If it's not one thing, it's another. This week, news broke of a second FDNY social media controversy, this time an EMT Lieutenant who's Twitter handle was "Bad Lieutenant." When confronted by the media about controversial tweets, the Lieutenant broke down, stating "my life is ruined." You can read more about the story here. This follows last week's news of the son of an FDNY Commissioner who resigned after racial, anti-Semitic messages were revealed on his Twitter account; more about that story here.
When I first became involved in public safety many years ago, one of the first pieces of information I learned was that my actions are representative of not only me, but also my organization and my profession. If this is indeed the case, we're all in a lot of trouble, and not just because of the few instances mentioned above. Over the past few years, investigations have been started over molestation in the back of ambulances, drug diversion, certification scams, service delays...the list goes on and on.
We work in a profession where we are always in the public eye, on duty or off. We live in a world where we are connected to the world nearly every second of the day. We have access to social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter where we sound off on everything from the joys of life to our deepest held beliefs. With the privacy policies of these sites changing frequently, it's often difficult to keep anything truly "private" anymore.
We, as a profession, need to start policing ourselves better. We are expected to provide services regardless of race, ethnicity, origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, etc. We are held responsible for the safety and well-being of those within our care, and should treat everyone we encounter with respect.
Are there are abuses within the system we operate in? Yup. Are they going to be fixed anytime soon? Nope. Is it fair to heap scorn on a particular "class" based upon the actions of a few? Absolutely not.
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