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submitted 1 year ago by girlfreddy@lemmy.world to c/canada@lemmy.ca

As residents of B.C.'s Shuswap region work desperately to protect their homes, government officials are urging them to stop seizing equipment intended for provincial firefighting crews.

Over the weekend, the B.C. Wildfire Service reported that essential gear such as pumps, sprinklers, hoses and all-terrain vehicles has been disappearing in the North Shuswap area.

That includes sprinklers set up to prevent the Scotch Creek Bridge from catching fire, which have already been stolen three times.

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[-] cygnus@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

If you'd read the article it appears that gear is on site but largely unused, hence it's being commandeered by the locals.

[-] girlfreddy@lemmy.world 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's not "largely unused". It's there so if the crews have to leave one spot quickly, so can't gather equipment, to get to another spot.

I take it you've never worked a forest fire before.

[-] Smoogy@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Could kinda see it frustrating for a group of people surrounded by fire though looking at the equipment that was just sitting there. They are feeling the end of the world a lot more than people who aren’t there and just saying “don’t”.

That’s just cruel and inhumane. Manipulative even. Like a science experiment on behaviour and then acting disappointed someone is going to try to save their own life despite your disapproval.

[-] Anomander@kbin.social 16 points 1 year ago

Could kind of see how someone facing down an impending roaring wildfire, then stealing from the same people they want help from, might be counterproductive. The people telling them not to steal fire equipment are there. They're the ones fighting the fire.

No private resident needs that equipment "to save their own life". They're on evacuation order, there are safe routes out, they should not be there, and they chose to stay in order to protect their property. The bridge that sprinklers are getting stolen from, for instance, is protected so there will be a safe passage out of the area consistently even if the fire shifts in that direction.

This is about wealth - not health. Stealing that equipment is choosing to fuck over the entire region and everyone else who needs fire protection, just to better preserve their own home, is selfish and stupid.

[-] girlfreddy@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

So those thieves are justified in stealing equipment that could save someone else's life and/or home?

Yeah, no.

It doesn't work that way.

[-] Bipta@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

The person you're responding to is basically making the, "steal a loaf of bread to feed your family" argument. It's complicated by the fact that loaf of bread was already reserved for saving others, but it's stupid to act like they're a deranged person without a point.

The desire to not die is a strong one; stronger than logic.

[-] Anomander@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago

The person you're responding to is basically making the, "steal a loaf of bread to feed your family" argument. It's complicated by the fact that loaf of bread was already reserved for saving others,

That's a spurious argument here, though. This is like not buying groceries for two months, having the cash to buy groceries, then stealing a loaf of bread to feed the family.

These people shouldn't be there, they're on evacuation order, and they have safe routes to leave. Not one of their lives is in danger that they haven't chosen. But they did choose - to put their property ahead of their own lives, and in stealing fire equipment they're putting their own property ahead of the lives of fire response teams and ahead of all the other properties in the same area. They're willing to have the whole neighborhood burn around them, to cut off safe evacuation routes, all to try and save their own home.

but it's stupid to act like they're a deranged person without a point.

They're engaging in sophistry and misrepresenting the situation to try and make hindering firefighting efforts into something personally justifiable. It isn't.

[-] girlfreddy@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I get that. Then they should leave the area as the authorities requested, not steal equipment from firefighters.

When property overrides lives we've completely lost our humanity.

[-] Bo7a@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 year ago

Are you 5? This is the attitude of a 5 year old who can't stand that Timmy's tonka truck is not yours to take.

[-] HikingVet@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 1 year ago

How old are you and why are you not looking at the big picture?

[-] AstralPath@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

That escalated quickly...

this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2023
68 points (100.0% liked)

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