Somewhere, someone might be chuckling at the April Fool’s prank that a Missoula County (Mont.) dispatcher played on fire and EMS crews, sending them to a report of an explosion at a local oil refinery. But it’s definitely not Sheriff Mike McMeekin. He said an investigation continues into who was involved among the several on-duty dispatchers and exactly how far emergency units went in their response to the 8:30 a.m. radio dispatch on April 1st. He also said he is evaluating if any crime occurred as a result of the prank. McMeekin believes the stunt originated with a single dispatcher he declined to name, and that other dispatchers were aware of it, but did not actively participate. County emergency services director Bob Reid said after the investigation, his department will decide if any discipline is necessary.
3 comments… add one
April fools joke, what an ass, those involved should be FIRED, no exceptions.
Where was this Dispatcher’s training? It would appear this person was extremely immature and should have been filtered out as such during an intensive fto process. Everyone in the center who was aware of the “joke” should be disciplined for not stopping it immediately. Lives were put at risk as well as the integrity of the entire department. The supervisor on down need time off no pay and this “Dispatcher” needs to be fired and if any other agency calls asking about them – tell the truth about why they no longer work for you.
I certainly do not condone this type of “joke”, however we should keep in mind that agencies operate differently depending where they are located and how large they are. Metro area centers typically do not have the mentality they can “joke” with their officers using calls. However, it’s not unheard of for a small town to make up a barking dog call to mess with an officer who is difficult or offends a dispatcher.
Does this make it right? Not at all, but if the mentality has already been established that says a small “fudge” on a call, like a barking dog, is no big deal, then maybe this dispatcher thought April Fools would allow him to go a little further. It may also explain why the “others” didn’t stop or prevent him from following through with his joke.
Just saying, there may be more than meets the eye here. I don’t think this is a situation that requires we automatically “throw the book” at him, but it certainly requires some review, disciplinary action and a revist of applicable policy/proceedures.
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