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Firefighters Are Sharing Who Was The Dumbest Person They’ve Had To Save In A Stupid Situation (30 Stories)
It’s time for some honesty. In many ways, I’m still a kid—I look up to certain people, characters, and professions for inspiration and see them as my heroes. I want to be as tough, cool, strong, and self-sacrificing as they are. In short, I want to be a good person and help others. And at the top of my list of heroes (just below Batman) are firefighters.
Firefighters rank among some of the most trusted professions, according to an Ipsos poll. Everyone’s pretty much aware that their jobs require physical, emotional, and mental fortitude that far from everyone has. And they save people for a living. However, these everyday heroes also have to deal with their fair share of stupid situations.
Case in point, the firefighters of Reddit shared stories about the idiots they had to ‘rescue from incredibly dumb situations. Have a read through some of their stories below and let us know which one of these sounded the most ridiculous to you.
However, such situations are outliers. Bored Panda spoke about the constant physical and psychological stress that firefighters have to deal with in their profession with a psychotherapist who is currently conducting research on this very topic.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I'm not a firefighter, but I used to do a lot of disaster response work. Hurricane Floyd. Eastern NC. I had a farmer with a large family that refused to evacuate his house. Stubborn bastard. River had broke loose, floodwaters were coming up fast, and the police had given up on changing his mind. I drove my truck right up into his yard, rolled down the window and asked him to dress his kids in something orange or bright yellow. He asked me why and I said "So body recovery will be able to distinguish them from all the dead pigs floating around." He told me to f**k off, but 5 minutes later he had the whole family in the vehicle and they got the hell out.
Joe Reaves 4 years ago
And if you must be that stubborn you still evacuate your damn kids. I mean if you want to risk dying and as long as you're aware no one will be risking their lives to come and rescue you, to a certain extent that's your choice, but you don't make that choice for your children!
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J 4 years ago
You don't know that so stop doing stereotypes because that's racist.
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J 4 years ago
People just cant image themselves dying from a natural disaster, until its too late. I grew up on the MS Gulf Coast, the place that was actually hit by Hurricane Katrina and Camille (2 of the top 5 storms). People still wont evacuate even after those disasters.
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OhForSmegSake 4 years ago
Earlier this year, while in lockdown, we had a huge bushfire near our home. When the message came to get ready for possible evacuation we spent the evening packing clothes, photos, paperwork and then stayed up waiting for further instructions. The next day we had to leave home. My boss also lives near me and when I rang to say I wouldn't be doing any work bc of the fire/evacuation she abused me. She wasn't leaving her home so didn't see any reason why I or anyone else should. Stupid bitxh.
Ella Blackwood 4 years ago
What a horrible - and stupid - person. I hope you and your family got out safely. I also hope you found a new job shortly afterward.
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Bizianka 4 years ago
What also astonished me, that his wife was so submissive that just waited there with the kids.
Catlady6000 4 years ago
As a Christian, I hate saying this. A lot of so-called Christian religions teach submission of wives to this point, totally ignoring the examples of Sarah and Abigail, who both spoke out or took action for the safety of their families when their husbands didn't. Submissive does not mean inactive in the face of danger/stupidity. If a husband is unable or unwilling to take appropriate action for the health and well being of his family, it is the wife's responsibility to do so.
Load More Replies... Ella Blackwood 4 years ago
Hah! Well done! It worked. I will never understand why some people are so stubborn in the face of natural disasters, especially when they have children to protect! If you want to be an idiot fine, but at least take care for your family.
Syl Kosta 4 years ago
My 5 cents: probably the "no one tells me what to do" type, secure in his firm conviction that between him and the world, it is the world that must concede and give way. All he needs to do is stand his ground like a real man. The fact that "the world" in this case was a natural disaster and not some other people was probably lost on him.
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RELATED:
#2
A motorist had a bad alternator and the car died while she/he was driving. The electric lock control stopped working. We were dispatched for a person trapped in a motor vehicle. On arrival, the advice was given to manually lift the lock knob. You can easily tell the ones who will not survive the first 24 hours of the zombie apocalypse.
Lunar Bicycle 4 years ago
I’m more concerned about them being trapped in their clothes at night.
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Viktor Feurer 4 years ago
Those who will not survive the first 24 hours of a zombie apocalypse are the lucky ones.
J. F. 4 years ago
But they are a burden as they are the ones smart people have to deal with later
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Robert T 4 years ago
By design all locks on motor vehicles should open from the inside mechanically, without the need for a battery. Some you need to pull the handle to release twice, as the first time unlocks it and the second opens the door. Trouble is that when things like this happen, some people panic, and no matter how much you try to tell them how to do it, they can't and it takes someone to actually calm them down enough to get them to respond.
Radek Suski 4 years ago
I had a similar issue. Of course I was able to leave the car but the problem was, I couldn't open the trunk where the emergency triangle is stored. Needles to say it was night and the car died on the (german) highway. So pretty scary. Fortunately a guy stopped behind me and slapped a huge orange flashing beacon on his roof. So I was safe before the police arrived to secure me. Long story short from then on I have two beacon lights under my sit.
