Personal Injury Law

"Death of a Firefighter" still reverberates

By Steve Lombardi

"Death of a Firefighter" still reverberates
by Doug Bates
The Oregonian
Tuesday December 02, 2008, 7:28 PM

Every once in a while it's reassuring to see that what a newspaper says on its editorial page can make a difference in the world, or at least generate a useful discussion. That's what has been happening following publication of "Death of a Firefighter," a five-part editorial series that appeared in The Oregonian last Aug. 24-28.

The series raised questions about the accidental death of a 20-year-old Prineville firefighter, Shannon Halvorson, at the hands of her fellow volunteers at a drunken party during an Albany firefighter conference in 2003. The editorials touched off a nationwide debate among professional and volunteer firefighters over what has become a national concern in the profession: out-of-control partying by firefighters.

This online discussion has not let up in the three months since the series ran. Here, below, is a typical post, this one from the November edition of The Rural Firefighter, a University of Nebraska publication:

I didn't know Shannon Halvorson. I imagine few people in our part of the world did. But Shannon's story is one all firefighters should hear.

The piece recounts many of the details of Halvorson's death and goes on to make one of the points of The Oregonian's editorials, but from a firefighter's unique perspective:

I'd like to think this tragic story would never happen here in Nebraska. But why is it that the first thing firefighters look to find when we go to a conference or a fire school is the nearest bar? Why does it seem that the party has become more important than the event? As volunteers, we send mixed messages when we choose to turn many events into after-hours parties. On the one hand, we want to show we're just as professional as our paid brothers and will almost come to blows over any other opinion. But on the other hand, we drive the fire department command vehicle to the bar and back it in right next to the front door so everyone can see it. I have to ask - is that the work of a professional? As a group, we must change our mindset. Training events need to become about the training, not the party afterwards. No longer will people turn a blind eye when firefighters, financed with tax dollars, come home with no certificate because they were too hung over to make it to class. As a tax payer, I couldn't blame them one bit.

-- Doug Bates, associate editor

We have reprinted this series with permission from The Oregonian and Doug Bates, the Associate Editor.

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on March 24, 2009 (boomark / email).