First Published 9/24/08

From article on two Texas firefighters recently charged with arson:

Ervin said Southard has no previous criminal record or activity and had been recognized as rookie of the year and firefighter of the year by the Cloverleaf department in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

“He wanted to be a firefighter all his life,” Ervin said. “He’s a nice, intelligent kid from a good family. This is one of these things that’s just hard to figure other than as an immature act.”

Southard had attended San Jacinto College and received his basic Texas firefighter certification in 2006, his lawyer said.

Romero has two previous theft convictions, one of them for stealing equipment from another fire department where he served. The second conviction brought a 10-month state jail sentence.

Question: did these two “firefighters” know the difference between right and wrong when they set the fires? Did these two “firefighters” know that it violated the law to set the fires? Did these two “firefighters” know that it was reasonable to believe that their actions would cause damage to the properties?

The answer in all cases is “YES”! And for that, they should be convicted and sentenced to the fullest extent of the law. Add five (5) more years because they were firefighters.

The reason that I put the quote at the beginning is because, when I read it, I see someone making excuses or at the very least, offering a rationale for why the fires were set by these two. The tone of the article would lend itself to, were it not for these fires, Southard would still be a portrait of the “all American boy”. His actions were characterized as “immature”. IMMATURE? Let me tell you; an immature act would be putting your hand in your armpit and making farting noises. Setting a fire is not, by any stretch of the imagination, an immature act. It is a CRIMINAL act. When we, as a fire service, make any effort to trivialize the criminal act of a firefighter, we are enabling them. When we fail to cry out for harsh punishment for those who are caught, tried and convicted of setting fires, we are turning a deaf ear and a blind eye. And that is very troubling to me. We have become a society who wants to believe that there is no longer any personal accountability for our actions. We grasp for reasons, no matter how absurd they seem, in an effort to justify the act. We have to make it more palatable to deal with the unpleasant fall out of the reality.

Why can’t we simply say: “you screwed up; you got caught and now you must atone”?

I can’t speak for the rest of you, but I am sick and tired of the excuses. From the time we are born, we are taught the difference between right and wrong. Even if kids never see their parents, lacked a “home” life, school would step in and fill the void. If we walked down the street and violated a law, a cop would correct it. So, to claim that someone didn’t know the difference between right and wrong is indefensible.

Yeah, yeah, yeah; let’s not forget the “insanity” plea. But this testament to the power of the lawyer lobby has been diluted and polluted to the point that the person is no longer insane; it’s that they and their attorney put forth a defense that, because it was so eloquently presented, wins the hearts and minds of the judge and jury. They get style points, an “A” for effort and the criminal is acquitted of their crime. Don’t get me started on “innocent by reason of insanity”. We are insane to accept that as a rule of law.

So, we continue to see firefighters who are “bored” setting fires. Articles continue to indicate that, absent of this ONE act; these are fine, upstanding members of our community. They are family men, our neighbors; someone we trust with our lives. Which is why, in my mind, they are SCUM. They should never wear the uniform again or serve with a fire department anywhere in the continental United States. There should not be a “get out of jail free” card for them and there should not be a second chance as a firefighter. Firefighters know all too well the destructive powers of a fire on an emotional and physical level and should never, never set a fire for other than training. It violates our mission and it destroys the public trust in an entire organization.

If these mutts want forgiveness, they can get in line right behind the crack heads and career criminals. THEY have reasons for what they do, too.

 TCSS.