Pantea 4 years ago (edited)
In Germany, it is considered a crime to call firefighters needlessly. You'd pay a fine. I would have cut him out of the vehicle anyway. One more reason I shouldn't be a firefighter :)
Vicky Z 4 years ago
I think in many countries if you call the authorities for no reason its a crime! Also police or ambulance
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#3
My friend’s former roommate was a firefighter. I describe him like this, and not as my friend because he’s actually a total dick, but he’s still a firefighter, so he saves lives. Anyway, I was over at their place one day, and firefighter Dave (not his real name) comes home looking exhausted. We could smell the smoke on him, so we knew he had seen some action that day. We asked him about it and he just got this really sad, but humored look in his eye. An instagram model has set her apartment building on fire by filling her room with candles for some photo shoot where she would pretend to be doing yoga in the middle of hundreds of candles. But she saw a spider sitting on one of the lit candles... So she sprayed some Raid at it. The room pretty much ignited extremely quickly and, in her fear, she threw the bottle of Raid at the fire, and then hid in her shower across the hall. She was still in the apartment when Dave kicked in the door and carried her out, her apartment engulfed in flames. She was close to passing out from smoke inhalation, so Dave had to cradle her in his arms. As he carries her to the window to be lowered on a ladder, she says “Wait”. Dave stops, thinking she is about to tell him about someone else that needs rescuing. She meekly lifts her phone and snaps a selfie, making the duck face and everything, flames in the background. Apparently by the time he left, the Instagram model had posted the photo to her profile and it was already getting tons of likes. From what I hear, though, she DID kill the spider. So technically she wasn’t a TOTAL moron.
Dhukath 4 years ago
New form of natural selection in action, nature finds a way!
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Wyling Cambrium 4 years ago
But what do you do if you catch a stupid influencer?
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N G 4 years ago (edited)
I disagree. I have a paralysing phobia of spiders - I've nearly been hospitalised from the panic attack induced by a large arachnid between me and the door. Killing a spider does not a moron make. It's me or the f*ckng spider.
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The psychotherapist, who is researching the psychology of firefighters and the challenges they face, explained that this is a profession that requires all-rounded people: firefighters have to be strong, have razor-sharp intellect, and have to be quick. The expert preferred to remain anonymous.
“In their line of work, firefighters have to deal with difficult and unpredictable circumstances which give rise to intense stress reactions,” the expert said.
Some of these stressors arise from the demands of the job itself: their jobs are physically demanding, they have to work in high temperatures and near toxic materials, and use professional equipment. This can lead to lung, heart, and hearing problems. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The psychological toll is equally as big (if not bigger).
#4
I was a volunteer firefighter many years back. One summer, after a long period of no rain, two good old boys decide to have a few (dozen) beers and take their Jeep into a nearby field to go off-roading. Well, ~2 ft. tall corn stalks that are bone-dry wind-up getting jammed up into the undercarriage, which, on a 90+ degree day, turns out to be hot enough to ignite a fire. The owner of the field sees the situation unfolding from their house and calls for fire and police. Given the proximity to my location, I go directly to the scene after hearing the page go out and see these two assholes trying to drive the Jeep faster and faster to put the fire out. Eventually, the engine gives out, but they won’t leave the car. I physically had to reach-in, burning my arms in the process (since I didn’t respond to the station first to get my turnout gear), and pull them out - somehow, they decided that remaining in the car would slowdown the flames. And because they thought it was a good idea to continue driving a burning vehicle around a dry field, we now have a significant brush fire and have to call mutual aid from another county to help douse the fire. State Police get involved, I have a nice trip to the hospital. And assholes lose their Jeep and the remainder of their booze.
Cecilia Herrera 4 years ago
They should be sentenced to manually, without the aid of farm machines, replant what those dummies destroyed.
SoozeeQ 4 years ago
Not just replant, but pay the farmer for his lost crop. If the corn was already 2 ft tall, it must have been ready for harvest?
Load More Replies... Vicky Z 4 years ago
Two days ago Cyprus had one of the most massive fires in the island because an idiot was burning branches on an open field and left it unattended! With a heat wave in the country! 4 people died, more than 50 houses burnt down and huge amount of land destroyed! They also required help from abroad! I'm wondering how do these people sleep at night?
Catlady6000 4 years ago
I always wonder about the aftermath with people who do this kind of thing? How do they go on, what is the life-cost to them? Do they loose jobs/family/friends, experience emotional fall-out? Or do they just go on as before?
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Lyn Moffett 4 years ago
Hopefully they were sent to prison. Reckless with not only their own lives and trucks but completely disregarded the damage done to someone else's land.
Billy The Kid 4 years ago
WOW! If that is not a good example of IDIOTS then I don't know what is.
#5
Two bikini clad girls had to be rescued from a swift moving river in a canoe. Neither girl brought a life vest or a PADDLE
~hUmMuS vIbEs~ 4 years ago
Lol this reminds me of the time me and my friend were canoeing and got harassed by cows, ending up screaming, chucking our paddles away and having to be rescued by a random German guy and his kids (true story).
BlackPearltheSeaWing/NightWing 4 years ago
Quick question, how do you get harassed by cows?
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Marcellus the Third 4 years ago
"Down Swift Creek without a paddle" sound like the PG version of the expression.
MAK 4 years ago
Something like that happened to my husband and me. Three girls in a canoe with short sundresses, purses, and high heels in a rapidly moving river that only experienced canoers should be on. They tipped and we had to save them. Don't know who was more stupid: them or the idiots that rented them the canoe.
TheCanadianShark 4 years ago
If they were Kardashians they could’ve just used their beanbag asses instead of life jackets
#6
Dude picked up a metal ring from a hardware store in lieu of paying for an actual cock ring. It got stuck. He went to the hospital. The hospital called the fire department because a dremel tool turned out to be the right tool for the job.
I I 4 years ago
lol trying to imagine the poor blokes phone call for help , bet that was a chuckle
Billy The Kid 4 years ago
And his face when they had to use a dremel tool.
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Robert T 4 years ago
Should have pretended that you were going to use the "jaws of life" to cut it. ;-)
Georgia Hebert 4 years ago
I could picture this scenario in my head!! Here, have an upvote for your sense of humor!
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Johnny Rodriguez 4 years ago
A 'Dremel' is right tool for almost everything..I love this machine!
Maria Schneider 4 years ago
He obviously underestimated the size of his d***... What a pleasure 💪...
