You Make the Call...Evening Visitor

You are assigned to the outlying station in your rural fire district as the Firefighter/EMT. This station houses an engine and ambulance, but staffs only one person due to the design of your system. You are one of four stations staffed this way today and it has been a quiet week.

The wife (husband, significant other) recently got a job at a local restaurant. Your home is an hours drive away on a quiet dark highway.

At 11:30 PM the phone rings and your other feels too tired to make the drive home safely after working a double. You offer to meet at the gas station near the highway for a coffee and a pep talk when they tell you they are too tired even for that.

10 minutes later, they are at the door asking to lay down just for a little while.

Your Department's policy states no visitors after 8 PM. You make the Call.

Comments

Meadowlark said…
Clear it with someone first? Or call a friend to take person home? Poor planning though.

(And actually, I just commented to I could get the answers in case my feed broke)
Grace said…
Safety first! I say let them in because it would be too dangerous for them to drive.
Anonymous said…
Let them in, definitely. Their safety is more important, but notify your supervisor about the situation so you are covered re: the no PM visitors rule.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said…
Safety First. Let them in, and then phone your supervisor and fill them in on what is going on.

Once everyone knows what is going on then you can make a plan to get your loved on home safely.
FireCritic said…
Let me get this right...You are alone and your wife (in my case) comes to the station because she is too tired to drive.

I would let her lay down...everyone I know knows I don't have chance in hell of "getting any" so there wouldn't be anything going on!!!

Ok, maybe I am kidding a little...there might be a chance.

Actually, it is 11:30pm so I am not waking my supervisor up. I would probably let her nap on the couch in the day room (with at least one light on) while I stayed up watching tv.

She could nap for an hour or so then she would be out the door with some coffee in hand.

The following shift, or in the morning, I would probably let my supervisor in on it so they understood what happened and so that they didn't find out another way. If there are consequences then so be it.

If I could lose my job over it then mums the word and I would deny it til my death...unless they have pictures.
The Young Mummy said…
Give them a blanket and let the back seat of the car become a bed, trust me ive done it before. Oh yeah and confiscate the car keys
Anonymous said…
Well you'll have to get rid of your girlfriend before the old lady shows up cos the ruckus they'd kick up would be a lot worse than anything your supervisor might come up with !
DaveO
Ckemtp said…
Been there, done that.. Let her stay. Set an alarm so that she (in this case, my wife) gets up before the oncoming shift comes in. Hide her if there's a call (rural station, low call volume)

Let your supervisor know? Nope. No reason to bother them at 11:30pm. Did they hire you because they trusted you to make good decisions with people's lives? Then make a good decision here. No use calling too much attention to yourself.
Sean said…
Let 'em stay. Make sure they leave before your relief arrives. Don't notify anyone. If your're found out, take the heat like an adult. Your supervisor would do the same.