Fire Crew Bosses Who Can't Speak Spanish Can Lose Jobs

ABC 7 Denver ^ | June 22, 2006

[JamesGreer]

Officials are now having to lay off some of the bosses who manage those firefighting crews because the bosses are not bilingual. Many of the newer hires in Oregon only speak Spanish.

The state said all bosses must speak the same language of their crew on the fire lines for safety reasons. They want to make sure that the leader of the crews can quickly communicate during an emergencey if the fire turns or if there is another problem on the fire lines.

[JamesGreer]

Don't teach the illegals english, fire US citizens instead.

[I still care]

What are they doing hiring workers that only speak Spanish, if communication is so important?

This should be a major scandal.

[ncountylee]

Some Oregon officials should be fired for hiring illegal aliens.

[VeniVidiVici]

That's what I'm wondering. Why are they speaking Spanish only workers? They are probably illegal to boot.

[burzum]

The state said all bosses must speak the same language of their crew on the fire lines for safety reasons.

I agree with this statement. But it's not the chiefs who should be fired.

[OmahaFields]

I sent an email asking how the non-English speaking fire worker would be able to communicate with others in an emergency.

[Tzimisce]

Pay your taxes. :) Millions of non paying illegals need the money. :)

[Straight Vermonter]

My wife and I have been trying to move out of the northeast for a few years. On the occassions I have gotten close to getting hired (in FL and NC) I have been turned down due to my lack of Spanish.

[Kakaze]

So what's next?

Dispatchers that are spanisish first speakers?

Ambulance drivers?

Doctors?

Nurses?

Pilots who air drop fire suppressant?

Theres an awful lot of people to coordinate with not to mention those NATIVE Landholders that speak only English, how are you supposed to communicate & coordinate, when confronted with a bunch of guys shouting spanish at you about abandoning your home. Now your not only trying to save your home and family your fighting a state mandated language barrier too.

[pacpam]

Who is doing the hiring?

[peggybac]

I smell a big law suit and for once I'm for it.

[Kakaze]

"The state of Oregon actually made the change in 2003. It just started strictly monitoring the law this year"

The state of course...it's now mandated by law.

[A CA Guy]

Boy, I bet some firefighters are going to go postal, and for good reason.

[HiTech RedNeck]

This stinks majorly. If a bystander at the site of the fire says "hey, my kid is still in there" you don't want a crew that can only say "no speaka English."

[HiTech RedNeck]

muy caliente

[Cobra64]

You're looking in the wrong parts of the states. I live in Western, NC. Look up Lake James, NC.

[goldstategop]

They fire Americans for speaking English. Oh that's right; they're a bunch of rednecks! Why Harry Reid said so.

(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")

[SeaWolf]

So typically Oregon!

[LegendHasIt]

Expletive Deleted.

And having nothing else to say that isn't an Expletive, I'll just go away now.

[lonster]

this is quite hilarious. so if a firefighter goes into someone's house or business and can't give cognitive instructions on what to do in the event of a fire, is the home/business owner fired as well?? what if city hall is on fire and no one can understand what the fire fighter is say, are the entire city leaders fired as well?? "well, maybe there IS a silver lining.