The Loadout Room
Menu
  • Shooting
        • Pistol
        • Pistol Accessories
        • Rifle
        • Rifle Accessories
        • Shotgun
        • Machine Guns
        • Air Guns
        • Ammunition
        • Optics and Sights
        • Weapon Lights
        • Tips & How-To
        • Concealed Carry
        • Holsters
        • Suppressors
        • Precision Rifle Shooting
        • Firearms Training
        • 1A Gun to Ride the River With: The Smith & Wesson 686
        • The Tristar folding shotgun is ready for your wilderness adventuresThe Tristar folding shotgun is ready for your wilderness adventures
        • maxim defense cqb stock (8)The Maxim Defense CQB Stock: Short and Sweet
        • Perfecting your zero | A little help goes a LONG wayPerfecting your zero | A little help goes a LONG way
    • Close
  • Gear Reviews
      • Mission Gear
      • Camping Gear
      • Survival Gear
      • Medical Gear
      • Adventure & Travel
      • Knives & Tools
      • Overland
      • Disaster Preparedness
      • Footwear
      • Womens Gear & Clothing
        • RIP-MVehicle Preparedness: Fast access to essential items | Grey Man Tactical RIP-M
        • Midland radioOverland Essential | Midland Radio MXT275 | GXT1000
        • ppGrab your gear and go | Here’s everything you’d need to build an adventure go bag
        • Scrubba Washbag: Keep your clothes clean in the fieldScrubba Washbag: Keep your clothes clean in the field
    • Close
  • Men’s Lifestyle
      • Fitness
      • EDC
      • Eyewear
      • Watches
      • Electronics & Technology
      • Downtime
      • Mens Clothing & Accessories
      • Manly Skills
      • Style & Grooming
      • Gentleman Drinks
      • Crate Club
        • The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stingerThe Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger
        • How to determine how long you have before the sun setsHow to determine how long you have before the sun sets
        • fireWilderness survival expert breaks down how to build a fire
        • 5.11 Tactical Expedition Long Sleeve Shirt5.11 Tactical Expedition Long Sleeve Shirt, SWAT Tested and Approved
    • Close
  • News
  • Video Demo
  • Shop

Opinion: Lack of support at the top makes first responders’ jobs even harder

June 22, 2019 by Loadout Room Guest Authors Leave a Comment

After I finished college, I spent a few years as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) working for a busy 9-1-1 ambulance service in the Florida Panhandle. I learned a lot about myself (like my irrational fear of umbilical cords), and a lot about our society as a whole. It’s an experience I am incredibly grateful for, as I got to see the absolute best and worst aspects of humanity on a daily basis, and I was proud of the job I was doing. Although I didn’t make a career out of it, I left with a lot of essential skills and life lessons that continue to serve me well every day.

The most important skill I learned is my ability to write and tell a story. That isn’t to say I think I’m a good writer, but I wrote well enough to keep my ass out of court. Once, I was called before a team of lawyers for an incident that occurred at a large sporting event. Two men got into a fight, and the aggressor was arrested and charged. I ended up treating the victim. On that particular day, I probably saw around 20 different patients, and I had no recollection of this specific person. Thankfully, I had documented the encounter so well that it didn’t matter whether I remembered or not — all the information that was needed was in the report. But I could tell that the attorney was looking for any reason to call my care into question. If he could do that, he could discredit the evidence that his client had hurt the victim.

I was lucky I had taken the time to do a good job, but I was luckier I had an employer who had my back and taught me how to document. A lot of first responders aren’t as lucky. Take for instance the case of former US Marine and Afghanistan veteran Stephen Mader, who was fired from his job as a police officer with the Weirton Police Department in West Virginia for not shooting an armed suspect who was, according to Pro Publica, attempting to trick the officer into killing him. The practice is known as “suicide by cop,” and Mader recognized that the suspect’s gun did not have a magazine loaded. Mader determined that the man was not a threat. Two other police officers showed up and shot the man, killing him. The department criticized Mader for not shooting the suspect and terminated him, as the police chief felt that Mader was unfit to be a police officer.

I’m not even remotely qualified to speculate whether the police shooting in West Virginia was justified; however, it’s just one of countless examples of what can happen to first responders when their command staff do not have their back. It’s easy for an organization to fire one person and claim “they’re a bad apple.” It’s a lot harder for those organizations to admit liability — the urge to cover their ass is too great, and it’s one of the lesser thought-about dangers of being a first responder.

 

Feature image courtesy of Max Pixel

This article was written by Joseph LeFave for NEWSREP

Share This

Filed Under: Featured, Op-Ed Tagged With: editorial cartoon, EMT, firefighter, First Responders, Headline, Joseph Lafave, police, Political Cartoon

More From The Loadout Room

Comments

What’s Hot

Top 8 upgrades every Kel-Tec Sub 2000 owner needs: MCARBO parts review
Featured

Top 8 upgrades every Kel-Tec Sub 2000 owner needs: MCARBO parts review

Why .45ACP is an outdated caliber
Ammunition

Why 45 ACP is an outdated caliber

Ammunition

The Reasons Why FBI Went to Back to 9mm

AR Build Kits under $300
Firearms Technology

Peak AR: Davidson Defense AR Build Kits under $300

Safariland Model 7304 ALS/SLS holster
Firearms Accessories

Safariland Model 7304 ALS/SLS holster

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates daily and to hear what's going on with us!

In Case You Missed It

Gear Reviews

A Gun to Ride the River With: The Smith & Wesson 686

October 9, 2019 Leave a Comment

Camping Gear

The MSR Pocket Rocket | Your little camp dragon

October 8, 2019 Leave a Comment

The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger
EDC

The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger

October 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

Gear Reviews

A plate carrier for the big boys: AR500’s Testudo Gen 2 is a good pick for large frames

October 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

Get it on Google Play

© Copyright 2021 Crate Club Group · All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertisers