.000.000 horse or a $ 5 cat.

And if there comes an emergency with higher priority, the cat will have to wait a little longer.

On the other hand, we don't ever risk a firefighters life to save a horse from a fire, no matter how expensive the horse is.

I guess thats the difference between US and Netherlands

[scottl]

Personnaly, I would rather have the time to assess an animal rescue than the rescue of a person who was trying to rescue the animal.

Scott

[baileydonk]

I see nothing wrong with the fire department helping with calls relating to animals. As a rural department, we can get called for something like "my fence blew down and my herd of goats got out". And yeah, if we have the people available we go. My training officer told me "We are here to help people. They call us when something happens that they can't deal with. To them it's an emergency, because they don't know what to do or are unable to do it themselves." I agree, although I would hope the people in our district know to call local dispatch directly rather than calling 911 - and that they would not lie about what's going on.

My beef with this story is with PETA, for acting like these firefighters are on the side of animal rights activists because of their actions. They responded thinking a human infant was in danger. When they found out it was a cat, they rescued it anyway. Most of us would do the same, barring another call coming through - almost every person I know, faced with an animal in front of them scared and in danger, would do what they could to rescue the animal. I would not accept an award from PETA for such an act, because being publicly recognized by PETA is actually providing publicity *for* PETA. It's PETA misrepresenting themselves. It's PETA is standing up and saying "we're all about firefighters saving cats" (which is something most people would agree on, given the fact the firefighters were there), when really what PETA is all about are things that most people would NOT agree with them on. Giving the award is not about thanking the firefighters per se, but rather about PR for PETA...

Yeah, I hate PETA.

[SPFDRum]

Medicmaster:
So are you saying the fire department is not a public service agency?...and yes, public service includes getting cats out of trees (or as in this case sewers.)

Yes we are a "public service" agency; fire, rescue, haz-mat, and EMS. NOT getting animals out of situations they get themselves into. That's why we have a dog catcher.

Bones42:
Does anyone teach fire prevention? How about doing inspections? Neither is an emergency, but something that needs to be done.

And we have a fire prevention/inspection department to do just that.

[CaptainGonzo]

LexFD5...

Since you are in horse country, do you also have a veterinarian specializing in equines respond to those types of calls?

Just curious, as we have an equestrian center in my districtt and small horse farm in our District 3.

We have never done animal recue there, just "human ems" from falls off of horses, kicks,, etc.

Thanks....

DaGonz

[LACAPT]

I'm with you all the way GONZO, thats why the guys in blue have SSG's in the trunk of the cruisers. Double 00 buckshot will bring down the biggest of cats :D . And if any of you animal lovers want to bash me for having a sense of humor, go ahead, cause I don't have a sense of humor, I'm dead serious just like the cat, after the boys in blue are done with it.

[hwoods]

LexFD5...

Since you are in horse country, do you also have a veterinarian specializing in equines respond to those types of calls?

Just curious, as we have an equestrian center in my districtt and small horse farm in our District 3.

We have never done animal recue there, just "human ems" from falls off of horses, kicks,, etc.

Thanks....

DaGonz

We have horses here too, (No, NOT to pull the Steamer :D ) and we do animal rescue as a normal thing, and some Tech Rescue people have training in that field. Our attitude is pretty much "You call, we haul" on whatever the problem is. The idea that "The Emergency is in the eye of the screamer on the phone" isn't lost on us. By being all things to all people, we have a much better chance of getting things that we need, come budget time. The Washington Post Newspaper once did a survey of which government agency provided the best service, we won at 88% of those surveyed, even though we're not truely a Government Agency. Our USAR unit does have a Vet, and a neighbor of mine who is a vet with a local practice, as offered to respond when needed. Last call with a vet in attendance was some years back when a Cow was mired in a swamp. Rescue was successful and the "victim" lived.

[medicmaster]

I understand everyone's points about coverage, taking a unit out of service...etc. I still see no problem sending a half-million dollar apparatus and manpower to do it, with the understanding that if a real call comes in, it will take priority.

