Image: GettySEATTLE, WA, A house burned to the ground this week in Seattle after an argument broke out among firefighters over whose responsibility it was to put out the blaze.
Charles Beakman, a member of the fire crew, offered clarification when reached for comment.
“Well, it basically comes down to this,” Beakman explained. “I’m responsible for the hose platform team. I build the hose and develop the tools in a scalable manner. But at the end of the day, I’m a platform team, I’m not responsible for how the department uses the hose.”
Wearing full firefighter gear and standing in front of a firetruck with fully functional hoses, Beakman added, “Jeez, I sure wish somebody could do something about that,” as flames consumed the home behind him. “It’s a shame the department can’t get it together.”
Another firefighter, who insisted on being referred to only as the “Chief Product Officer of Ignited Substances Moisture Delivery, “ spoke on the condition of anonymity to explain why they refused to use the hose Beakman had prepared. “Honestly, I just don’t agree with Beakman’s hose setup,” the firefighter said. “I’d rather build my own system, like I did at my previous department. Much more efficient.”
City officials are both perplexed and irate over the department’s handling of the situation, which led to $7 million in damages. A roadmap item has now been scheduled for the next quarter to discuss hose usage protocols and responsibility matrices.