Barbara Vandewalle 4 years ago
Underestimated ? ?- his brains or his head
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TK 421 4 years ago
I have to call BS on this one. There is a special tool used in the medical field for removing rings and “other metal bands” from patients that presents zero risk of injury. A dremel tool is a high speed rotary tool that has almost guaranteed risk of further injury. The ring cutter is the only tool for the job in this case.
H Y 4 years ago
Nope, it was real. https://www.recordonline.com/article/20081026/News/810260363
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Teodor Negru 4 years ago
There also goes on the thread where the emergency room staff present *their* weird stories!
Catlady6000 4 years ago
I would think they're made from some sort of silicone? Kind of like what menstrual cups are made of? Wow, irony
Load More Replies...“Some psychological challenges include having to work in constantly-shifting and unknown surroundings, being pressured by time, having to communicate with victims, taking responsibility for civilians and your teammates, and having to take care of the remains of those who die in fires,” the psychotherapist told Bored Panda just how exhausting and tough being a firefighter really is.
“These psychological stressors can have not only short-term but also long-term effects. For example, research done by the International Association of Firefighters in 2018 showed that 19 percent of respondents thought about suicide, 27 percent had substance abuse problems, 59 percent said they had problems at home and at work, and 65 percent recorded having intrusive thoughts about traumatic events during work,” she said, adding that firefighters can also suffer from PTSD.
#7
My dad was witness to someone being stupid and rescued by a firefighter. I posted this to the "Tales from tech support" subreddit a while ago. Here's the copy/paste. My dad worked for IBM's AS/400 (A mainframe system) tech support division for over 10 years (1992 to 2003). A customer called in because he needed to run a report and send it out to the networked printer. For whatever reason, the report was failing to generate and the guy on the phone was freaking out because some corporate big-wig demand that this report be printed and on his desk by 3pm. Just another day at work. About 10 minutes into the call my dad starts to hear this strange high pitched noise in the background. Dad, "Uhh, if you don't mind my asking, what's that noise it the background?" Caller, "Oh, that's the fire alarm." "Fire alarm?" "Yeah, the building is on fire." "Far be it from me to tell you what to do, but shouldn't you get out of there?" "Dan... you don't understand. I HAVE to get this report printed, now are you going to help me or not?" So they continue to troubleshoot the issue. A few minutes after that my dad hears shouting in the background. Dad, "Umm, there seems to be a lot of yelling in the background, is everything OK?" Caller, "Yeah, it's fine. It's just the firefighters evacuating the building." "Shouldn't you get out of there too?" "Dan I absolutely HAVE to get this report printed are you going to help me?" "I'm not sure that I should." "We pay our support contract. I have to get this printed and you have to help me! It's almost 3pm!" "It's just a report I don't think it's worth risking your life." The caller starts to get furious when the shouting in the background gets much louder. A firefighter has come over to the guy on the phone and starts barking orders at him to get out of the building. The caller tells the firefighter "Look, I have to print this report before 3p and I can't leave until it's printed." Over the phone dad hears the firefighter scream, "I don't give a damn about your goddamned report the building is on fire! Now MOVE!" There's a scuffling noise and the phone handset on the other end drops to the ground as the firefighter physically drags the caller away. After that, all dad could hear was the sound of the fire alarm and various crackling noises. Needless to say, the report did not get printed by 3pm.
Guido Pisano 4 years ago
That's quite sad... This guy was so afraid to loose his job that was putting his life at risk...
cybermerlin2000 4 years ago
Any company that makes someone endanger their life over something so petty does not deserve to exist. Saying that, I suspect that this guy was an idiot who mistook an urgent tone of voice over the phone as an order and the big wig would probably prefer the guy got the hell out and to hell with the report
Pantea 4 years ago
You seem to be an optimist. I think it's possible that the poor guy was fired or at least screamed at because he didn't deliver the damn report in time :)
Load More Replies... SoozeeQ 4 years ago
More plot twist: Employee knew he wouldn't get it done on time, so he set fire to the other end of the building, as an excuse. (I must admit at first I thought that perhaps the printer caught on fire, but it sounds like it wasn't initially in his area).
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Jacob Heusser 4 years ago
Lots of people on here seem to think this guy's boss is a monster who has him so scared shitless that he would rather die in a fire than miss a report deadline. Let me remind you cynics that--though not impossible--it is EXTREMELY UNLIKELY that the boss would have actually wanted him to literally risk his life in this way. I know it's more fun to think that way because f**k capitalism, fight the power and all that, but maybe don't make up s**t about the side of the story you don't know.
Vladimíra Matejová 4 years ago
that meme with cartoon dog trying to print stg in the middle of fire seems to be based on a real story after all 🤷
Billy The Kid 4 years ago
And the only thing that did get printed off was his face on a poster at the fire station.
#8
Heard this story from a friend. Emergency call comes in for a miscellaneous electrical hazard. Chief walks in and a woman tells him that the tv in the bedroom is making a weird noise. It's turned off but there's a low buzzing sound coming from the area. Chief unplugs the tv (which she didn't think to do???) and the noise doesn't stop. The tv is sitting on top of a chest of drawers so he opens up the top drawer and finds this woman's vibrator just buzzing away. Super awkward.
Scagsy 4 years ago
Plot Twist: After the Chief left she was heard to say 'I'm just glad somebody came'
Sorican 4 years ago
the fire person. the woman probably did it on purpose.
Load More Replies... Billy The Kid 4 years ago
More embarrassing for who? Him finding it or her because he found it?
#9
i was the dumb call. my cat got her paw stuck under the dishwasher, and was screaming bloody murder. I couldn't move her paw and I couldn't lift the machine, so i sat with her while my husband called the fire department. She chewed right through one of my favorite blankets in her stress. Fire fighters arrive, not in full suits but heavy boots and pants. Soon as they came around the corner to the kitchen our cat miraculously was able to free her paw and take off to hide in the bathroom. The guys seemed confused, but at least it was easy? We thanked them profusely for being scary enough to free our cat, who had zero physical damage (not even a broken claw). I guess she'd hooked her claws on something and didn't want to let it go for love or money.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
IKR? I just started laughing aloud... I shouldn't but I know my cat would do that!
