Lifeguard fired for trying to save life

• isadore

  Corporate America at its best.
  
  A Florida lifeguard has been booted from his lifeguard chair for running to save a man who was floundering in the surf.Tomas Lopez , 21, was fired by his supervisor for vacating his lifeguarding zone to save a man drowning in an unprotected area of the beach in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Monday, reports the Sun Sentinel.
  Lopez' employer is not paid to patrol the zone where the man had been in trouble. According to the Sun Sentinel, Lopez was approached by a beachgoer who pointed out a man struggling in the water nearly 1,500 feet south of his post.
  Instinctively, he ran down the beach to save him. By the time Lopez got to him, he had been pulled to shore by fellow beachgoers.
  Following his rescue attempt, Lopez was let go for leaving the area he was supposed to be covering
  Jeff Ellis and Associates, a private aquatic safety contractor, is hired by the city to patrol the beaches. The company is also in charge of hiring and training the city's lifeguards.
  Susan Ellis, spokeswoman for Jeff Ellis and Associates, told the Sun Sentinel that Lopez broke company rules when he left his zone, and cited "liability issues" that may have occurred as a result of Lopez leaving his designated area.
  Ellis could not be reached for further comment.
  
  
  gosh a ruddies of course the world is full of corporate apologists.
• BR1986FB

  
• Steel Valley Football

  He made a choice.
• hasbeen

  

  I can see both sides. Tough situation especially since someone else saves the person.
• redstreak one

  

  To save a fellow human beings life, which he was trained to do. This is why I dont post on here very much, too much extreme for me. Its like high school all over, I am cooler than you and I will post or say anything to look good.
  
  In the long run, this young mans life will be better for what he did.
• dlazz

  redstreak one;1218778 wrote: This is why I dont post on here very much, too much extreme for me. Its like high school all over, I am cooler than you and I will post or say anything to look good.

  
  There was no reason at all to bring that up.
  
  Also, this is a textbook example of how America has deteriorated as a society. God forbid the guy tries to help someone out.
• raiderbuck

  Insurance liability > someone's life
  
  Nice to see that company has their priorities in order.
• Sonofanump

  isadore;1218737 wrote:cited "liability issues"

  Well no shit. With the lack of tort reform and liberal judges that allow frivolous lawsuits by less than moral attorneys (you have a summary judgment authority, use it) and anything into evidence to allow runway jury verdicts, why would anyone be surprised that common sense has gone away due to a cover you own ass society.</SPAN>
• Steel Valley Football

  dlazz;1218833 wrote:There was no reason at all to bring that up.
  
  Also, this is a textbook example of how America has deteriorated as a society. God forbid the guy tries to help someone out.

  
  That's not at all what this is.
• dlazz

  Steel Valley Football;1218875 wrote:That's not at all what this is.

  We're run by lawyers, like someone else mentioned. It's made us quick to point fingers and shift blame.
• DeadliestWarrior34

  

  Here we go again with SVF and his rants. He probably thought slavery was right at the time since there was no law against it and the government is always right.
• dlazz

  DeadliestWarrior34;1218885 wrote:Here we go again with SVF and his rants. He probably thought slavery was right at the time since there was no law against it and the government is always right.

  Yeah, I should've caught myself biting at his trolling. I'll delete my post.
• DeadliestWarrior34

  

  dlazz;1218887 wrote:Yeah, I should've caught myself biting at his trolling. I'll delete my post.

  I don't think he's trolling on purpose, I just think he's that stupid.
• justincredible

  

  raiderbuck;1218860 wrote:Insurance liability > someone's life
  
  Nice to see that company has their priorities in order.

  Yep.
  
  Like redstreak said, the guy is going to be better off in the long run. I would not want to work for a company that would fire me for saving someone's life anyway.
• Steel Valley Football

  Or, maybe he made a stupid point.
• Steel Valley Football

  justincredible;1218898 wrote:Yep.
  
  Like redstreak said, the guy is going to be better off in the long run. I would not want to work for a company that would fire me for saving someone's life anyway.

  Did he save someone's life? Or did he leave his beach area unattended and unguarded?
• dlazz

  Steel Valley Football;1218904 wrote:Did he save someone's life? Or did he leave his beach area unattended and unguarded?

  If a city cop observes an old woman getting mugged outside of city limits, should the cop intervene or report it to the dispatcher so they can send a sherriff?
• Rotinaj

  

  dlazz;1218906 wrote:If a city cop observes an old woman getting mugged outside of city limits, should the cop intervene or report it to the dispatcher so they can send a sherriff?

  Depends. Is it a pit bull that is mugging the old woman?
• dlazz

  Rotinaj;1218914 wrote:Depends. Is it a pit bull that is mugging the old woman?

  No, but the person mugging her is poor and will use the funds that he is acquiring from the old woman to purchase a pitbull.
• Steel Valley Football

  dlazz;1218906 wrote:If a city cop observes an old woman getting mugged outside of city limits, should the cop intervene or report it to the dispatcher so they can send a sherriff?

  According to whom?
• LJ

  

  Steel Valley Football;1218904 wrote:Did he save someone's life? Or did he leave his beach area unattended and unguarded?

  He saved someone's life.
  
  Other lifeguards have quit the company over the firing according to the AMA on reddit. http://www.reddit.com/r/iama/comments/w24m9/
• justincredible

  

  Steel Valley Football;1218922 wrote:According to whom?

  According to the mugger. Obviously, the answer is no.
  
  But seriously, what are you asking? Yes, the cop should intervene. Always.
• justincredible

  

  LJ;1218925 wrote:He saved someone's life.
  
  Other lifeguards have quit the company over the firing according to the AMA on reddit. http://www.reddit.com/r/iama/comments/w24m9/

  Awesome. I hope they all quit.
• LJ

  

  justincredible;1218926 wrote:According to the mugger. Obviously, the answer is no.
  
  But seriously, what are you asking? Yes, the cop should intervene. Always.

  If you talk to any cop, their chief tells them to always have their badge and gun on them at all times and to stop any crimes they can.
  
  I have a friends that are Johnstown (K9) and CPD. One friend that is CPD stopped an assault in a grocery store parking lot that was in Gahanna jusridiction and he was praised by CPD and GPD.
• Al Bundy

  isadore;1218737 wrote:Corporate America at its best.
  
  A Florida lifeguard has been booted from his lifeguard chair for running to save a man who was floundering in the surf.Tomas Lopez , 21, was fired by his supervisor for vacating his lifeguarding zone to save a man drowning in an unprotected area of the beach in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Monday, reports the Sun Sentinel.
  Lopez' employer is not paid to patrol the zone where the man had been in trouble. According to the Sun Sentinel, Lopez was approached by a beachgoer who pointed out a man struggling in the water nearly 1,500 feet south of his post.
  Instinctively, he ran down the beach to save him. By the time Lopez got to him, he had been pulled to shore by fellow beachgoers.
  Following his rescue attempt, Lopez was let go for leaving the area he was supposed to be covering
  Jeff Ellis and Associates, a private aquatic safety contractor, is hired by the city to patrol the beaches. The company is also in charge of hiring and training the city's lifeguards.
  Susan Ellis, spokeswoman for Jeff Ellis and Associates, told the Sun Sentinel that Lopez broke company rules when he left his zone, and cited "liability issues" that may have occurred as a result of Lopez leaving his designated area.
  Ellis could not be reached for further comment.
  
  
  gosh a ruddies of course the world is full of corporate apologists.

  gosh a ruddies. We should tax the rich, so that we can build a giant wall along our coastline to protect people from this killer water.