Firefighters shot at for not helping cat

[Guest]

Firefighters shot at for not helping cat

Aug 19, 5:11 PM EDT

 

KINGMAN, Ariz. (AP) -- A man angry at firefighters who refused to rescue a cat from a tree was arrested after he started shooting at the fire crew, officials said.

Jeffrey Cullen, 58, was charged with four felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Mohave County Sheriff's spokeswoman Trish Carter said.

A three-person fire crew went to Cullen's home Thursday when he reported a tree fire, but found no blaze, Hualapai Valley Fire Department spokeswoman Sandy Edwards said.

Instead, Cullen told firefighters he wanted a cat rescued from his tree and knew they would only respond to a fire call, Edwards said. A battalion chief told Cullen to call animal control or wait for the cat to get hungry and come down.

Cullen apparently didn't like the response, Edwards said.

"He went back into the house, got a small black revolver and came outside shooting," she said.

The firefighters and a 12-year-old boy who had come to see the fire truck ran for their lives, Edwards said. No one was injured.

Deputies arrested Cullen after a brief standoff and struggle.

[mikelouf2 0]

I hope they put that guy away for a long time thank god no one got hurt

[Guest]

Aug 19, 5:11 PM (ET)

KINGMAN, Ariz. (AP) - A man angry at firefighters who refused to rescue a cat from a tree was arrested after he started shooting at the fire crew, officials said.

Jeffrey Cullen, 58, was charged with four felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Mohave County Sheriff's spokeswoman Trish Carter said.

A three-person fire crew went to Cullen's home Thursday when he reported a tree fire, but found no blaze, Hualapai Valley Fire Department spokeswoman Sandy Edwards said.

Instead, Cullen told firefighters he wanted a cat rescued from his tree and knew they would only respond to a fire call, Edwards said. A battalion chief told Cullen to call animal control or wait for the cat to get hungry and come down.

Cullen apparently didn't like the response, Edwards said.

"He went back into the house, got a small black revolver and came outside shooting," she said.

The firefighters and a 12-year-old boy who had come to see the fire truck ran for their lives, Edwards said. No one was injured.

Deputies arrested Cullen after a brief standoff and struggle.

This world is getting weirder and weirder everyday, good thing no one got hurt.

[Plectron 1]

People are nuts. Maybe it's time to start ordering fire trucks with armored doors and bulletproof windows!

[x648eng119 2]

Wanted in connection - EMTBravo Member "Skooter92"

Just kidding, Pete

[Guest WCDES636]

Maybe the Fire Department should have put up a ladder and get the cat! Maybe the guy pays $7000 a year in house taxes only to be told ... "No we don't come out for that!!" I still believe that Police, Fire, EMS, and even Dispatching are a public service. But I guess public service means when the good stuff comes in ..... I'll go!

[Remember585 815]

I can think of one person who would kill for her cats....that's why I feed them so she doesn't kill me.

Edited August 23, 2006 by Remember585

[JBE 328]

Maybe the Fire Department should have put up a ladder and get the cat! Maybe the guy pays $7000 a year in house taxes only to be told ... "No we don't come out for that!!"  I still believe that Police, Fire, EMS, and even Dispatching are a public service. But I guess public service means when the good stuff comes in ..... I'll go!

←

Sorry, but I couldn't disagree with you more. I can only presume you're a cat owner or a cat lover. This gentleman not only called in a false alarm, but he abused the 911 system, which by your handle tells me you're a dispatcher who should know that already. To many people out there, a cat in a tree is an emergency, for those of us in the emergency services, it's not an emergency. Is it good public relations for the Fire/Police Department when they go out and do something like this?? Of course, but heaven forbid a fire broke out and these guys were first due, and they missed a job because they were up in a tree, or a cop missed pulling over a drunk driver who goes off and wipes out a family of four, the public outcry would be much worse. When I got calls like this, I referred them to Animal Control, or gave them the cat food, can of tuna advice. If they persisted, I asked if they had ever seen the skeleton of a cat in a tree. The cat got up there, it'll get down. Yes, he pays taxes like the rest of us do, but being a responsible taxpayer does not relieve that person from using common sense. The public needs to be further educated about when to call 911 for a true emergency, and when to call a non emergency number for the proper guidance. Not for nothing, but I guess it couldn't have been too much of an inconvenience for this guy to maybe go and get a ladder and take the cat out of the tree himself. My sister owned a cat who liked to climb everything, and my brother God bless him, went up the 40 or so feet to get the cat down, his reward?? A face and clothing soaked with cat pee.

We are a public service, but stuff like felines, or any animal in distress should be handled by the ASPCA or Animal Control. We, as members of public service have a responsibility to the preservation of property and human life, and animal life if it's a fire in a pet store or residence. And by your last statement about picking and choosing, that's not only out of line, but that's an insult to the members of this board. Think before you type.

