Firefighter Saves Woman But Is Punished After Not Following Protocol
Firefighter Fran Cheney recently saved Mary Jackson's life when she was trapped and choking on smoke in a Philadelphia warehouse fire. Cheney even donated his overtime pay to the Jackson family to help them get back on their feet after the destructive fire. Why then is this firefighter facing investigation? Because he did not follow life saving protocol. Yep.
Steven, my husband, is a firefighter. Last night we were talking about this story and we both agree that protocols exist to protect first responders. By taking off his mask and offering it to Mary Jackson during the fire, this firefighter put himself at risk for injury. I doubt Fran Cheney (the Philadelphia firefighter in question) would deny that he did put himself at risk. But, more importantly, if he could go back and do things differently, would he? Probably not. I can't speak for Mr. Cheney, but here is a guy who saved someone's life. He probably knows he didn't follow protocol. He is also probably very well trained to perform his job. But sometimes there comes a time in the career of a first responder where they place their intuition and ability to problem solve over protocol.
"If I was worried about that, I wouldn't be here, and neither would any of these guys that I work with," Cheney said. "That's what we do. That's who we are." --Fox News