Firefighters Take on New Role As Anti-Terrorism Eyes of the Government

[tekisui]

Nov 25, 2007 07:07 EST

Firefighters in major cities are being trained to take on a new role as lookouts for terrorism, raising concerns of eroding their standing as American icons and infringing on people's privacy.

Unlike police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel don't need warrants to access hundreds of thousands of homes and buildings each year, putting them in a position to spot behavior that could indicate terrorist activity or planning.

But there are fears that they could lose the faith of a skeptical public by becoming the eyes of the government, looking for suspicious items such as building blueprints or bomb-making manuals or materials.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Americans have given up some of their privacy rights in an effort to prevent future strikes. The government monitors phone calls and e-mails; people who fly have their belongings searched before boarding and are limited in what they can carry; and some people have trouble traveling because their names are similar to those on terrorist watch lists.

The American Civil Liberties Union says using firefighters to gather intelligence is another step in that direction. Mike German, a former FBI agent who is now national security policy counsel to the ACLU, said the concept is dangerously close to the Bush administration's 2002 proposal to have workers with access to private homes — such as postal carriers and telephone repairmen — report suspicious behavior to the FBI.

(big snip)

When going to private residences, for example, they are told to be alert for a person who is hostile, uncooperative or expressing hate or discontent with the United States; unusual chemicals or other materials that seem out of place; ammunition, firearms or weapons boxes; surveillance equipment; still and video cameras; night-vision goggles; maps, photos, blueprints; police manuals, training manuals, flight manuals; and little or no furniture other than a bed or mattress.


more at link: http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/AP_Firefighters_help_in_war_on_terr_11252007.html

[TomInTib]

1. "major cities", Hell...

It's happening right here (population 8,400).

We have this cockamamie program , GetReady94920, that is supposedly an earthquake response thing run thru the Fire Department under the supervision of DHS.

And it is an effing joke.

[Joanne98]

2. the firefighters need to rethink this. It they start spying for the police state!

Everybody will start trying to put out fires by themselves.

[Cha]

3. And in reality, we should have just gotten

rid of the bushites..but the corporatemediawhores wouldn't like that.

"Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Americans have given up some of their privacy rights in an effort to prevent future strikes. The government monitors phone calls and e-mails; people who fly have their belongings searched before boarding and are limited in what they can carry; and some people have trouble traveling because their names are similar to those on terrorist watch lists."

It was the bushits who let this happen and fooking condi was national security adviser. So what did they do? The bushites bumped her upstairs with the m$$$$m's approval.

Firefighters better watch out..following orders from fascists.