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Pan Narrans 4 years ago
The lesson to be learned: if there are humans around all cats are drama queens.
Suzy the observer 4 years ago
Had she been single, I'd have said the cat was trying to change that situation?
Mónica Elisabeth Sacco 4 years ago
Why didn't the husband lift the machine? Such calls should be fined.
According to the psychotherapist, there are very high demands for firefighters because they’re responsible for “the safety and welfare of society.” They have to be able to respond to various dangerous and risky situations and put their lives at risk for the sake of others. That requires not just physical speed but also being able to make quick decisions under intense pressure. This is why firefighters nearly always rank in the top of lists of the most stressful professions.
I also wanted to learn how firefighters could deal with the fact that they can’t always save people in danger. According to the psychotherapist researching firefighters and the challenges they face, at the core of this lies the understanding that they shouldn’t overestimate the bounds of their duty. In short, and as harsh as it sounds—you physically can’t save everyone and you’re not personally responsible for saving everyone.
“They do the best that they can in every situation. You can’t take responsibility for everyone and it’s important to know your limits. When faced with intrusive thoughts and guilt, it’s vital that you speak to your colleagues and mental health specialists who can help you.”
#10
Firefighter/Paramedic in suburb of Phx. Had to transport a guy to the ER because he was constipated. His wife tried to dig it out with a wooden spoon. Spoon got stuck and hurt to move it. Walked in and there’s a 250 lb man, butt naked, lying on his side with a huge wooden spoon stuck halfway up his butt.
Susan Trevaskis-Owen 4 years ago
He can't be that bright either; he let her do it, after all. Might even have been his suggestion.
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Marlowe Fitzpatrik 4 years ago
*snort* Maybe they wanted to try something different in bed and thought spooning sounded like fun? Poor guy
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A.J Milne 4 years ago
A WOODEN spoon? Why wood and not metal?! Do you know how much bacteria are on wooden utensils? And the splinters!
Minty 831 4 years ago
Pretty sure it would feel like putting ice up you ass since it’s metal
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Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
This is why you just suck down 2 tbsp of olive oil and a glass of water.
Jonathan 4 years ago (edited)
Why didn't they just call a nurse to their house that would have used an enema?
#11
This is my dads story, not mine, but I’ve heard it so many times I think I can accurately tell it here. My dad was on the Boston Fire Department for a little over 35 years. For 13 of those years, he worked at a fire station in Dorchester. In Dorchester, there is a zoo. The Franklin Park Zoo. One morning in late September, they get a call to the Franklin Park Zoo for a young girl mauled by a gorilla. This is the sort of call they’d get all the time. Gorilla jumps at the glass, kid gets scared, parents panic and call 911. So they hop in the truck and ride on over. It’s one of those kinda foggy early fall mornings as they walk into the zoo. A couple of the other firefighters start walking into the zoo as my dad notices a man sitting on a bench holding a little girl in his arms. Assuming this is what the call is for, he walks over to the man. The little girl has a scrape on her forehead and she’s crying but is otherwise fine. The man looks like he just saw a ghost. So my dad asks the guy what’s going on. The man just says “little joe is out” My dad says “what does that mean?” The man just repeats “little joe is out” So my dad says “who the fuck is little joe!?” Little joe is a 500lb adolescent male silverback gorilla. Loose in the streets of Boston. It’s right about now that my dad realizes that he’s not exactly qualified to handle a gorilla, but he doesn’t know who to call, so he calls everyone. Two minutes later the fire chief shows up, not knowing what the call was about yet and, jumps out of his car saying “Mark, Mark, is this about a FUCKING gorilla!?” My dad says “yeah, but how’d you hear that?” The chief says “he’s standing at the bus stop on Seaver Street!” Now the swat team shows up, hats on backwards, M16s in hand and my dad, being the smartass he is, looks at the sergeant and says “hey I don’t think this thing is armed” He caught a bit of flak for that later on Animal control and the swat team worked together to take down little joe. It took 14 tranquilizer darts before he finally went unconscious. Little joe is still alive and well at the Franklin Park Zoo. And here’s the picture of him at the bus stop for those of you who don’t believe me.
Jonathan 4 years ago (edited)
Well thank goodness they had the humanity to use tranquilizers and not actual bullets, unlike a certain other primate :(
Ryan-James O'Driscoll 4 years ago
Tranquillisers take time to take effect and if there is an immediate danger to a person, they can make things much worse. It is not like the movies where they go down like a sack of spuds immediately upon injection. There was no other option but to shoot harambe. The parents who failed to supervise their child are far more accountable than the zookeeper who shot him.
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MauKini 4 years ago
Here is the whole story: http://archive.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/09/29/franklin_park_gorilla_escapes_attacks_2/
cybermerlin2000 4 years ago
He was waiting for a bus. Off to buy some bananas
Load More Replies... Kari Panda 4 years ago
Glad to hear this didn‘t turn into a tragedy either way, but I do wonder about parents apparently frequently calling 911 because a zoo animal jumped against the glass.
Analyn Lahr 4 years ago
He was standing at the bus stop? Where was he trying to go? To catch a Red Sox game?
Billy The Kid 4 years ago
If that gorilla was armed then maybe he would gain the name Bazooka Joe?
