Would it be wrong for a Catholic firefighter to not put out a fire at an abortion clinic?

[vz71]

So if you or your family is not at home when your house catches on fire, its ok to let it burn then right?

Actually…yes.

But I should preface that with the knowledge that the means used to put out the fire could be just as damaging as the fire.

Case in point: I watched a restaurant evacuated for smoke.
The fire department was called, they showed up, poured water on everything they could find, and then proceeded to hack the walls to pieces to find hidden hot spots.

The restaurant was a total loss. Not to fire, but to the water and axe damage.

Insurance covered it, they rebuilt. But I learned at that time that if my home catches fire, it is gone. Either the fire will destroy it or the fire department will.

 

[Fairwinds]

Actually…yes.

But I should preface that with the knowledge that the means used to put out the fire could be just as damaging as the fire.

Case in point: I watched a restaurant evacuated for smoke.
The fire department was called, they showed up, poured water on everything they could find, and then proceeded to hack the walls to pieces to find hidden hot spots.

The restaurant was a total loss. Not to fire, but to the water and axe damage.

Insurance covered it, they rebuilt. But I learned at that time that if my home catches fire, it is gone. Either the fire will destroy it or the fire department will.

how the fire is fought or contained is the call of the fire department commander, not the individual scruples of a firefighter.

 

[vz71]

Would you feel that way if we let your home or office burn because no one was in there? If you were out of the state of grace could I let your home burn? If I found out that the people whose home it is used birth control could I let it burn? I am hoping we would all say no…

You are misunderstanding my position here.

I am not calling for a moral judgement here, I was simply looking towards the most non-threatening means of dealing with the fire.

I likewise would not expect firefighters to risk their life saving an unoccupied house, even my own. I would expect them to contain and prevent a spread of the fire.

 

[Jon_S_1]

Actually…yes.

But I should preface that with the knowledge that the means used to put out the fire could be just as damaging as the fire.

Case in point: I watched a restaurant evacuated for smoke.
The fire department was called, they showed up, poured water on everything they could find, and then proceeded to hack the walls to pieces to find hidden hot spots.

The restaurant was a total loss. Not to fire, but to the water and axe damage.

Insurance covered it, they rebuilt. But I learned at that time that if my home catches fire, it is gone. Either the fire will destroy it or the fire department will.

Although things like that can happen (prob if they hadn’t got water everywhere and cut holes, it would have burned to the ground or damaged adjacent property) but that is not the norm. I’d say 90 percent if the fires we go on do not end that way and even when there is extensive smoke and water damage many family photos/heirlooms are saved.

 

[vz71]

Although things like that can happen (prob if they hadn’t got water everywhere and cut holes, it would have burned to the ground or damaged adjacent property) but that is not the norm.

Not exactly on topic, but it turns out an oven started to burn and the smoke got sucked into the vents and spread around. If the cook had the sense to wheel the oven out the back door…
The firefighters apparently could not determine the cause of the smoke straight out, so they searched for it using their axes.

 

[Jon_S_1]

Not exactly on topic, but it turns out an oven started to burn and the smoke got sucked into the vents and spread around. If the cook had the sense to wheel the oven out the back door…
The firefighters apparently could not determine the cause of the smoke straight out, so they searched for it using their axes.

If that’s true I sincerely hope it was a volunteer department…very unprofessional!

 

[PatriceA]

You are misunderstanding my position here.

I am not calling for a moral judgement here, I was simply looking towards the most non-threatening means of dealing with the fire.

I likewise would not expect firefighters to risk their life saving an unoccupied house, even my own. I would expect them to contain and prevent a spread of the fire.

I personally like to leave it to the trained firefighters to make the call on the best way to handle a fire at any building, even the empty ones. But that just must be me.

 

[pollynova]

you didn’t really give that much thought, did you

I don’t need to give it much thought. What on earth could possibly be worth saving in an abortion mill?

 

[Fairwinds]

I don’t need to give it much thought. What on earth could possibly be worth saving in an abortion mill?

I know you didn’t give it much though. we’re talking about whether an individual should take public money and refuse to do his job and endanger his firefighting crew by refusing to work when he doesn’t want to.

its alright by me if you want to burn down the buildings of people you disagree with, but you shouldn’t be a firefighter.

 

[vz71]

its alright by me if you want to burn down the buildings of people you disagree with, but you shouldn’t be a firefighter.

