(September 12, 2016 at 4:54 pm)abaris Wrote:(September 12, 2016 at 4:26 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: But they were there by choice. They joined their services voluntarily.
I certainly appreciate your input, since you were in the emergency services too. I was a medic and ambulance driver for four years, as I said repeatedly. I don't know what they told you when joining up, but what the hammered into our heads when being schooled was always self protection comes before protecting others. If a situation is deemed to dangerous to handle, get yourself to safety.
So, according to this lesson, since I don't think they teach a different approach in the US, I consider them heroes. They stayed on to save lives. I never been in that kind of situation and don't know if I had the guts, but simply joining the services doesn't buy what they were in for.
Yeah, my post was poorly-worded, being prefaced with "but". I was only disagreeing with their status as volunteers; you'd said they were not "heroes by choice", but given the latitude you and I were both apparently given to make an on-the-scene judgement, and assuming they had the same latitude, I'd say they were there by choice, and indeed that choice demonstrates their valor and is what makes them heroes.
Maybe I'm reading you wrong, but it seems to me we're in agreement, except for this one small point.
