Florida lifeguard fired for helping drowning man
 

A lifeguard who left his section of a Florida beach to help save a man from drowning has been given the sack.

Tomas Lopez, 21, was patrolling part of Hallandale Beach north of Miami when he was told that a swimmer was in trouble in an unguarded area of the beach.

"I wasn't going to say no," the lifeguard said.

But his bosses said he had broken company rules and could have put other swimmers at risk. At least two colleagues have resigned in protest.

"We have liability issues and can't go out of the protected area," Susan Ellis of lifeguard provider Jeff Ellis and Associates told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

She added that the stretch of Hallandale Beach that Mr Lopez was supposed to be patrolling on Monday was being protected by other lifeguards who were on the phone to emergency operators at the time.

Mr Lopez, four months in the job, ran some distance to help the swimmer who had already been pulled out of the water by other beachgoers.

He and an off-duty nurse then helped the man until paramedics arrived to take him to hospital. The unidentified swimmer is said to be in intensive care.

Mr Lopez has no regrets about losing his $8.25-an-hour (£5.30; 6.60 euros) job.

"I think it's ridiculous, honestly, that a sign is what separates someone from being safe and not safe," Mr Lopez told CBS television.

A colleague, on finding out that he had been fired, said he radioed his manager to cover the beach for him and promptly quit.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18715684

Actually by law, he may have had a duty to act since he was employed on a public beach.

But this was a private company hired to protect a certain stretch of beach, its like a renta cop leaving the warehouse he was asked to monitor.

Believe it or not I went to school for EMS and actually worked for two private lifeguard companies. Both companies I know would want you to make a rescue that was "within sight". One was Knott's and the other was a Lake.

It's my opinion since this company is protecting the public, on a contract they do indeed have a duty to act. In the U.S. a lot of ambulance companies that respond to 911 calls are in fact privately owned corporations as well... that does not relieve them of their duty to act. It could be debated that this company is acting as "EMS" due to their status as First Responders that probably provide first aid as well, which technically makes them an EMS component.

If I was this guy, I would start a campaign to not renew this company's contract next year.

I for one would never let company policies prevent me from doing what is right, or to protect myself.

This is like a corporation telling you your "not allowed" to fight off somebody that's robbed you and now telling you to turn around and get on your knees... only the ignorant blatantly take corporate policies to the extreme.

Sad that corporate BS would get in the way of assisting someone...

They are all crazy to fire him because he helped in such situation

America.

Sweet liberty.

:2 cents:

The US is getting sillier by the day.

Zero tolerance = zero compassion.

Laws beat life.

Sadly... when you can sue anyone for anything you get this sort of foolishness.

Since DV always posts two day old news, there is already a review going on by the company and the guy may get his job back.

Too true:2 cents::thumbsup

Pathetic.

Swim between the fucking flags.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/bro...,4887768.story

The owner of the company has offered his job back.

Pretty sad

That's idiotic...

hard to judge without all the facts. i have to believe there were other issues, maybe he broke other rules or had poor attendance. seems like something that merits a warning.

You are NOT, depending on who you work for.

A person who was a delivery driver for Pizza Hut was robbed and was starting to get beat down, with the back of a handgun. The driver pulled out a gun and shot into the air. He was FIRED.

A lifeguard is CPR certified and by law must render aid when someone is in distress.

Do corporate rules trump the law?

Would the company have defended him against lawsuits if he was sued for failing to render aid? Even if he could have won the suit would the company have provided a lawyer?

oops i just saw your thread..lol

Yes, but, by law if he knew the warehouse was on fire and there was people in it he might have been required to act.

I have no issues with what he did. In fact, he might be a hero.

When the company says "just following the rules, you're fired" all I hear is "You should have let that guy drown."

Sad when saving a life is worth less than maintaining some rule that doesn't take into account nor have any provision for alternate scenarios. Anyone with an ounce of decency in them would have done what that Lopez kid did. He should be reinstated, and the guy who fired him bitchslapped for not having the brains to realise that their "rule" needs amending, not blind following.

i cant afford to learn how to swim... :(

Another spastic dvtimes thread

Better fired then dead. Your only "now allowed" to defend yourself due to corporate policy, when my life is in imminent danger I don't care what some self serving corporation's corporate rules are... it's between me and the attacker at that point.

The swimmer knew what he was getting himself into. He knew he was in an unprotected area and he still decided to go into the watter. If he wanted protection he should have gone to the protected area.

I would have a hard time living my life knowing I let a someone die to protect my $8.25 an hour job. Good for him!

This pretty much puts it all in perspective

He was paid to protect the people in the water in front of the stretch of beach assigned to him. People depended on him. People like parents with children are more likely to go into the water in protected areas than unprotected areas. The lifeguard abandoned all those people he had agreed to protect. He is not a hero. He is an idiot or an attention whore. He put a lot of people in danger to help another idiot who knowingly went into an unprotected part of the sea.

That Law is only in different states. And if the person is drowning they don't need CPR till drowned. LOL

its florida, nothing coming from that state should surprise anyone.

perfectly stated by L-Pink

When I worked for Knott's I was a Ellis & Associates lifeguard. IT SHOCKED THE HELL OUT OF ME to find out this was Ellis & Associates. I would have expected nothing but the best from Jeff Ellis, but he and his staff really have let the industry down with this and in my opinion, irreparably harmed their corporate reputation for always producing "the best" lifeguards.

No.

If you were to read the article, you'd learn that he made sure that there was another guard supervising the beach while he left to take care of the man. No area of the beach was left unattended.

Read before commenting.

Based on things I've read by past and current employees, you were the only happy employee.

Your avatar is so cheap

The fired lifeguard got a key to the city today and also got to meet the man he left to rescue.

The city is likely going to terminate the contract since it is up for renewal in September.

All's well that ends well.

Wow... just wow ...

I am a property owner in Pompano Beach. Last march, there were a patch of riptide on the beach, a few hundreds feet from me ... About 6 people were just pulled away ... The lifegard from my post and neighboring post all went to help ... Our lifegard left us his walkie-talkie in case any help was needed while he was gone ... Needless to see, most people were out of the water during that event..

Maybe they should fire him as well.

The real problem is similar to the one in most american enviroement : fear of multi-million successfull lawsuit ... :2 cents:

He is paid to save lives. No matter what stretch of beach, if he is on or off duty.

good i hope they terminate the contract
the manager should have been sacked as well.

Bingo.

A well renowned English writer expressed similar frustration regarding such long, long ago.

"Why, may not that be the skull of a lawyer?" - (Hamlet, 5.1.97) by William Shakespeare

Florida has laws about duty to rescue / render aid. Not sure what they specifically are, but I'd imagine a lifeguard would be considered to be something like an EMT and should render aid when they are aware of someone needing it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duty_to_rescue