Donna Leske 4 years ago
"adolescent male silverback gorilla" cannot be an adolescent and a silverback at the same time
#12
I once had a firefighter tell me he almost died in a house fire while going back into the house to look for the owner. A neighbor was concerned about why the firefighter was still in the residence so he asked another firefighter. This is about how the exchange went: Neighbor: Why is that fireman still in the house? Firefighter: He's looking for the owner of the home. Neighbor: He is right over there with the video camera. Turns out the owner did not think it was important to alert the fire department he was out of the house. Instead, he was just taking video of the whole event. The fire started because the owner had tried to smother his barbecue cooker flame with left over wood from the siding that had been installed on his home. The owner did not realize it would burn. Burned his whole house down.
Billy The Kid 4 years ago
So he was filming his house burning down when there was a firefighter still inside?! Fkn idiot!
Freya the Wanderer 4 years ago
Definitely a poster child for birth control.
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
"Didn't realize wood would burn"... And guess who has triage-aid this week at the hospital instead of vax clinic? (*crying softly into my hot cocoa*)
SoozeeQ 4 years ago
Leo, you have our sympathies, while we wait with bated breath for the stories you'll have for your BP readers!
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#13
Former firefighter/EMT. Easily the dumbest person I encountered was a mother of 4 who decided it would be an awesome idea to get a Facebook/Instagram worthy picture of her kids (all under age 10) sitting in a rowboat. Mother untied it from the dock and thought she'd just pull them back with the rope... That she forgot to hold on to. They floated a half mile down the river before the two oldest boys managed to grab a branch hanging over the bank. It was really surreal to see 4 young kids, all in matching clothing, sitting in a boat waiting to be rescued. I have no clue what happened after, but they were physically fine, just scared, a little tired but the mom was in full blown panic mode and kept getting in our way. I hope she's making better choices now.
David Leick 4 years ago
I'm starting to think Instagram was created by the Charles Darwin estate.
Little king trash mouth 4 years ago
Am I the only one who is just so sick of all these Instagram staged photos? How empty is your life that this is the validation you need? Listen, I think my kids are the cutest but I'm well aware no one else cares.
Raven DeathShade 4 years ago
I care. I love kids. They are all so cute. In fact, I love kids so much I'm willing to go to college and get a degree for early childhood education just so I can teach kids.
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Jessica Bertram 4 years ago
uhhhgain, the narcissism and toxicity of the 'gram appalls me. this is outrageous.
#14
Fire department and the paramedics had to come to my work one day because some kid didn’t know the difference between a swimming pool and a splash pad... There’s this artificial waterfall that goes down into a basin that’s only about 2 inches deep where there’s fountains and stuff for kids to play in. This kid decided to climb up the waterfall (there are multiple signs posted not to do this) and decided to dive off into the water below that again is only 2 INCHES DEEP! Luckily the kid landed flat on his face so he survived and avoided being paralyzed but he was knocked out cold immediately and would have probably drowned but luckily his mother heard the splat and came running over screaming and pulled him out.
Hel-B 4 years ago
Depending on the kids’ age, maybe not watching him every second? Infants need constant supervision but older kids don’t/shouldn’t.
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Cecilia Herrera 4 years ago
"Danger. Do not dive." Nah, that sign is for someone that doesn't know how to dive.
Vicky Z 4 years ago (edited)
Working in a hotel with a pool i cannot begin to tell you how many times we have to chase idiots diving and completely ignoring the signs! People not only don't care about their life but they also don't care if they cause problem to the workers! We literally have to fight all the time
Paddling Panda 4 years ago
I was a lifeguard for over seven years and I know exactly what you mean. If someone wants to do something stupid, that person will do it, signs and warnings be damned.
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Anggi Santika 4 years ago
I'm thinking this kid might be around 8-12 years old. Pre-teens full of curiosity and "I'm indestructible big kid" mindset...
Tobias the Tiger 4 years ago
And I wondered why there are "No diving" signs on some splash pads...
Sharon Ingram 4 years ago
This is also how children drown. The mom(carer) is distracted reading, talking, etc., that they don’t notice the child in danger. Because a kid drowning doesn’t look like what people think a kid drowning looks like. Happens more times than you know.
#15
I was called to a home to get a pie out of the oven before it caught fire. The lady went to the store and was delayed for some reason. she called 911 to have the fire department take the pie out of the oven and place it on the stove. The call came in as " Something stuck in over and unable to turn off stove". Still #1 call in 32 years
Hannah Edwards 4 years ago
I bet they took an axe to her front door to get in to take out the precious pie.
julia 4 years ago
i’m sure your parents never taught you to never leave the oven on while not at home then. while she was irresponsible by leaving it on while being somewhere else, this does constitute as an emergency since her home could’ve caught fire from the burning pie. she’s stupid, but at least she did something to prevent her home from going up in flames and creating a worse mess
Load More Replies... Robert Thompson 4 years ago
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It may have been more appropriate to call a neighbor or church member instead of first responder. But credit for preventing a fire BEFORE it started.
Billy The Kid 4 years ago
It was a piece of pie for her to call the fire department but not for some one else's house getting burnt down.
#16
We needed to close the main connection through a forest over the winter because the trees were falling faster on the road than we could remove them due to way to much snow falling. Also the redirection was more than an hour longer due to the snow. Some cars thought that they would come through but turned around as soon as they saw the trees on the road. One semi also thought he'd get through. He drove up to the trees and called the fire brigade and complained why we didn't remove the trees. As he was calling a bunch of trees behind him also fell locking him in. It stood there one month before the trees and the snow could get removed by us that at least the semi can back out. We needed another month until the road was free again.
Kari Panda 4 years ago
How entitled do you have to be to use a closed road and then call and complain about it being blocked…
CrunChewy McSandybutt 4 years ago
This is off-topic and a bit snotty on my part, but... In my line of work, I do a lot of copy editing and content editing. This post might have given me an aneurism.
#17
Had a drunk guy in Antarctica chase a penguin. Penguin stuck his beak through the offending drunk guy's calf. He got sent home, and a report on international treaty breach wound up on some congress member's desk. Oh McMurdo, how I miss thee.
