Firefighter refused call to Tucson shooting spree scene - Cited "Political Bantering"

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Arizona Daily Star

A veteran city firefighter's refusal to respond to the Jan. 8 shooting spree, citing "political bantering," may have slowed his Tucson Fire Department unit's response to the incident that left six dead and 13 wounded, city memos show.

The firefighter, Mark Ekstrum, retired from his 28-year career two days later, while his supervisors were still considering how to discipline him, internal memos obtained by the Arizona Daily Star in a public-records request show.

In a Jan. 9 report on Ekstrum's actions, fire Capt. Ben Williams wrote that when Ekstrum first told him he would not go out on the call, "he mentioned something about 'political bantering' and he did not want to be part of it." He said he was acting "for the good of the crew."

Williams said he told Ekstrum he could not refuse a call for that reason, and then talked to the firefighter privately in his office. He said Ekstrum "started to say something about how he had a much different political viewpoint than the rest of the crew and he was concerned." Despite being told that was not acceptable, Williams said Ekstrum informed him he was going home "sick," so they answered the call without him.



Read more: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_68abdf02-1d37-5e14-9974-6eeff8a22210.html

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He said he voted for Giffords and was distraught. But if he couldn't separate his feelings from his job he damn well needed to retire. And somehow I don't believe him.

[grasswire]

1. something doesn't ring true here

I wonder, I wonder...

[somone]

2. Whatever his political persuasion, he should have been fired

[strategery blunder]

3. Sounds like the classic case of "I resign before you can fire me."

For good reason. Answering an emergency call should transcend political considerations.

[JDPriestly]

5. Sounds like he felt very angry at the shootings and felt that his

anger would interfere with his ability to perform properly at the scene of the problem. I can understand how he felt, but it was his job to perform well even when he was angry at the shooter.

[EC]

4. Glad to see he retired

But it reads to me like some of the other guys there were like the tea people and he blamed them and was afraid of blowing up at them?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. From other sources it looks like the issue was with the crew he was on, not Giffords

Regardless he should have responded.

[trud]

6. This doesn't make a lot of sense. n/t

[groundloop]

8. It seems that there's just way way too much political divisiveness going on right now

And I put most of it on the fact that many republicans can't stand the fact that a black man got elected President.

[DeSwiss]

9. K&R n/t

[saras]

10. Maybe he kept his crew out because he didn't trust THEM, not himself

If he suspected, with good reason, that most of the crew would side with the shooter, and work to further his agenda - then what should he have done?