By now, you
have undoubtedly seen the video.
According
to wctrib.com, the two Sedan,
MN volunteer firefighters
occasionally wear dresses to raise funds for their volunteer fire department.
”The group
of volunteers were waiting in line in preparation for Padua’s St. Patrick’s Day
Parade on Saturday when a fire erupted in a truck and the firefighters went to
work”.
Volunteer
firefighters Ted Aubart and Ben Terhaar, one wearing green and the other
wearing red evening gowns are seen manning the hose to extinguish the vehicle
fire.
Yes; the
video has gone viral and it has made the rounds at all of the major news
outlets. This morning on Fox News, the news anchor described the pair as “heroes”.
Now; back
in the day, when I was new to the ways of firefighting, it was not uncommon for
us to tackle fires dressed only in our “street clothes”. It was part necessity
and part stupidity. I say “part necessity” because back then, we didn’t have
enough bunker gear to outfit everyone. You were lucky to find a pair of boots
that fit. I say “part stupidity” for obvious reasons. Like most; we learned
from our mistakes and lived to tell about it.
Several
fire service websites and bloggers have taken this story and ran with it. Some
have made light of it, while others have pointed out the obvious safety
concerns of firefighters not properly attired in full turnout gear with SCBA.
Is this a department that believes that it is safe to fight vehicle fires without
proper gear? Do they believe that smoke and fire from a burning vehicle is
somehow different than “other” smoke and fire? What about polyvinylchloride,
hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide? Were they wearing heels or pumps? Did
they have matching clutch purses?
Volunteer
fire departments have been battling image problems for how long? I mean; it’s
one thing to dress up like Liza Minelli and sing Broadway tunes in the privacy
of your own home, but to do it in public? The money would have to be right; I
can tell you that.
I’m not too
fond of circus clowns, but men running around in evening gowns with a big hose
in their hands is a nightmare from Hell. The one in the red dress was spot on,
but the guy in the green dress clashed big time with the color of the fire
truck. So, the guy in the red was completely out of touch with the blarney, but
gets kudos for accessorizing with a red fire truck. The guy in the green showed
his Irish, but looked so gauche with the rest of his ensemble.
And where
was the chief? Was he standing just off camera in a dazzling, white Versace
evening dress?
Had they
gone strapless, I would have scary images running around inside my head of them
tanning nude so as not to get tan lines. However; there would have been no
concern for straps slipping off of the shoulder had they chosen to go
strapless.
Wear your air and hide your back
hair!
Now, I come
back to my original question: what was so heroic about two guys in evening
gowns squirting water on a burning truck?
I can tell
you this: you won’t see this kind of “class” at FDIC.
TCSS.
The opinions and views expressed are
those of the article’s author, Art Goodrich, who also writes as ChiefReason.
They do not reflect the opinions and views of www.fireengineering.com,
Fire Engineering Magazine, PennWell Corporation or his dog, Chopper. All
articles by the author are protected by federal copyright and cannot be
reproduced in any form without expressed permission.
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