Kari Panda 4 years ago
For a moment, I thought calf as in cow and was really confused. That said, idiot deserved what he got.
Joe Reaves 4 years ago
There are a lot of scientific bases and McMurdo is occupied year around. You need people who are trained to fight a fire in case there is one. What is the alternative? Call the New Zealand fire brigade and wait for 4 months until they can fly out? Apart from anything else your shelter is your number one priority so you don't want it burning down.
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#18
Rescued a guy trying to surprise his girlfriend on Christmas by coming down the chimney completely unannounced. Her son noticed something was going on before she did, put a starter log in the fireplace and almost killed him had the smoke not started billowing out the fireplace into the living room. I ran into her with a different guy by St. Patricks. Sorry buddy
cybermerlin2000 4 years ago
Proper Darwinism there! She thought he was an idiot and naturally, selected to dump him and find someone with a brain thus preventing him from breeding
Grumble O'Pug 4 years ago (edited)
In El Paso near the corner of Country Club and Doniphan there was a little cafe that we’d tie our horses up to and eat tacos ir quesadillas. This was on the way up to the Franklins to ride. Years ago they tore down the whole corner to put in big retail chains. While demolishing they found the mummified body of a former employee who had disappeared. No biggie in a frontera town (that he disappeared). Turns out he was caught in the chimney and trapped there. They figured he was trying to rob the place.
BlackPearltheSeaWing/NightWing 4 years ago
Thank you for telling this very morbid story
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Hannah Edwards 4 years ago
This also happened in Gremlins or Gremlins 2 I think! When will people learn
Stannous Flouride 4 years ago
People have this idea (largely fostered by movies) that chimneys are just an open tube of bricks but they're not. To create an efficient unidirectional draft they have narrowed sections and overhangs the make human passage impossible.
#19
Police called to open a door of a flat for them. We came, knocked at the door, the inhabitant opened for us.
Glittery Panda 3 years ago
Idk… this makes me think someone is being held there and wanted to be found.
#20
My dad saved a dude who got his gentleman’s bits stuck in a jacuzzi jet. Dude was looking for a cheap thrill and his dingus swelled up and jammed
Debbie Barnes 4 years ago
How embarrassing..And then you'd have to deal with half a dozen firefighters standing around, 'looking', at the issue and discussing solutions, while trying to keep a straight face... Somehow, I don't think he's going to do that ever again.... Ha, ha, ha...
Chich 4 years ago
Can you imagine what it felt like getting to the realization that "Yep, I'm going to have to call the FD"
Sergio Bicerra Descalzi 4 years ago
Not only that, let's guess his phone was out of reach. First he has to shout someone to call the fire department. How many people may heard his shouting? Before firefighters arrive, already 20 neigbours know how patetic you are.
Load More Replies... Catlady6000 4 years ago
The ring of the jacuzzi jet would likely have served as a tourniquet, stopping blood flow and keeping it from unswelling
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Diana Murtaugh 4 years ago
Seems to either be a popular idea, or this guys story keeps making the rounds.
Analyn Lahr 4 years ago
I saw something like this on 1000 Ways to Die and the guy had his intestines ripped out by it.
Aleš Kaučič 4 years ago
Like that dude stick their crown jewells trough the hole of 25 kilo weight
#21
I remember asking a firefighter about this once, and he said a guy who was [doing the dirty with] a woman. Her husband came home, so he jumped out the second story window buck naked and impaled himself through the upper leg on a fence paling. It was one of those fleur de lis ones, so it fucked up his leg pretty badly. They had to cut the paling out of the fence and load him into an ambulance.
Wednesday 4 years ago
People who "stay together for the kids" often do stupid s**t like this. Get divorced and be civil with one another. The marriage that is sacrosanct is the one between you and your god (and that is no one's business but your own...), not the impermanent relationship lovey-dove thing we have going on in the material world. Just divorce already...
BlackPearltheSeaWing/NightWing 4 years ago
Cheating with someone is terrible, but I'm pretty sure he didn't need to be given such a punishment!
Marlowe Fitzpatrik 4 years ago
Well, he sort of gave it to himself, so..-
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Random Panda 4 years ago
That wasn't OP. It's the BP editors censoring stuff, hence the brackets.
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#22
Had a fellow who was running from the police. He decided to climb on board a chunk of ice that was flowing down the river. I am sure he thought he was a genius at the time, but the issue is that there isn't really a whole lot north of our town for a few hundred miles, so his long term planning wasn't great. Eventually we found him hiding in a small icy overhang on the side of the river suffering from hypothermia. After a brief stay in hospital he ended up being arrested.
Cecilia Herrera 4 years ago
Well, his cool idea wasn't so hot after all. (Sorry, it's 3:30 am here.)
Hugo A-niro 4 years ago
Nothing pleases me more than to hear a dumb ass getvwhats coming to him
Raven DeathShade 4 years ago
Unfortunately, most humans aren't terrible people.
Load More Replies... #23
Former Fire and Rescue Firefighter here - Have helped release several dogs and children stuck in the mechanism part of a recliner chair. Also a bird stuck in a tree, go figure.
Carmen Sandiego 4 years ago
Don't r/woosh me, I get the joke, and if you don't want to kill the vibe, please ignore. It is possible for fish to 'drown'–for lack of a better word. It is more of a suffocation, where oxygen levels are too low or the fish isn't able to properly pull oxygen from the water for some reason.
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Angela Robinson 4 years ago
When I was two, I opened the front door and our cockatiel escaped. Although her wings were clipped, she was still able to fly to some branches in a tree. My mother, 8 months pregnant, climbed a ladder to retrieve the bird, but ended up falling and breaking her tail bone. I can't imagine the pain.
SoozeeQ 4 years ago
Oh wow. Did the fall bring on early labour? Did you get the bird back?
