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Decay Point: Bureaucratic Sclerosis

Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:00 am

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Alas, as a society decays, its parts shrivel and wither in interestingly tragic ways.

An exemplar of such decay occurred just the other day. Big Government’s bureaucratic sclerosis hit a fire department so hard that it felt it necessary for its, “...22 firefighters and six vehicles...” to remain idle on the shore and watch a man drown in icy water for 13 minutes, according to the Daily Caller. They “…didn’t launch an inflatable boat until just before he disappeared. The firefighters pulled Brown’s body out of the water roughly an hour after they arrived.”

“‘They followed our ice rescue guidelines pretty much to a T,’ Champaign Deputy Fire Chief Eric Mitchell told The News Gazette.”

Whew! Thank goodness. I’m sure they wouldn’t want to be cited for noncompliance. Allay your fears, great citizens of Champaign, Illinois. There will be no lawsuits or fines today, only one less citizen, because our fire department followed the rules to a “T.” That sounds like a decent trade off, eh?

What’s the point of having such services if they’re not around when you need them? Exactly what does the “rescue” mean in the notion of “fire and rescue”? Ahh, I stand corrected; after looking at the Fire Department’s Page on the City of Champaign’s website, they don’t have a “Fire and Rescue Department,” only a Fire Department, so that may be it. Although that same page states that the fire department’s mission includes, “Supply ... rescue services...for the City.” I guess we’ll need a definition of such “services.” Maybe it’s a literal interpretation, and it supplies help, literally, “for the City” and the pond being part of the “City.” It rescued the pond from a rotting corpse.

Too harsh? Too bad.

Big governmenters argue all the time that with big government you’re not on your own, and they’ll be there when you need them. Small governmenters counter that this belief is nefarious folly and provides a false sense of security. Too bad we can’t ask the drowning man, Kenneth Brown, which he understood when he first stepped his booted foot onto the icy surface and then later when he observed, through flailing glimpses of the shore, the gathering audience of public servants standing idle as hypothermia claimed his organs.

Big government isn’t simply the physical size of a government in terms of people as some on the left like to argue. Among other things, it also refers to the bigness of a bureaucracy and the inefficiencies it places on the government when there are so many rules, procedures, plans, departments and bureaucratic layers in place that it suffocates itself by these self-imposed impediments and can no longer do what it’s supposed to do. The left argues that all of this is necessary to solve a problem. It’s not. It’s a function of a lazy political class all too eager to find the easy “solution” and just throw money at a problem, deliver a press conference, place a “done this” check mark on the reelection resume, and move on. They’re assisted by followers of a political ideology that in essence is “more government, good.” All of this is enabled by a constituency too lazy or too uninterested to think through the problems and mistakenly trusts the illusory leftist ideologues that the problem is taken care of. Of course, it isn’t. And when it reemerges, they subscribe to the same solution that just failed. It’s a spiral that’s claimed many of our cities. That’s the problem.

The death of Mr. Brown didn’t happen because of slim government resources because as stated previously, there were “...22 firefighters and six vehicles...” at the scene. No, he departed because of bureaucratic sclerosis. A sclerosis so severe that some do not see a dissonance between a government department that, “...followed …” its “... ice rescue guidelines pretty much to a T,” and in being compliant with those guidelines, a man froze to death slowly in front of the public and the servants of that department for 13 minutes.

Bureaucratic sclerosis is a symptom of an incapacitated, red-tape beleaguered government that cannot function properly. A symptom of big government.

You've just read "Decay Point: Bureaucratic Sclerosis" by Scott Morales edited from the original--posted at GraniteGrok.com (Home).

Mike Healey

1:51 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013

Here is a real account of the rescue effort:
The man fallen through the ice was fleeing from police
The Call to fire went out at 3:53 pm
By 3:59 pm the first fireman was on location IN his dry suit.
They continued to trow the victim a flotation device attached to a rope, but the victim was unable to grab it.
At 4:11 they had finished inflating the raft and started out onto the ice when the victim went under.

I hat this lazy bashing of Police and Fire Rescue by Monday Morning Quarterbacks who know nothing about safety or even the facts.

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts-police-and-fire/2013-01-03/authorities-detail-rescue-efforts-man-who-fell-through-iced-o

Scott Morales

8:40 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Mike, This is the second time you cited an article that you claim refutes one that I reference but then turns out to support it. Thanks Mike!

The timeline mentioned in yours supports what was stated in my post and what I referenced. 13 minutes from FD arrival to launching the raft (in case you're wondering that's the duration of time between 3:58 p.m. and 4:11 p.m. You're welcome!) From yours: "The first firefighters arrived at 3:58 p.m." "As the firefighters were sliding the raft out to where Mr. Brown was, he went under the water at 4:11 p.m"

Also I mentioned that the firefighters pulled Brown out of the water "roughly an hour after they arrived". From your reference, "They ended up having to dive. (Mr. Brown) was out of the water and in the ambulance at 5:09 p.m.," (again that's roughly an hour).