[Guest WCDES636]

Well JBE,

First off, I don't care for cats. I think they are a useless animal. But that is just my opinion. Second. You can't sit there and tell me that Departments and members of those departments don't pick and choose. Some departments will respond for water conditions and pump out flooded basements, some won't. Some will do invalid assists. Some will not. This may not happen in the area that you dispatch in. But in the area I work, 52 Fire Departments all have different SOP's. Those SOP's are basically picking and chosing what they will or will not respond to. So my statement is not really out of line, but right on the money. As for insulting members of this board. Find me one person who has not rolled over and reset the pager beacuse it was a nothing call. Know what you talking about before you type!

[JBE 328]

Bottom line, this jerk in Arizona committed a crime by calling in a false alarm, and then committed another one by having target practice with the firefighters.

I stand by my statements.

[Guest]

Well JBE,

First off, I don't care for cats. I think they are a useless animal. But that is just my opinion. Second. You can't sit there and tell me that Departments and members of those departments don't pick and choose. Some departments will respond for water conditions and pump out flooded basements, some won't. Some will do invalid assists. Some will not. This may not happen in the area that you dispatch in. But in the area I work, 52 Fire Departments all have different SOP's. Those SOP's are basically picking and chosing what they will or will not respond to. So my statement is not really out of line, but right on the money. As for insulting members of this board. Find me one person who has not rolled over and reset the pager beacuse it was a nothing call. Know what you talking about before you type!

←

Ah, 636, you seem to be expanding your gripes to target a county that clearly does have problems stemming from that fact that there are 52 fire depts. Don't get me wrong, in your position you would know very well how things shake out in the end, but stating that people pick and choose, true or not, is insulting and is certainly not part of the topic at hand.

It was a malicious false alarm followed by an assault with a deadly weapon. END OF STORY.

A lot of depts. tailor response based on how busy they are. I'm sure in plenty of dept's if someone called up the firehouse and said, "hey, my cat won't come down from a tree. Can you help me?" they would say yes. Its great PR, but some busier depts don't have the time to provide that luxury.

I don't know any dept. that would extend extra help to a person who LIED in a phone call to 911 causing alarm and an emergency response risking EVERYONE's safety.

This issue is simple and doesn't go beyond someone committing a crime and belonging in jail. As for the rest of your statements, they belong elsewhere. Elsewhere and restated without making insulting blanket statements. Perhaps backed up with factual information.

Edited August 24, 2006 by lfdR1

[Firefighter57 0]

Thats what animal control is for. Thats why taxpayers also pay for that.

The cat thing is nothing. A while back my dad was telling me about a run he went to, got there and found out it was for a bird stuck in a tree. They went and spent 30 mins trying to get the bird down. Then, when they set up good old snorkel 1, and got close to the bird, it flew down back to its owner.

[Guest]

I think you all make good points...everyone does pick and choose what they respond to, but only to a certain extent...our primary job is to fight fire, but in lieu of fires we all need to provide other services, that being said no department worth their while should be tending to a water leak when there is a fire to fight... if that's picking and choosing then I think its fine...every department does "community assistance" type calls, but not when they come from a malicious false alarm

[tjng 0]

Maybe the Fire Department should have put up a ladder and get the cat! Maybe the guy pays $7000 a year in house taxes only to be told ... "No we don't come out for that!!"  I still believe that Police, Fire, EMS, and even Dispatching are a public service. But I guess public service means when the good stuff comes in ..... I'll go!

←

WCDES636 are you serious? I don't care if he pays 50,000 in taxes a year. How can you justify anyone calling in a false alarm and then retrieving a firearm and firing off a few rounds. Are you a parent? Did you read the quote where a kid had to flee for cover. Yes police, fire,ems and dispatchers are publc servants, but we are not to be used for target practice. I have served both as a paid police officer and firefighter, and can tell you that I truely enjoy helping people in need. But this moron had no emergency. Just because you pay taxes don't mean you could behave like an a******* . No one has ever found a cat dead in a tree. Maybe he should have put a ladder up. I am apalled that a person whose career is to deal w/ the public can even make a statement like this. I am sure your comments and opinions would be different if you were the one being shot at. Come on you can't be serious.

PS. I have NEVER posted to this site, but often enjoy each and everyones comments, but your statement needed a reply.How can a person who works for the WCDES make this type of statement? WOW!

[JetPhoto 626]

They have trees in Arizona? LoL

This moron should have also been charged with endangering the welfare of a child

Yes a flase alarm is ABSOLUTLY the wrong thing to do, but maybe if this tool had called animal control and they intern called for the fire dept. to help, the firefighters may have helped. We have no idea how tall or how far up this cat was. If it was very high up does that department have the proper equipment to get up there? Maybe in the past this dept. or one in the same area sent a FF up a tree and he got hurt, or they don't provide the service because of the liability.

Bottom line is yes we see the key points from this artical BUT do we really know them all?

BTW - several years ago when I was Chief I went to a call for a kitten stuck in a wall. When I arrived I found this cat had fallen 10 feet inside a wall. If I turned around and told the elderly folks sorry I can't help you and let the cat stay there to die in the wall or for them to call in a carpenter to rip the wall apart would it have given my department good pr? Myself along with a couple others were able to cleanly open the wall and put it back together. This made the elderly ladies very happy, a few weeks later we recieved a donation from them thanking us.