tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post4685490503724720847..comments2023-10-17T22:56:42.784-04:00Comments on Only in The Republic of Amherst: A Fatal MistakeLarry Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-32074544230988810142014-05-19T16:34:00.590-04:002014-05-19T16:34:00.590-04:00Don't feed the troll!!Don't feed the troll!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-55494669439090558592014-05-18T17:40:09.687-04:002014-05-18T17:40:09.687-04:00The firefighters must feel devastated when they re...<i>The firefighters must feel devastated when they realize there's been loss of life.</i><br /><br />The way I always looked at it was that I was giving someone a better chance at not dying, I suspect they do too.<br /><br />Nina, don't put it on the firefighters the way you are -- they didn't start the fire and they didn't put him back in there -- it's not them failing but them not being successful in their valiant attempts.<br /><br />This is not a minor point Nina -- they responded to someone who had NO chance of survival and gave him a statistically better one.<br /><br />According to the report, they were in there until the building was essentially collapsing around them. That was all they could do.<br /><br />It wasn't that they failed but that they did everything they possibly could and that it wasn't enough. They didn't fail.<br /><br />The first death I saw was when CPR didn't work -- we had done absolutely everything right. Everything else was right as well -- inside of 10 minutes an airplane was landing with a doctor and his toys aboard -- absolute best-case all-around and the person still died.<br /><br />The point the doctor made to me was that even though you do everything right, sometimes people still die. The next time the victim might not die, but that's only if you are able to go the next time, if you don't let this bother you so much you can't go the next time. And on the ocean, you don't always even find a body -- you never really know what happened, but you go the next time.<br /><br />Call me cold hearted (or worse), what he told a then-teenager is something that has been my attitude ever since. I can't permit this to bother me because I need to be able to go and help the next person, whom I will be able to help.Dr. Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-37873253471794646092014-05-18T10:16:56.642-04:002014-05-18T10:16:56.642-04:00It's such a sad story for all involved, and as...It's such a sad story for all involved, and as you say 4:59, very traumatic for the roommate. The firefighters must feel devastated when they realize there's been loss of life.<br /><br />I wish the kids could find a way to have fun without getting so drunk. I don't know how we can teach that to them.Nina Kochnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-14185469286163705922014-05-17T16:59:08.972-04:002014-05-17T16:59:08.972-04:00It sounds like the poor kid was still drunk. I...It sounds like the poor kid was still drunk. I'm so sorry the roomie had to go through all of this. It will stay with him forever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-42346529790241663842014-05-17T16:37:44.056-04:002014-05-17T16:37:44.056-04:00Not so sure there are any specific "rules&quo...Not so sure there are any specific "rules" against going back into a burning building. <br /><br />Just as there are not specific rules about not drinking motor oil. Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-8050532566249603362014-05-17T16:23:50.061-04:002014-05-17T16:23:50.061-04:00I wonder if the case can be made that teaching peo...I wonder if the case can be made that teaching people to <b>decide</b> not to go back into a burning building would be more effective than merely having rules against it.<br /><br />Rules only work when you have the ability to enforce them -- where the realistic fear of punishment is enough to coerce compliance.<br /><br />Decision making skills presume both free will and self-interest -- you <b>decide</b> to stay out because you don't want to die. You rationally look at the situation and you decide that it isn't in your best interest to do this. Authority is irrelevant, YOU are the authority.<br /><br />It's easier to take the "because I say so" approach -- but that's not going to work when you aren't there. If you have the courage to accept the fact that your authority does have limits, that you can't force them to do what you want them to do, you can then teach them how to make the decision and if your rule is legitimate then they most likely will decide along those lines anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com