Bullying Reports After Firefighter's Death

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Bullying reports after firefighter's death

 

A Virginia fire department is investigating reports of bullying after the presumed death of a female firefighter.

 

 

https://gma.yahoo.com/fire-chief-investigating-reports-bullying-virginia-firefighters-death-170608723--abc-news-topstories.html

[nfd2004 750]

Was the bullying comments made "BEFORE" her death or "AFTER". Was this a suicide or a murder ? Is there any signs leading to the fact that she would want to commit suicide ? Did any members who worked with her pick up any ideas of such activity ? Bearing in mind that generally, firefighters deal with the public in suicide attempts. Who made these comments on that site and when ?

 

  Should bosses or leaders in any occupation focus on this type of behavior ? Could this become more prevalent in todays cyber world of unknowns ?

 

  A lot of questions do come up.

[v85 212]

I have many of the same questions. Does the fire chief believe his members/ employees were making the comments ?  Or that they are related to her death?  Why is the fire chief and not LE investigating? 

[nfd2004 750]

5 minutes ago, v85 said:

I have many of the same questions. Does the fire chief believe his members/ employees were making the comments ?  Or that they are related to her death?  Why is the fire chief and not LE investigating? 

 

 Exactly "v85", that is my point. And reading those comments posted, most believe it came from members of the fire department. How does any chief know that.

 

 My user name is "NFD2004" on here. But I can be any name I want and say anything under an entirely different personality if I wish. Should we believe everything that somebody, like "Mr 1234" or "Mrs ABCD" writes on some Fairfax County web site. How do we know it's not somebody from Calif or Alaska posting those remarks.

 

 I think to assume these comments were made by members of that department is unjust. I would hope that firefighters today have the brains to understand that this kind of thing could cost them their jobs or worse. On the other hand, could someone have many of their friends post bullying statements in hopes of covering up something or trying to blame someone else.

 

  Welcome to the unknowns of cyber world. Where you can say anything you want about anybody regardless of whether it is right or wrong. And the victim has no way of knowing who or where it came from.

 

 

[AFS1970 504]

In the anonymous world of the internet much of this will likely remain unknown. That being said, the internet is not nearly as anonymous as some would think it is. While it would take some digging and probably a couple of court orders, I would be willing to bet someone with the right skills could probably find out what computer I was sitting at to make this post. If it is a computer with limited access like a home computer, that would lead pretty quickly to who I am.

 

One of the articles I read about this mentioned that the same posters made references to events and information that would likely only be known to firefighters. So this is what lead others to think the posts came from her fellow firefighters. A couple of the articles, interestingly enoug, said that it was unknown if she even saw the comments that were posted about her.

 

One thing that struck me was possibly a cultural change. Remember when Firehouses were open (at least to each other) in their comments? For better or worse if the guys didn't like you they told you up front. If you were a hairbag you were well aware of it. However that dirty laundry stayed firmly behind the bay doors where it belonged. Now apparently it is a big secret that can be allowed to fester and grow, to be plastered on someone Else's internet site, which frankly might as well be a billboard on the side of the highway. I never wanted to be the old guy bemoaning the good old days, but come on, this is not they way folks are supposed to deal with each other.

[16fire5 693]

I followed the links and checked out the forum in question.  The discussion on her was well before her death.  By reading the posts it's pretty apparent that they're fire department members.  The discussions were sickening.  

[SECTMB 612]

21st. Century.  Bullies, Pirates, Gangs, Dictators, etc. etc.  We're really not as advanced a peoples as some would like to think.

 

[SageVigiles 1,194]

On April 27, 2016 at 8:46 PM, v85 said:

I have many of the same questions. Does the fire chief believe his members/ employees were making the comments ?  Or that they are related to her death?  Why is the fire chief and not LE investigating? 

It is possible that the Fairfax County Fire Marshal's Office is the unit investigating the cyber bullying aspect. They are sworn LEOs, as are most Fire Marshals in the DC area.

 

Firefighterclosecalls.com has links to the forums in question, there are some very disparaging comments about volunteers as well...

[nfd2004 750]

The question in my mind remains. "How can we be sure this was done by firefighters within the Fairfax County Fire Department".

 

With so much at stake here, how can the department assign it's own officers within the department to conduct this investigation ? I would expect an outside agency to be more involved.

 

Is it true that her husband or ex husband is a state trooper ? And if so, if this was going on, why didn't he seek a salutation to this kind of cyber bullying behavior early on. Working directly with the fire department ? I find it hard to believe that no one made mention to her about this cyber bullying going on. Or brought it to the attention of a high ranking officer. In this fairly large department made up of both career and volunteer firefighters, no one spoke up about it ?

 

As a retired firefighter I would like to tell a true story where a group of 9 firefighters almost got fired for something they didn't do. Apparently a relocated company brought in a few ladies to pose topless in this firehouse. It was very clear where these pictures were taken. When they appeared on the internet, the chief as well as the mayor was furious. They started an investigation and somebody was going to loose their job.

 

  As it turned out, the night those pictures were taken, there was a RELOCATED company in that firehouse from ANOTHER DEPARTMENT. The original members were out fighting a fire when all this happened. They had nothing to do with those pictures. But before that was learned, the local newspaper was all set to write up the story. City Hall was ready to get rid of the entire shift working at that firehouse. I don't remember how it was narrowed down to that particular night of the fire, but as it turned out, the guilty parties got away with it and no mention of that ever again.

 

   I know I will never forget how myself and eight other firefighters almost lost our jobs because of some idiots who thought it was funny to post pictures of women topless inside the firehouse we worked in. And the guilty parties got away with it too, adding to the insult. We were all considered guilty then too by City Hall and the Fire Chief. Until somebody proved that those firefighters were not even in that firehouse when those pictures were taken. Before that, eight innocent firefighters were about to be fired.