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| Europe |
| Sweden: Rosengård firefighters call it quits |
| 2009-04-29 |
| After months of suffering through thrown rocks and threats directed at his squadron during numerous calls to the Rosengård neighbourhood in Malmö, local fire chief Henrik Persson said on Tuesday he is stepping down from his post. "I'm not getting any support from our top management. They don't listen to our requests for a secure working environment," Persson told the Sydsvenskan newspaper. Persson, who also sits in on the board of Sweden's national firefighters' union, said he will abandon his leadership role at the Jägersro fire station and instead continue work as a rank-and-file firefighter. Three other firefighters, including another squadron leader from the Jägersro fire station, also said on Tuesday they were quitting in hopes of relocating to other stations, the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper reports. Firefighters and police officers have long been subject to thrown rocks and threats on calls to the predominantly immigrant neighbourhood, with fire fighters working to introduce measures to make their jobs safer. But their efforts have been for naught, according to Persson, who feels that he can no longer guarantee the safety of his colleagues. "At a recent meeting a police officer said we need to be ready to have Molotov cocktails thrown at us," he said. Persson is also upset that the local emergency services authority won't authorize funds to pay for two additional firefighters to be based at the station, which currently has seven firefighters. On Monday night, yet another small fire broke out in a rubbish collection area located in the Rosengård neighbourhood. |
| Posted by:mrp |
| #11 High Quality Culture + Diversity = Low Quality Culture. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles the flatulent 2009-04-29 17:15 |
| #10 Good stuff Glenmore. It might be that the police won't go there, maybe even under orders as to 'not aggrivate the sensitivities of our guests' or some crap. What I do know, at least about my superiors, is that they are dedicated to their jobs - ominous. "At a recent meeting a police officer said we need to be ready to have Molotov cocktails thrown at us," he said. "No, you all are the one's who need to be prepared for Molotovs - our job is to put out fire." -Sir, they got Molotovs! *Right. QRF: double check air packs and fix pikes in charge position. Monitor Operator, load ABC foam and commence coverage...Alpha team, brandish axes and hooligan bars and prepare to assist. RO, call the cops and tell them when its safe for them to assist. It is too bad there isn't a pro-pack type of attachment which would add to the stream dissolvable bath balls of ink and scent at the press of a button. Maybe shut nozzle, pump a load into chamber, then open nozzle and water-shotgun those bath balls. Just an idea, but wtf do I know? |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2009-04-29 17:01 |
| #9 A blast in the face of a misguided "immigrant" from a fully charged two and a half inch hose line would go a long way towards solving this problem... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-04-29 16:14 |
| #8 Let's put the Fire back in Firemen and torch the place. Preferably in December or January. |
| Posted by: ed 2009-04-29 13:40 |
| #7 just let it burn. they may learn cause and effect, then again maybe not. |
| Posted by: spiffo 2009-04-29 11:37 |
| #6 They wanted "Diversity" - well, they got it. |
| Posted by: Yosemite Sam 2009-04-29 10:27 |
| #5 Being a Firefighter myself I would simply call for immediate police escort into the the "affected" area if no officers are available then do not commit any resources. Our protocal now is preservation of life and property which my guys have bravely done both on many occasions. But if we have a gun-weilding maniac shooting at responders we are not obligated to be shot to rescue any victims. It then becomes a police matter - if the Swedes refuse service then maybe something will happen |
| Posted by: rightwing 2009-04-29 09:36 |
| #4 Arm one fireman on each truck with a flame thrower & fight the fires with backfires from the edges of the unsafe neighborhoods. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-04-29 09:36 |
| #3 Arm one fireman on each truck with a Carl Gustav M/45 (Swedish-K) with orders to SHOOT and the problem will quickly subside. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-04-29 08:32 |
| #2 JAB, you missed the /sarcasm tag. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2009-04-29 06:56 |
| #1 Wonder what's so unusual about this particular area? They say it's an 'immigrant' neighborhood. Maybe that's a clue. Wonder where these immigrants come from? Neighboring Norway? Italy? Mexico? Hmmm. Could just be a coincidence. I sure hope it is not racism that has led Persson to go back to the rank and file. He sounds like a whiner. Firefighters should have little problem dealing with Molotov Cocktails. Maybe he's just a Union slacker. |
| Posted by: JAB 2009-04-29 01:10 |