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Connie Hirsch 4 years ago
My younger brother climbed in a trash can (kitchen size) and got thoroughly stuck.
#24
Just asked this question of a firefighter friend. He saved a guy who was siphoning gas out of someone's car by sucking gas towards his mouth to start the siphon. The would-be-thief was also smoking while doing it. Burns happened.
Downunderdude 4 years ago
Off topic, so forgive me, but it is about siphoning that I read somewhere. A couple were holidaying in their campervan/winnebago thing and one night, someone tried to siphon petrol (or gas if you must) out of the tank. They didn't see him or hear him but they knew what happened because... The petrol filler cap was right next to the septic pump-out cap. The petrol filler cap was locked. And on the ground was...the cap for the septic pump out, a length of plastic hose...and a puddle of vomit.
A B C 4 years ago
Close enough to topic, and it made me lol, so thank you for that :)
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Amy-Lee Kempi 4 years ago
Also happend in a underground parkinglot where my dad lived. An idiot who was stealing gas while smoking started a fire, luckaly no one got injured, but all apartments were blackend with smoke and 4 cars were lost...
Maria Schneider 4 years ago
There are soooooooo many ways to kill oneself... this is one of the most stupid
Sarah Bell 4 years ago
In my little area we had the houses all around us reporting that someone had siphoned gas out of all their cars, lawn mowers, and a tractor. We were the only ones who didn't have it happen because the gas tank on my husbands car has to be released by a lever in the car by the trunk switch. No way to pry it open either. Really annoying when I get out of the car and forget to release it when I fill the car up and have to hang the pump back up and open the car to release it but I'm really happy that it kept someone from siphoning all of the fuel out. They were also stealing stuff along with the gas. Thankfully they didnt get my sons bike. They left a trail in the long grass and dew ( not sure if I'm spelling it correctly) that led back to a specific house. No evidence to call the authorities but one of my neighbors let it be known that they knew it was them and the thefts stopped ( at least for the time being)
#25
Not me but dad was a firefighter in nyc and once responded to a call at a chinese food restaurant where the owners walkway was iced over. He apparently didnt speak very good english and maybe misunderstood the job of a fireman? Genuinely don't know. They salted down his front walkway for him and explained that this was 100% not their job. They all had a good laugh and the guy gave them all free eggrolls. Ppl always used to ask him questions about crazy calls and he never enjoyed talking about that so he would always tell that story. Happened in '99 still makes me laugh to this day 20 years later.
#26
Me and my dad are both firefighters and he said one time they went to a house because an elderly man could not get out of the leather recliner because he had been sitting in it for a week straight and his wife would just serve him drinks/ food and the guy never got up. He would just get drunk and urinate/defecate himself until he was physically stuck to the chair and they had to cut him out.
Frances M 4 years ago
They could both have been suffering from dementia or similar illness
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Matheus Oliveira 4 years ago
I feel sorry for that couple. It seems like a sad story from that Se7en movie.
Cold Contagious 4 years ago
The killer , John Doe, keeps Victor/ Sloth under chemical restraint with a wide cocktail of drugs. Then he keeps him on IV fluids to keep him barely clinging to life, while collecting urine and stool samples with all the applicable information and photo documentation of his decline towards death. I can't possibly see how this relates to the condition of the elderly gentleman above. Se7en, however is one of the most magnificent psychological thriller/crime films ever made.
Load More Replies... Dhukath 4 years ago
This happens more often than you realise: https://metro.co.uk/2019/09/27/inside-disgusting-home-husband-killed-wife-neglect-leaving-rot-chair-10818020/
Angrywolf 4 years ago
I really hope that Richard Wallach is rotting in jail now, And that he is not allowed to wash himself or gets clean clothing, What a disgusting piece of sh*t!
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Nadja Lambacher 4 years ago
There was a mentally ill woman who sat on a toilet for months while her boyfriend fed her. When authorities were finally called her bones had started to deform.
Steve Barnett 4 years ago
'Urinate/defecate himself'? Wha.. for a week? Sorry, but that would be impossible to bear. Was he attempting suicide by scaphism?
A B C 4 years ago
Former EMS driver here. Been there, seen that. Guy was bedridden with some mental disorder, and decided that in his world, he didn't need to be cleaned. He lay there in his own ur*ne and fec*s (f*ck BPs censoring algorithms) for a week until we took him in to a hospital. It happens, sadly.
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Amy Franks 4 years ago (edited)
This happened in New Zealand recently, the wife who was also his caregiver was sentenced for it.
#27
Not me, but brother in law used to be a fireman in NYC. His worst story was a bunch of Central Americans who didn't speak a word of English had decided to have a pig roast ... in an apartment building ... in the bath tub. Naturally, the bath tub heated up the walls sufficiently that they started a roaring blaze. He said when he got there they were more interested in them saving the pig than putting out the fire.
Carole Strawn 4 years ago
This story may sound impossible but when my late husband lived in LA some immigrants living in an apartment a couple of doors down from him roasted a pig inside their apartment and nearly burned the entire building down. It happens.
#28
guy during some bad storms stored his generator gas in open 5gal paint buckets in his garage. Lit his gas grill in the garage. He and his cat both lived.
A B C 4 years ago
Yesss. Please, idiots: don't drag your innocent pets into your acts of stupidity.
Load More Replies... Billy The Kid 4 years ago
How many lives has the owner used up is the question.
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Robert Robi Z 4 years ago
If the cat could, she would have advised him not to. Luckily she survived.
Stannous Flouride 4 years ago
Akin to those folks we saw filling plastic bags with gasoline a few months back.
#29
Cut handcuffs off a guy. He was super baked and bet his gf that he could Houdini his way out of them. She clamped them on tight and his hands were discoloured. He was yelling at us while the the bolt cutters pinched, but being stupid will cause pain. He was thankful. The best part was his gf gassing him in front of us and a couple of cops. Also helped out a young woman that climbed 60+ feet up a tree to get her cat at 4am on Sunday morning.