However, I do enjoy your little embellishment. "flotation device", Mike? Really? You can find that term in the article you reference? No, no you can't, stop making things up. A "a Frisbee with a rope on it" does not quite qualify as a floatation device. Did you even watch the video, or just thought to sound off with supposition hoping that nobody actually reads the article you reference?

Mike Healey

10:05 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

My article just has the facts, none of the right wing "sky is falling" spin.

Mike Healey

10:16 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

"You can find that term in the article you reference?"
Reading comprehension is not your specialty is it Scott....
"team members threw out a rescue disc — "a Frisbee with a rope on it" — in hopes that Mr. Brown would grab on"
http://www.water-rescues.com/

essay

2:20 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013

Thank you for that correction, Mr. Morales. Wait, what? That correction was written by Mr. Healey? Must be a pseudonym, because I am sure Mr. Morales has always upheld the highest standards of journalism, as his link to the story from the Daily Caller will attest. The Daily Caller is certainly the most impartial and objective newsource on the internets, and I have no doubt they refrain from any kind of ideological bias, as their founder, Tucker Carlson, always showed on his ill-fated "news" program, Crossfire.

Watts

2:01 am on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

This should tell you all that you need to know about this piece of fiction...

"...edited from the original--posted at GraniteGrok.com"

Watts

4:23 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

What is a "smuck?"

Did you mean schmuck?

Scott Morales

8:42 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Essay,
On what would you like a correction? I assume you didn't read what Mike referenced and took his word for it. Well, you've been duped. If you can show me where I was mistaken please do. I'll look into it and if you're correct, I'll state so.

Scott Morales

8:43 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Watts, exactly what's fiction. Looks like you got duped by Mike H as well.

Watts

12:14 pm on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Scott, when addressing me as "essay," did you actually mean "ese?" Because I can't figure out what else you may have meant by that.

Normally, I don't even call people out on things like this, except for the fact that you seem to think that you are "down" enough to pull that talk.

Scott Morales

8:23 pm on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Watts, Given that this particular thread was started by Essay, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out that I was addressing Essay when I wrote "Essay". I addressed you as "Watts" because... well... that's the name you go by. I won't use "ese" on the Patch, as I think most peoples' head would explode. (btw. thanks for removing the Hispanic ethnicity stuff... that's for another place)

steve forte

3:02 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013

Hey it could have been much worse. He could have died at the hand of a gun. Im sure he is much happier knowing although he is still dead that it happened the way it did.

Jan Schmidt

3:16 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013

Let's see, 10 minutes on site, not 13 as was implied.
Ropes with flotation devices were used, not "remain(ed) idle as was stated.
Raft was deployed as soon as it was inflated, not after the guy went under as was stated.

0 for 3 - what is this Fox News Lite?
oh... wait... its Granite not Grok! got it!

Mike Healey

6:10 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013

The Granite "Crock".

Carol Robidoux

6:08 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

NewsFlash: The World Wide Web, as it's known, allows someone who's not from Nashua to see the Nashua Patch and post, if they wish. However, the content of Nashua Patch is locally generated, and I strive to make sure bloggers have a local connection – it's their hometown, they work here, they went to school here, they are history buffs and know a lot about Nashua... however, since there is not a Patch site for every city and town in NH, we provide space for anyone to write as long as there is some sense that it provides a point of view or information of interest to local readers.

Scott Morales

8:45 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Jan, you got duped. This isn't he first time Mike H. has cited something that's turned out to be an exploding cigar that ashes his mug.

From both references (DC's and Mikes) it is 13 minutes. 4:11 (when sliding the raft out) minus 3:58 (the time of FDs arrival) provides a differential of 13 minutes.

Also from both references, the raft was being slid onto the ice as the guy went under.
MIke's: "As the firefighters were sliding the raft out to where Mr. Brown was, he went under the water at 4:11 p.m., Mitchell said."
DC: "firefighters didn’t launch an inflatable boat until just before he disappeared"

The times I cite are consistent in both articles and nowhere does it say "Ropes with flotation devices were used". You got bamboozled by the Healey. Don't worry...it'll happen again. He can't help himself.

Mike Healey

10:06 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Keep spinning Scott, so funny.

Jan Schmidt

6:57 am on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Mr Not Grok,
Try using the google and cross-referencing the story. One of the biggest failings of people these days is they select one source, or sources that have an agenda, and think they have the all the facts.

You sir take your information one step further and spread half truths and lies with drama and accusations. You even get to imply that there are public employees that revel in watching a man die.

And we are calling you out for it.

Scott Morales

8:31 pm on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

@Mr. Jan Schmidt,
Sir you just got your boxers in a bunch because you got duped by your crony, got caught and are embarrassed, so you lash out at others. As anyone whose read the articles and watch the videos referenced herein can tell, the facts in my post are accurate. Sorry sir, it was 3 for 3 for me, not for thee!

