The City of Hallandale, Florida hired a private company to provide lifeguards at its beaches, including lifeguard Tommas Lopez.
A swimmer who had been in a nearby area marked "Swim at your own risk" began drowning.
Bystanders rushed to Lopez's lifeguard station and implored him to aid the drowning man.
Lopez reported that he was leaving his station and was told not to leave, but just to call 911 and leave it at that. Lopez refused.
He ran to aid the drowning man. Bystanders had already pulled the man from the water. Lopez rendered first aid and and remained with the victim until an ambulance arrived, as he had been trained to do.
On returning to his station, Lopez was fired. Several of his fellow lifeguards quit because of his firing.
When interviewed, Lopez said that he had not wanted to lose his job, but he was at peace with putting his morals above his own job. (Oh, for more politicians who feel the same as this 21 year old!)
The City Manager said rescues were the city's priority.
The private company said it will investigate and, if Lopez was fired in haste, the company will "make things right."
I heard the above on the Today Show this morning, but here is a link to a cnn article about the events, too.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/05/us/florida-lifeguard-fired/index.htmlSo, how you like your privatization now, City of Hallandale? How you like having your lives depend on a company that is answerable only to its own profits?
(I could maybe see firing Lopez if he had just run off to the rescure, leaving the swimmers in the area for which he was responsible at risk, but he did not do that.)
I hear so many weird FAT stories, FAT standing for Florida, Arizona and Texas.
Meanwhile, beloved, please do not swim in front of a sign that says "Swim at your own risk."
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