Lifeguard fired for trying to save man offered his job back, and turns it down

So I am very glad I waited the day to write this so that this story could develop a little more. I saw this make headlines and like most people was wondering how a company could justify firing someone for doing their job; 500 metres from where they were supposed to.

Now the 21 year old lifeguard was offered his job back and declined based on the fact that he didn’t want to work for a company that was willing to fire someone for trying to save a life. So, is it right? Should a company be able to fire you for leaving your designated area if it’s for the reason of saving another human being? What values does that instate in someone’s work ethic knowing that they can be fired for breaking rules to save a life?

I believe that in every working contract there should be a clause that states that you are free from reprimand or penalty if you are in the area and are needed to administer life-saving measures in order to save someone’s life, unless you are putting people in absolute immediate danger. I feel that allowing people to fear for the job over saving someone’s life is a terrible terrible thing. I’m glad that this 21 year old was able to say that he would put his morals over his job any day, because there are people who wouldn’t.

I don’t think that a company should have clout in dictating how we react when a fellow human being needs life saving measures. In the same way that people try to sue those who perform CPR and crack ribs after they’ve survived, I don’t think you should be fired for actively trying to save someone’s life. A company that puts value in its own productivity reinforces this, “I don’t want to get involved” attitude. Like the coffee shop workers who listened to a woman get brutally murdered next door, and didn’t do anything to stop it. This is not the kind of world attitude that we want to enforce.

I can only speak for myself, but I would want someone to not have to think about breaking rules if I were to need life saving measures. I wouldn’t want someone contemplating the weight of my life over their employment if I needed CPR or to be pulled from the water. Wouldn’t you?

All information pulled from the Toronto Star article:

Lifeguard fired for trying to save man offered his job back, and turns it down
By: Richard J. Brennan