Gee, I am so shocked!
http://news.aol.com/article/parents-of-balloon-boy-falcon-heene-will/719681?icid=webmail|wbml-aim|dl3|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fparents-of-balloon-boy-falcon-heene-will%2F719681
Please TDK'ers outside the USA, don't hold this against us! We are not all this crazy!
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
Gee, yeah, aren't we all just sooooo surprised.
These egomaniacs put lives in danger with this stunt. All the responding officers, paramedics, helicopter crews involved in chasing the balloon were in danger of injury from traffic accidents, especially given the heightened emotions involved. Professional they may be, but accidents during pursuits happen. We just had a police officer killed here last week when he was responding with lights and siren to a burglary call and a semi-truck made a wide right turn unexpectedly in front of him.
And while officials were responding to this hoax, they were not available to respond to other ongoing legitimate emergency calls. That can mean the difference between life and death for someone.
Anytime flights have to be diverted around a major airport, again there are risks involved, no matter there are clearly defined procedures for flight diversions. Add to that, the expenses involved to airlines, the airport itself, and to passengers on those flights, in being delayed.
And can you imagine the tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of dollars of taxpayers money spent by authorities in manpower, equipment, etc. responding to this hoax?
And by no means the least of this offense, definitely not the least of this offense, is how these parents coached these children into being a part of this hoax. They literally are corrupting these children all in the name of fame. And, as was clearly seen in the interview videos, the stress involved made the youngest child sick.
All in the egotistical pursuit of fame, these idiots endangered lives, are harming their children, tied up emergency services that weren't available for other people's true emergency needs, and cost taxpayers and businesses untold volumes of money.
Like someone else said elsewhere, I hope the next time we hear about these cretins is to hear the sentences and penalties given them.
Okay, now I'll get down off my soapbox.
I am totally there with you Marnet. There could have been some poor child in REAL danger and not getting help because of these idiots! All this for a REALITY show! Where have parents morals gone to make kids do this for fame? Its amazing that no one got hurt!
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
Yes, it is amazing no one got hurt.
Every time someone mis-uses 911, they possibly imperil both the responders who are at risk for traffic accidents responding, and imperil the public at large by denying the availability of response by those officials to real emergency situations. Each time someone calls 911 to essentially get a free taxi ride to the ER for a case of snuffles, someone else has to wait an extra few minutes for paramedics from a farther distance to respond to a heart attack victim, a child with a severe asthma attack, someone seriously injured in a car accident, etc.
There's a valid reason for laws against 911 hoaxes. Hoaxes can and do endanger lives.
Its funny you say that. I was talking with FF yesterday and he said that Friday night in the middle of the night they got a call (about 2am). When they got to the house, there was an obese man who fell asleep on his couch, woke up and wanted to go to bed. He needed help getting off the couch! He called 911 for THAT! They sent out two firetrucks and one ambulance. What a waste of time, money, and resources!
Posted 2 years ago by mollycat71 #
Yep, that is exactly the type of abuse of the system call that responders run into every day. It's a shame that more cannot legally be done to exact penalties against those who abuse the system. But then those most chronically inclined to do so are often scofflaws in the first place and lack resources to pay any financial penalties.
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