Mark Ekstrum, an ex-Arizona firefighter, refused to respond to the 911 call from a shooting spree that left 6 people dead and 14 others injured. Of the 14 injured was Arizona representative Garielle Giffords, who suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
When the call came in on January 8th, Ekstrum mentioned something about “‘political bantering’ and he did not want to be part of it”. He told his captain he didn’t feel well and went home sick. Ekstrum was also heard saying something about how “he had a much different political viewpoint than the rest of the crew and he was concerned.” Two days later, after learning that there was a disciplinary investigation going on, he quit.
I know people are passionate about politics but can’t that be set aside for a human life? Did this man think he was going to get into an argument and/or fight because of politics on this day, in this situation? You would have to be completely disconnected from emotion to actually use that as an excuse for not responding to these victims. I am just thankful that the rest of the crew from the Tucson Fire Department were man enough to be heroes that day.
