Volunteer Firefighters to Undergo Background Checks

When the country has been attacked by the terrorist on September 11, 2001, one of the government’s arms that helped in saving people from the Twin Towers and had became victims suddenly were firemen from the different stations in New York City. They have captured the attention of the world as they courageously entered the collapsing building just to save people who trapped inside even at the cost of their own lives. Their stories were told around the world in various media and a movie was even produce to echo their bravery in that midst of national calamity.

After the grim event on the US soil firefighters across the nation have been put again into the limelight with so many pressing issues concerning them. Eight years in a row, criminal checks turned out a rather unacceptable result for a fireman thus the community has begun to question the credibility and their ability to save people in unbearable situations. Other than this, health issue surrounding the capacity of a particular fireman to perform the job has also become an important topic that needed to be met by authorities to calm down worrying community. Hence, authorities decided to intensify background check procedures on volunteer firefighters.

In Illinois, the staffs of a certain firefighter unit are mostly volunteers. Because of this situation, more than never a background check would tend to become lax as it was deem before that there are no grave situations wherein any criminal history would interfere with the conduct of the duty of the fireman. But in May this year, a fireman named Justin Weaver was arrested for federal child pornography chargers after authorities found his computer with children with him while he was still in uniform. This act should is not a right conduct of a firefighter as he is viewed by the public as a hero and life saver. The situation where Weaver was caught into brought confusion not just to adults but as well as to children. More so, his actions prove him to become a threat to the profession and to the community.

“As a fireman, the defendant placed himself in a position where children would trust and be drawn to him,” the brief of the prosecutors said in the court. “Many of the images recovered from his computer show the defendant with children in his uniform and around the fire station.”

What had put the entire block of firefighters in the situation is not actually the capability or the intent of each fireman to help but the mere fact that there are actions that should not be done by a fireman. As the issue continues to raise awareness among the people of Illinois, the challenge now is for the legislature to create a law that would advance background check and people search services among volunteers without jeopardizing the essence of volunteering. Though in Illinois, convicted felons of certain misdemeanors are mandated by law not to be accepted to the force, many still practice tolerance as numbers of people volunteering for said position is decreasing. However this issue is another case to settle by the state.