Anybody think there may be a reason for such rules?

If the firefighter takes off his mask, gives it to the woman, then himself runs through the smoke carrying her (which in full gear is obviously not a difficult task to do without air ) and then he doesn't make it and collapses, that's TWO people at risk that have to be rescued.

The more sensible course is to keep the firefighter fully capable, carry the woman out, THEN give her medical attention in a safe environment where the firefighter isn't risking the rescue...

Such rules are typically not made without purpose.

Nobody is saying that rescuing this woman was wrong.
It is HOW he did it (unnecessarily putting his life at risk, and thus ultimately putting HER life at risk and fellow rescuers) which is the issue...

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"Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value."
Albert Einstein

No one knows the exact circumstances and odds of him making out more than him. He was there, not us. He did indeed make it out with both him and the woman alive, so apparently he knew something we did not.

Sometimes rules are made to be broken.

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No. We weren't there...

But other firefighters DID hear the story. That top firefighter official?
People are quick to disregard his EXPERIENCE in favor of jumping on the band-wagon of this other guy who risked BOTH of their lives, for whom his strategy worked out THIS time...


What if next time his exit becomes blocked...
Burning building? Things don't collapse or anything do they.
Fires don't sprout up where they previously weren't present, do they...


There's a reason for the rules.
Don't be so quick to disregard them.

__________________
"Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value."
Albert Einstein

Exactly. End of story.

The man is a hero and I thank him for risking his life and going over and beyond his duties by giving his overtime check to this woman to help her.

We need more people like this in the world.

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Do me a favor...
If you're not going to respond to what I'm saying, then don't bother to pretend you are...

The guy's actions worked out this time.
Next time, he could be endangering himself, the person he is trying to save, and his fellow fire-fighters who will have to risk more to save both of them.

There's a reason that the rules exist in these scenarios.
Hopefully he'll learn before it comes to that.

__________________
"Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value."
Albert Einstein

If you do not like it, go on the internet and complain about it.

Better yet, lead a protest outside his home and voice your displeasure for his actions. I am sure you will have a couple people follow you.

Personally, instead of attacking this man, I will simply call him a hero and call it a day.

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Tone down your hyper melodrama.
I'm not saying he isn't a hero.
I'm not attacking the man. Surely even you can comprehend the difference between recognizing a mistake is made and an attack.
Do you think acknowledging a mistake was made automatically equates to an attack?


To change tactics, do you think the top firefighter official who criticized him knew all the details?
Do you think the people who train firefighters and make these policies for them to follow do so because they don't care about saving people?

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"Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value."
Albert Einstein

.

I recognize the reason for the rule. And you are right; it is a very sensible rule. But, sometimes, one has to make a judgement call to follow the rule or do what seems best.

Since we were not there, we do not know how close the woman was to not breathing at all. It would not have done her much good to be carried out dead.

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"A rising tide has lifted all yachts." Warren Buffett

Obama is not a dark skinned, anti-war socialist who gives away free health care; you're thinking of Jesus.

You'd be surprised all of the stupid rules, laws, and regulations that surround emergency workers. The fact that he's 'catching heat' for what he did doesn't surprise me. When I was doing my EMT training and they were going over some of these rules that we had, we all threw out these "what if" scenarios and asked, "what do we do if...". In each scenario, it was like the situation in the OP where saving someone's life would be violating a rule or regulation.

Our instructor always had the same answer: Err on the side of saving the person's life. He had multiple reasons for that. 1) We'd be able to live with ourselves. 2) The law would go easier on us if we were sincerely trying to save someone's life, even if we did break a law or regulation, etc in the act of doing it, and 3) We'd be less likely to lose a lawsuit.

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To tax the larger incomes at a higher percentage than the smaller, is to lay a tax on industry and economy; to impose a penalty on people for having worked harder and saved more than their neighbors. ~ John Stuart Mill

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