#30
Dumbass tried to cross a raging river in zero degree weather about a 300 foot span on a snowmobile. He lived but didn't make the crossing and the machine was recovered days later.
Connie Hirsch 4 years ago
If you get a snowmobile up to 50-60 mph it will skid right across the top of the water -- no, really! But if it slows down... well. I know a NH EMT who's had to rescue some of the guys who didn't make it all the way across.
What do you think ?
Monday 4 years ago
Ah...so many nice firefighters interfering with natural selection. They do not get paid enough for this crap.
Chich 4 years ago
There was a pickup that had broken down just out of town. It was well off to the side of the road and had been there for 2 or 3 days. We get a call in the wee hours. Two women pissed out out of their minds had rear ended it. They were not injured too badly but were very combative and demanded that the police hunt down the bastard who slammed his brakes on in front of them and then ran away. One of them ended up being arrested when she tried to attack one of the ambulance attendants. Dealing with drunks was not my favourite part of the job.
Bobert Robertson 4 years ago
Hands up if you skip reading all the text in between each of the posts on these?
Steve Barnett 4 years ago
What I cannot comprehend is some people’s inability to understand that petrol is flammable.
Brian Bennett 4 years ago
You should ask this question of Emergency room Doctors and nurses. Boy do they got tales to tell!
Colin Matthews 4 years ago
In 2009 there was a huge snowfall in the South Island.All the emergency services were out risking their lives in the high country looking for a DOUCHEBAG pair of tourists who hadn't bothered to sign in or out of the DOC huts or let anyone know their destination. Police charged them with public nuisance
AZ Panda 4 years ago
My city has a Dumb Motorist Law.... Get heavy rains in summer...only time we get rain. We preach not drive through washes (dry river beds)..even set out warning signs. Sure enough... every year some idiot thinks "I can do it." Wind ups stuck...having to be rescued. Got so bad...we now fine them. Unfortunately... there's been cases where it turns into a missing person case. Or one year dispute begin warned a family with children played in a dried canyon...a microburst hit....it was a preventable tragedy.
Lori Ballard 4 years ago
This is one on me: Not a firefighter story but a police story. 2 springs ago we were starting to spruce up our back garden and I found what looked like a human knee joint in the garden. It had part of the tibia, fibia and femur attached to it. I called the police. They came and looked at it and told me it was a ham bone. I completely forgot I threw out the leftover ham for the animals at Christmas! I thanked the policemen for waiting until they got into their car before they stsrt laughing!
Dan Beck 4 years ago
My buddy is a fireman. One of his favorite stories is of a teenage boy home alone. Kid calls 911 because he ate some hallucinogenic mushrooms and now is puking blood. Buddy gets to the scene. Notices that the "bloody" puke doesn't look like blood. He asks the kid what he ate with the mushrooms. Kid says, "nothing, just some grape juice." Buddy points to the puke and says, "so grape juice, huh?" The kid stares at him for a few seconds before it finally sinks in. Then you could see the kid getting very concerned that the police were also there. I don't know what ever happened to the kid.
Monday 4 years ago
Ah...so many nice firefighters interfering with natural selection. They do not get paid enough for this crap.
Chich 4 years ago
There was a pickup that had broken down just out of town. It was well off to the side of the road and had been there for 2 or 3 days. We get a call in the wee hours. Two women pissed out out of their minds had rear ended it. They were not injured too badly but were very combative and demanded that the police hunt down the bastard who slammed his brakes on in front of them and then ran away. One of them ended up being arrested when she tried to attack one of the ambulance attendants. Dealing with drunks was not my favourite part of the job.
Bobert Robertson 4 years ago
Hands up if you skip reading all the text in between each of the posts on these?
Steve Barnett 4 years ago
What I cannot comprehend is some people’s inability to understand that petrol is flammable.
Brian Bennett 4 years ago
You should ask this question of Emergency room Doctors and nurses. Boy do they got tales to tell!
Colin Matthews 4 years ago
In 2009 there was a huge snowfall in the South Island.All the emergency services were out risking their lives in the high country looking for a DOUCHEBAG pair of tourists who hadn't bothered to sign in or out of the DOC huts or let anyone know their destination. Police charged them with public nuisance
AZ Panda 4 years ago
My city has a Dumb Motorist Law.... Get heavy rains in summer...only time we get rain. We preach not drive through washes (dry river beds)..even set out warning signs. Sure enough... every year some idiot thinks "I can do it." Wind ups stuck...having to be rescued. Got so bad...we now fine them. Unfortunately... there's been cases where it turns into a missing person case. Or one year dispute begin warned a family with children played in a dried canyon...a microburst hit....it was a preventable tragedy.
Lori Ballard 4 years ago
This is one on me: Not a firefighter story but a police story. 2 springs ago we were starting to spruce up our back garden and I found what looked like a human knee joint in the garden. It had part of the tibia, fibia and femur attached to it. I called the police. They came and looked at it and told me it was a ham bone. I completely forgot I threw out the leftover ham for the animals at Christmas! I thanked the policemen for waiting until they got into their car before they stsrt laughing!
Dan Beck 4 years ago
My buddy is a fireman. One of his favorite stories is of a teenage boy home alone. Kid calls 911 because he ate some hallucinogenic mushrooms and now is puking blood. Buddy gets to the scene. Notices that the "bloody" puke doesn't look like blood. He asks the kid what he ate with the mushrooms. Kid says, "nothing, just some grape juice." Buddy points to the puke and says, "so grape juice, huh?" The kid stares at him for a few seconds before it finally sinks in. Then you could see the kid getting very concerned that the police were also there. I don't know what ever happened to the kid.
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