I still can't understand why insurance wouldn't cover it though....if you get dispatched, and respond, and you are on the job...regardless if it is a highly involved technical rescue of an infant, or a cat and you get hurt, why wouldn't workman's comp kick in??

As for PETA...what a joke.

When I was in college at Iowa State University...which is primarily a technical/agricultural school...the USDA has an animal disease research facility there in Ames. In 2000, several truck loads of sheep were brought in from the Northeast for testing of Mad Cow disease...which essentially involves slaughtering the animal and dissecting its brain to test for the disease.

Well, PETA showed up and protested the testing and set-up a camp on the outside of town near the facility...they had maybe 50 people show up. Within 6 hours, the animal science and agricultural students staged a protest PETA camp up across the road. They grilled lamb, steaks, hamburgers, chicken...you name it they grilled it... and then advertised it and served it to passerbys for free. There were about 3500 people that showed up....PETA finally packed up and left.

Don't **** with a farmer.

[dmleblanc]

The last "animal rescue" call my group did was for a racoon up a tree. the resident called 911 for that and was outraged that her tax dollars could not be used to rescue the poor animal.

.

Hmmmmm......cat....domesticate d animal, normally lives indoors, dependant on humans for its livelihood, often gets frightened in unusual situations....OK, maybe I can see that....

Raccoon.....LIVES IN FREAKIN' TREES! What did this woman want, for us to rescue the animal from its natural habitat? Geez......

What's next, rescue a bird from a telephone wire? :rolleyes:

[hwoods]

What's next, rescue a bird from a telephone wire? :rolleyes:

DWAYNE!!....... You HAD to mention that, didn't you? Stand By. Some idiot will be calling, any minute now. :D :D :D

[Bones42]

Actually, the 2 seagulls (I hate seagulls) I had to "rescue" were tangled in fishing wire and then the wire got stuck on a roof. (I hate seagulls).

[Rescuepimp]

[QUOTE=inviting the PETA folks back to the firehouse for a barbecue! :D :p ;)
.[/QUOTE]

And roast up some Pig, Deer and Cow... lmao lmao :D :D

[PFDTruck18]

Well if its a public agencies duty to respond, then why not call streets department to flush the sewer then the sanitation department to pick up the carcus or SPCA to "rescue" the cat. Fact is we are an EMERGENCY SERVICE. A cat stuck in a sewer is not a commonly accepted definition of EMERGENCY. We will NOT and should NOT send a company for such a situation. I dont care if your a Volly or Paid, its not a wise use of budgeted money or a wise use of thinly spread resources.

[hwoods]

Seagulls love alka seltzer tablets ........

You got that right. :D :D :D :D :D

[Dalmatian190]

I dont care if your a Volly or Paid, its not a wise use of budgeted money or a wise use of thinly spread resources

95% of the time we, or most anyone else, roles out the doors it's not a wise use of money.

We just have a ****load of morons we have too much societal compassion for.

Where you draw your line is up to your individual community.

Size-up the situation, decide if it's reasonable. If we have the right equipment and knowledge to help without undue risk, no harm, no foul.

And I have no problem if you want this to be part of another city agency -- animal control, public works and FD just backs them up. Heck, many citys have cherry pickers for foresty work that could do the job. Charge a couple hundred dollars for pay / overtime & equipment costs.

[MalahatTwo7]

Seagulls love alka seltzer tablets ........

Bread soaked in liquid draino works too..eerrrr...uummmm ... so I've heard..... I never worked for BC Ferry Corporation - but I've heard the Engineers talk.... ;)

[firemanpat29]

Personnaly, I would rather have the time to assess an animal rescue than the rescue of a person who was trying to rescue the animal.

Scott
check out the story on the main page about the Orlando FD. seems like what
ever we discuss on the forums happens.

[lexfd5]

LexFD5...

Since you are in horse country, do you also have a veterinarian specializing in equines respond to those types of calls?

Just curious, as we have an equestrian center in my districtt and small horse farm in our District 3.

We have never done animal recue there, just "human ems" from falls off of horses, kicks,, etc.

Thanks....

DaGonz

We have a list of contacts that we call if they are needed. Most of the time the "farm" will have already called their vet (BTW some make more than those heart doc persons.)