A few days ago I along with many others throughout the country watched on the news as a fire engulfed a Tennessee home and eventually left nothing but ashes. For the most part that would not even makes major media outlets in the state let alone national new media but this was strikingly different from a regular fire: the fire department was on scene and allowing the home to burn to the ground. There was nothing left after the fire to include lives of the family’s pets. I’m going to give my thoughts as a public servant, like those firefighters are without focusing on the issue of whether a fee was paid or not, intentionally or unintentionally. That’s not the issue. Although I am from the law enforcement community I still fall under public safety and the same principles can be applied and here is why…..
The government’s most important duty is to protect it’s citizens and the property of those citizens so they can live their lives free from violence, danger and anything else that could threaten them. Government has the ability to ensure that those entrusted to protect it’s citizens are equipped with the best training, equipment and people for the task. Being entrusted to carry a weapon, detain people and take their liberty (lawfully) and in some cases end their lives is not something every person can or would want to do. There are standards set by laws and policies that ensure the government is doing it’s job effectively and not becoming part of the problem it is trying to defend against. Law enforcement responds and serves their respective communities through the power vested in them to the best of the ability as part of their fiduciary responsibility the government expects and most importantly requires. Law enforcement is paid by the government who in turn receives a portion of their funding through taxes the law requires citizens to pay. Everyone pays taxes in accordance with applicable law based on their income level and so forth. It’s the way our government has functions since it’s inception and I’m a firm believer of the old saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
As I watched the video of the firefighters, my brothers and sisters in public safety sit idly by and watch a house they are ethically required to attend to I put it into the perspective from a law enforcement standpoint and what would happen if it were police officers, or sheriff’s deputies standing around while a crime was being committed. I did that and felt a sickness develop in my stomach. As someone who took a job in government that requires me to keep people safe I couldn’t imagine any situation in which I would be present and openly watch a person being victimized by crime if I was in uniform and had the ability and tools necessary to do something. I couldn’t imagine watching a woman or child being sexually assaults or robbed crying for my help and offering to do anything to help from being victimized. I can’t shave with my eyes closed which means I have to look in the mirror every day and accept the decisions I’ve made.
This a la carte style of public safety would be particularly even worse involving law enforcement. Could you imagine if not every student in Virginia Tech did not pay their “protection fee” during the tragic massacre that occurred? Let’s get beyond the fact that implementing such a policy would be nearly impossible but who ethically flawed and just flat out wrong on a human level. While the private citizen does not have the requirement of law to protect the government and it’s agents – public safety – does. I remember Virginia Tech massacre again seeing student running away from those horrific sounds of gunfire while my brothers and sisters from Virginia Tech and Blacksburg Police ran towards the gun fire in order to neutralize the threat. What if Virginia Tech administrators did not pay their university’s “protection fee” and therefore would not have the protection our society expects for the government. Imagine, if politicians like this Tennessee mayor had their way and implemented the a la carte style of protection and the lower income communities which already experience higher crime rates in general could not afford these “protection fees”? How many more people would be victims of violent crime with the criminal offenders knowing they would have free reign on these communities that could not pay their “protection fee.”
I was pleased to see my brothers and sisters at the International Association of Fire Fighters International address this issue in the correct way. Hopefully it will begin the healing process that needs to occur throughout the United States after millions of people who expect fire protection from their government saw such an epic failure of moral and ethical responsibility. As a public servant I can assure you that I will do everything in my being as a citizen of our society to ensure that the video we saw and the politician who allowed it will never allow this to go beyond what we say that day.
