Firefighters hold burglary suspect at gunpoint

[ffemt300]

Firemen at their station held robbers at gunpoint. Robbers stealing scrap metal from FD. Dangerous ground for the firemen in my opinion. Could put their department in a liability situation. Just my $0.02.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_ ... 717764.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mojo84]

Crime fightin' fire fighters. Way to go.

[StewNTexas]

I feel that a high pressure blast of water from a fire hose would have kept the one suspect from running. The thing with 'Catch & Release' is that you have to catch them first.

[Oldgringo]

I think Firemen are LEO as well, aren't they?

[JP171]

Firemen at their station held robbers at gunpoint. Robbers stealing scrap metal from FD. Dangerous ground for the firemen in my opinion. Could put their department in a liability situation. Just my $0.02.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_ ... 717764.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

what liability would that be? currently texas law states that if a criminal is injured or killed in the commission of a crime the individual that stopped them bears no liability, they can sue or try to but it will be thrown out if it even gets accepted. your in dickinson, hmm and your not carrying? you do know about Dickinson, it is right next to la marque. if it was at night I may have just shot them since I couldn't see if they had any weapons. Thieves deserve what ever happens to them during the theft.


OG no Firemen are not LEO's they are public safety workers and assaulting them falls under the law for PSW's that includes LEO,FF EMT's

[puma guy]

If there was even a shred of copper, brass or copper alloyed metal the theft is a felony. Good for th FD!

[PUCKER]

OG - a Fire Marshall is LEO. At least the ones that I have known are...they typically have investigate powers (arson, etc.).

[ELB]

I think Firemen are LEO as well, aren't they?

No. Firefighters are generally "just" firefighters. Some train in law enforcement and become firemarshals, which do have an LE function, but that's not a large pool. Vast majority of firefighters are firefighters (and often also EMTs).

I feel that a high pressure blast of water from a fire hose would have kept the one suspect from running. ...

That would be amusing ...but fire stations don't usually keep high pressure hoses charged up. Makes them tough to roll up and carry to the fire.

On the other hand, I suspect quite a few fire fighters have CHLs, and while the city/paid departments probably have rules against carrying, I suspect you will find quite a few pistols in cars, and vollies who carry. i think some of the south Bexar stations are mixes of paid and vollie types.

The story mentions a previous incident. That particular station had more than one incident of burglary/vandalism, sometimes while the firefighters were out on a call. A friend working there had the door lock ripped out of his truck, but nothing stolen (made him think they surprised the thief when the came back from a call). Eventually the chief (I think) at that station caught the burglar and held him at gunpoint.

[C-dub]

These guys are better equipped than the police to care for them after they shoot them if they are still alive.

[WildBill]

These guys are better equipped than the police to care for them after they shoot them if they are still alive.

[ELB]

So I heard thru firefighter scuttlebutt that in fact this was the same station that got hit a few months ago, and the same fire chief who caught the burglar last time. No word on whether it was the same burglar.

[ffemt300]

Firemen at their station held robbers at gunpoint. Robbers stealing scrap metal from FD. Dangerous ground for the firemen in my opinion. Could put their department in a liability situation. Just my $0.02.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_ ... 717764.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

what liability would that be? currently texas law states that if a criminal is injured or killed in the commission of a crime the individual that stopped them bears no liability, they can sue or try to but it will be thrown out if it even gets accepted. your in dickinson, hmm and your not carrying? you do know about Dickinson, it is right next to la marque. if it was at night I may have just shot them since I couldn't see if they had any weapons. Thieves deserve what ever happens to them during the theft.


OG no Firemen are not LEO's they are public safety workers and assaulting them falls under the law for PSW's that includes LEO,FF EMT's

If the department has a policy of no weapons, they could get in trouble, robbery or no robbery. Also depends if they were "on duty" or not. If they were volunteers, "on duty" is subjective. Maybe not so much a liability as far as the department goes seeing how the robbers probably wouldn't be stupid enough to try and sue. I'm sure that if something similar happened at my work, disciplinary actions would take place. We are not permitted to have firearms in either of the departments I work at. That is explicitly made clear to us. I understand the right to protect your property, but in my thinking, not worth jeopardizing my job. Lol on the Dickinson note. I'm not originally from there and I stay out of La Marque as much as possible.
Currently trying to remedy the no CHL in my pocket.