What makes this an interesting discussion is that we are not talking about differing opinions.
We are talking of evil and the question of saving the tools with which the evil is propagated.

 

[Fairwinds]

What makes this an interesting discussion is that we are not talking about differing opinions.
We are talking of evil and the question of saving the tools with which the evil is propagated.

I honestly have no problem with someone not wanting to fight a fire at an abortion clinic. just don’t take the city’s pay under false pretenses and don’t endanger teammates. don’t be a firefighter.

 

[PatriceA]

What makes this an interesting discussion is that we are not talking about differing opinions.
We are talking of evil and the question of saving the tools with which the evil is propagated.

But as you pointed out in one of your earlier threads, the insurance company will just give the clinic the money to rebuild, so you’re really not “saving” anything if you let the building just burn. But I do thing you have crossed a dangerous line when you ask a firefighter to disregard the job because of their personal views about the building that is currently on fire. What happens when its a firefighter that may hate Catholics and a Catholic Church is on fire? Or a firefighter that hates Jews and its a Synagogue?

 

[hwriggles4]

Fellow Firefighters:

I was an EMT/Firefighter for a volunteer fire department south of Houston, Texas. Spent five years there and enjoyed it. 70% of my time was EMS, and that was most of the calls. Had quite a bit of older folks in the area, so I responded to a variety of sick calls. Our department allowed us the option of either running on the engine company, running on the ambulance, or doing both. For two years, I did both Fire and EMS.

The last three, I had returned to college full-time, so to get a more regular schedule, (and the fact I found I liked EMS better) I changed over to strictly EMS. I haven’t run a call in a number of years (although I have stopped to help on automobile accidents sometimes) and I miss it, but I’ve had a good career, and I did design fire protection systems for a number of years too.

These threads say it best. **When the call goes out, you go no matter what. You give 110% to every patient. ** I love the line in the movie The Guardian when Neal McDonough’s character (who is a Chief Petty Officer E-7 in the Coast Guard) says, “when the Navy is scared to go out, they call us!”, but I digress.

Getting back to the question - Yes, I would start CPR and utilize the AED on a heart attack victim at a strip club (I remember many Saturday night bar fight calls at 2:00 a.m.), and I definitely would help a 19 year old having complications after an abortion. I’ve rendered aid for those who had been arrested, and I’ve helped on one or two psychiatric cases. One sad call I still recall was a suicide - when we arrived, the 27 year old male was already in rigor mortis. Several EMS crews in larger cities respond daily to stabbings, shootings, and drug overdoses.

Today, the city where I was a volunteer firefighter south of Houston has gone to an all-paid EMS crew, with two paramedics (in my day, our ambulance was all EMT’s - basic life support only) on the ambulance working 24 hour shifts. The ambulance is now city run. However, the fire department is still there, and is still all volunteer. When I visited last year, I was glad to see a bunch of young guys out there, and ran into two or three guys who are still there. I still remember that day in 1989 when I got my rookie helmet. A couple neighboring volunteer fire departments down there have either gone “all paid” or pay a day crew consisting of firefighters. In Texas, every certified firefighter has to be at least a certified basic level EMT.

The bottom line is …every firefighter, every EMT, and every Paramedic - when the call goes out, they go, no matter what. Johnny and Roy always did.

 

[jmcrae]

Lets say an abortion clinic is on fire. There is no one in the building. Would it be wrong for a Catholic firefighter to let the building burn down so that it wouldn’t be rebuilt? I don’t know how to feel about is. On the one hand there is no one hurt, but there is property damage. Yet its property damage to something evil. So would it be okay for a Catholic firefighter not to put the fire out.

Yes, it would be wrong for him to let it burn down. Letting it burn down would cause there to be toxins in the local drinking water from the burned materials in the building, such as plastics, certain kinds of wood, and any chemicals in the lab of the clinic, or even cleaning supplies.

Also there is the danger to other buildings in the same neighborhood, including houses that might have children inside them.

 

[Mickey_Finn]

If that’s true I sincerely hope it was a volunteer department…very unprofessional!

I guess it depends on the situation. Different departments handle things differently.

As for whether or not to put out the fire in an abortion clinic. If the Op doesn’t want to put out fires. There are thousands of laid off firefighters who would take his place.

ATB

 

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