Improper use of City equipment

[NJFFSA16]

Any bets on someone getting in hot water?

LA firefighter proposes to girlfriend using firetruck ladder
vanlml1
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A 26-year-old firefighter, his heart aflame
with love, used a 100-foot aerial ladder to propose marriage to his
23-year-old girlfriend.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Lee Castillo
told Megan Porco. "I love you. Will you marry me?"
Castillo, with the Fire Department two years, climbed to the
second floor patio of a Sherman Oaks restaurant Wednesday, getting
a lift from a hook-and-ladder firetruck. He brought along a diamond
ring and a dozen red roses.
Porco was having lunch with her parents when Castillo suddenly
appeared in his dress uniform.
"I wanted to make it special for her," Castillo said.
Castillo was on a day off, but fellow on-duty firefighters from
Station 88 stopped at the restaurant while on routine patrol of the
neighborhood, said city fire spokesman Brian Humphrey.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[MIKEYLIKESIT]

Geek

[jaybird210]

Originally posted by MIKEYLIKESIT

GEEK

Absolutely. One of our neighbors had this happen a couple years ago. HE called the local paper to tell them it was gonig to happen, and they took pictures (dumbass). The FD took a LOT of heat from the community (and rightly so). The FD claimed the truck was never out of service, but if the main is in the air and he's climbing half way up, how long does it take for him to stop mid sentence, scramble back down, bed the rig and get going again?

"Honey, will you mar----- oops! Those are our tones! I gotta go!"

"Sorry your house burned down, ma'am, but we couldn't get it ventilated quickly enough. See, our truck was on the other side of town being used for a marrige proposal."

[Scoop422]

Lighten up. How many times does the city pull a truck out to go in a parade or to a fun fair or a day care. It sounds like they were in district. Maybe the guys shouldn't ever do aerial drill in case they get the tones and a guy is halfway up and has to come down and bed the rig. "Sorry ma'am your house burned down because we were training."

[MIKEYLIKESIT]

Apples and oranges

Sorry, It wasnt a drill. It wasn't Pub ed. Where do you draw the line?

[kghemtp]

Ok, I feel like I'm speaking right out of "Backdraft" but it seems perfectly befitting that the firefighter AND the truck be proposing, since she will be marrying the department too.

The use of a ladder for anything other than fire suppression and rescue of human life could be debated endlessly. Why do we get cats out of trees or help string holiday lights? Service to the community. What better service than to make one of our brothers the happiest he can be when marrying the love of his life, all because of the "perfect" proposal for him. It's resourceful, which is what we are as firefighters, and it cost the town nothing. Ok, maybe someone should check with the powers that be around town to get the thumbs up on such an activity, but otherwise no harm came. If the maneuver was dangerous, like blocking traffic or putting the stick 2 feet from the high voltage line, ok we call this stupid and bad judgment.

With that, I wish Lee & Megan the best


~Kevin
FF/Paramedic

[dfdex1]

I see no harm done useing the aerial for 5 minutes. It's not like it was LA's ONLY ladder. Obviously the Captain or Lt. thought it was ok and now him and his brothers got some fat to chew around the dinner table. I also know from personel expierience that when your in love your not thinking straight anyway.

[MIKEYLIKESIT]

" BACKDRAFT" was a MOVIE. Listen, I am all for romance etc. But this guy has been a fireman for TWO whole years. I wish these young people all the best in the world, but I STILL don't like fire trucks being used in this manner. What if she had said NO ?

[Lewiston2FF]

Originally posted by MIKEYLIKESIT
What if she had said NO ?

Charge it!

[waterboy1]

All this about the truck being out of service and no comments about being tied to the old ball and chain for the next 50 or 60 years.
Honey do this, honey do that, NO you can't do that, I have a headache, etc. etc.

[kghemtp]

Backdraft wasn't a "How to" video??

Other than venting operations & human rescues, are there any other applications you find a Truck is appropriate for?


~Kevin
FF/Paramedic

[ffemt1361]

Ok I don't know if I'm the only female that has posted about this thread yet but here it goes. It is a romantic gesture. The OIC apparently knew what was going on. It takes a special kind of woman to love a man in the Fire Service. Love a fireman love the fire department. Marry a fireman and marry the fire departmnet. It's the price to pay for true love. In away it's even better when you meet someone thats in the service as well. I met Kevin and I couldn't be happier. I probably would have a hard time saying no if my boyfriend climbed the ladder and proposed to me. I'm a sucker for things like that.

[Duffman]

Why do we get cats out of trees or help string holiday lights?

Why do you do those things?

Ever see a cat skeleton in a tree? I didn't think so.

I too think the guy is sort of a geek, but the responsibility lies with the ranking officer that had knowledge of the act.

[lutan1]

the responsibility lies with the ranking officer that had knowledge of the act

Spot on!

It's not like it was LA's ONLY ladder.

Spot on again!

How many times does the city pull a truck out to go in a parade or to a fun fair or a day care. It sounds like they were in district. Maybe the guys shouldn't ever do aerial drill in case they get the tones

Guess what? Spot on again!

I'm sure if we look at EVERY single department world wide, somewhere along the line, a vehicle or piece of equipment would have been used in an "inappropriate" manner if that's what you want to call it....

[CollegeBuff]

Re: Improper use of City equipment

Here's my favorite part:

Originally posted by NJFFSA16
[B] but fellow on-duty firefighters from
Station 88 stopped at the restaurant while on routine patrol of the
neighborhood,
(

"Patrol."

Last time I checked, there are people get paid to "patrol" nightborhoods.

They're called COPS.