Seamus Carty

6:16 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013

This doesn't look good:

"The crowd of onlookers demanded firefighters rescue the man, and some even volunteered for the task, but were told by the Champaign police to stay away while 22 firefighters and six vehicles stood on the nearby shore and watched Brown's slow-motion death."

“They established command … they made visual contact and attempted to talk to him, threw rescue devices, and went on the water,” he said. “Going on the water is the last thing you want to do. They did all the other things first.”

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2013/01/illinois-firefighters-stand-idle-while-man-drowns-video.html

Mike Healey

10:43 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013

You are quoting the same crazy right wing screed Scott did.

Steve From NH

8:03 am on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

So what should they have done? How many stories have you read about 3 people diving in to rescue a drowning person and 4 deaths resulting? I think that's what meant by “Going on the water is the last thing you want to do".
Real life is not like TV.
Unless it's the news story last week where someone fell through the ice trying to rescue a dog, then a second trying to rescue him, until there were 10.

No Longer interested

6:40 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013

There's the Granit Grok full of bull story, and then there is the real story.
The only thing "decaying" is the truth.

Swamp Fox

7:59 am on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Patch is not a local site. Who do you think they are kidding?

Carol Robidoux

6:04 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Swamp Fox, what do you mean?

Steve From NH

9:42 am on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Here's a real News Flash, there is no such thing as "local" on the internet.

Proud Conservative

8:23 am on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Would you want to wait in frigid waters for 10 or 15 minutes while the rescue personnel go through all their "proper procedures" before making an attempt to haul you out? I think it's safe to say that in the absence of any formal rescue group, this guy could have been saved by private citizens with some common sense.

Steve From NH

4:43 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Have you ever tried to save someone from drowning? I have, on a warm summer day in 7 feet of water. If they are at all panicked, they will usually try to take you down with them. Untrained private citizens with common sense often end in more deaths, because common sense is not a factor in a drowning. "Proper procedures" in a rescue are there for a very good reason.

Scott Morales

9:08 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Here's another video from a different angle. Caution: language.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11iXIH11qe0

Check out the comments on the FD. One is at 4:10 in this video "look they don't know how to put the oars together, they're going nice an calm"

A little after @7:34 into the video, " he's not coming up, they took all this time what the ****"

@around 8:50 in "that's so ****** up....they just ****** up"
let it run until the end and listen to the crowd in the background. Among other things, you'll hear, "they waited too long" and, "everybody just standing around".

And as you're watching, remember that Fire Department followed "...ice rescue guidelines pretty much to a T". Let's give them the benefit of doubt and say they did. That's the problem. The "guidelines".

Mike Healey

10:10 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

I can't believe you're crying that the government didn't swoop in and save the day, you sound like that fictional liberal caricature you're always maligning.

Mike Healey

10:22 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Notice how Scott transfers a small town fire departments effort to not endanger more lives into a failure of "big government". These crazy right wing spin maters can find conspiracy in a Cheerios commercial.

Mike Healey

10:26 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Looks like Scottie is mad. I guess we should look forward to a story about my fictional public sector career and how I'm post on the public dole next week. Can't wait for the next dispatch from the "Right Wing Bubble"

Jan Schmidt

7:01 am on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Yes, Mikie... You're likely next on his hit list.

Scott Morales

8:33 pm on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

LOL I look mad? A little projection Mike? You posted to the same thread more than 3 times in about a 15 minute span. Obsess much? :0)

Robert B Butts

7:47 am on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The thing that's decaying is the editing and writing on this web site. It would probably be better to ignore him. The last thing a community website needs to read is a self important fringe blogger bashing fire and rescue 1500 miles away because he's paranoid about government.

Seamus Carty

8:33 am on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I'm waiting for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to hear about this and show up in Champaign....

Jan Schmidt

9:04 am on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

racism Seamus?

Seamus Carty

9:37 am on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Young black man drowns while white police officers and firefighters watch from the shore? Seems like Jesse and Al would be interested and want a full investigation... That has been their past modus operandi....

Jan Schmidt

9:54 am on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

And that single descriptor draws your attention, then you bring in a racist remark involving specific people because of their race.

Carolyn Dube

12:00 pm on Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I think the key you're missing here, @Newsflash is the line that says "Share your perspectives via our Local Voices blogging platform." That is what Mr. Morale's post is about. It is his perspective about another story he read or saw elsewhere, shared on our local blogging platform. We invite people from all around our communities to write blogs on any number of topics. If you read Mr. Morales' blogger profile, which can be found by clicking on his name above, you'll find he says "I’m a software guy with a penchant for football, hockey, music, current events and politics -- mostly current events and politics ... I’ve got opinions and I hope to persuade and look forward, in return, to be persuaded." If you do not agree with Mr. Morales' opinions you are welcome to debate the points with him or simply choose not to read, but as another Patch editor here in New Hampshire, I cannot see how this blog goes against our "What is Patch" guidelines. Just because we write about local news does not mean our bloggers are restricted to do so. It's a big world and people have varied interests that reach outside of Southern NH.