Some of us are old enough to remember the years of civil unrest in the 1960s and 1970s. We can picture in our minds fire streams directed at civilians. I can say that for as many times as I have seen this, I have never noticed who was "on the nozzle." Perhaps that was orchestrated to keep "us"-the firefighters-from being perceived as "the bad guys." More likely, it was that we weren't the focus of the story-the crowds being dispersed were.
We must be truly blessed in the Great Lakes area. I hear other chiefs talk of drug labs in their area-of raids, fires, and explosions and of chiefs being asked (or told) to allow law enforcement officials to pose as firefighters on inspections or on EMS runs in suspected labs. There are many instances of fire departments being asked to assist law enforcement agencies in their duties. I have not heard of any such requests of the Toledo Department of Fire and Rescue since I have been here.
We had a nationally known "hate group" rally a few years back. I was involved in some of the planning, and we decided no fire apparatus or tools would be used for any reason to control crowds. In fact, I don't recall any discussion concerning the use of the department except for caring for wounded or ill people.
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