Childish overreacting is not something you’d imagine someone who is used to dealing with emergencies would do. However, a firefighter in Montgomery County, Maryland, took an overreaction to the extreme level, as he proceeded to vandalize an entire baseball stadium after a random ball hit his pickup truck. What happened was that a group of players were practicing in the field directly next to the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service’s station. A wayward baseball flew out of the stadium’s bounds and struck the firefighter’s personal vehicle. Enraged, he grabbed a hose from one of the firetrucks at the station and blasted the field down with water.
As a result, the stadium’s X account announced that a scheduled game was cancelled: “Gallons of water were sprayed over the fence from the fire department after a ball hit a pickup truck parked by the station. That water has created a pond in center.” It goes without saying that dozens of people planning for and involved in the game, such as the players, audience, or stadium employees, had a rough day from what happened. It was such a shocker to the community that even the Chief Spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service had to make a public apology and perform some damage control.
Whether being put on an extensive leave or being fired, that firefighter’s overreaction to his truck getting hit was definitely not worth the likely consequence. Redditors overwhelmingly believe the man responsible should be fired. “It was just a firefighter being a petty d**k on a power trip,” read a top comment. “Fire the a**hole and be done with it,” remarks another. “Sounds like someone has anger management issues,” added another. A fourth came in with a good point: “If you work for the public and misuse public property, you should be both fired and prosecuted.”
Firefighters are one of the most respected members of a city’s workforce. For someone of that caliber to go out and ruin both the station and the firefighters’ reputation in general is a huge disrespect. Hopefully, the culprit receives a deserved punishment.
