Ga. county looks to inmates to fight fires

[TalkingDog]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/10/national/main20118035.shtml

ST MARYS, Ga. - Officials in southeast Georgia are considering a money-saving program that would put inmates in fire stations.

The Florida Times-Union reports that the program would put two inmates in each of three existing firehouses in Camden County.

The program is one of several options (including volunteer firefighters) being considered by the Board of County Commissioners to lower the fire insurance costs of residents.

The inmate-firefighter program would supposedly save the county more than $500,000 a year.

/snip



Anyone remember Work Houses?

Oops, we're running low on firefighters, let's trump up some charges on some undesirables that we can afford to poorly train and let die in a fiery inferno.... what say?

[Kingofalldems]

1. I'm shakin it boss!

[rurallib]

2. Sounds safe and secure

who watches the inmates at a fire?
This simply has to be one of their absolutely dumbest ideas yet.

[tk2kewl]

9. i guess it's a chain gang bucket brigade

what could go wrong :eyes:

[NYC Liberal]

3. Sounds like a not-so-sneaky way to avoid having to hire and pay people to work.

[hatrack]

4. Plus, you can begin to associate firefighters with convicts . ..

Kind of a bonus in the push to denigrate public employees.

Maybe they can hire convicts as cops, too?

[NNN0LHI]

5. Imagine being a firefighter trying to compete with prison labor wages and benefits

I have tried competing on my job with the prison labor Honda of Ohio was using.

It wasn't a very pretty picture.

Don

[Dogtown]

6. Our prison/industrial complex at work.

End-around slavery.

Trustee job, minimum security. probably doobie-dudes.


Can't imagine the fire-fighters will treat them well. Lots of FFs are conservatives, as are cops. I suppose they'll get the nastiest chores in between calls.

[pacalo]

7. I'll bet the firefighters aren't getting a dime more by having to act as prison guards

while focusing on their regular duties.

Plus, firefighting is dangerous & stressful as it is & requires years of intense, hands-on training. Imagine training an inmate, or a group of inmates, in a smoke-filled training facility...perhaps after one or several inmates have rummaged through the station's kitchen drawer for a makeshift weapon to hide until the right opportunity.

I don't blame the firefighters for being upset. This is very disrespectful to the firefighters.

[JBoy]

8. Start with arsonists. They have relevant "domain knowledge".

[deaniac21]

10. I guess if you stack enough prisoners on the fire, it will go out.