STORY BEHIND THE POEM CYLONS
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When this poem took place there was
a popular TV show called Battlestar Galactica, which featured robots who
always responded to orders, saying "by your command". It’s a standing joke
among police and ambulance personnel that firemen won’t do anything unless
ordered to by their captain.
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I had recently transferred back to
Patrol Division from Accident Investigation. There we had numerous problems
with fire crews arriving at the scene of fatal motor vehicle accidents
and moving key pieces of evidence. That, and/or washing down the scene
to flush away blood and other things on the road surface.
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This made the investigation extremely
difficult. Everytime a fireman was asked, "why did you do that?", the standard
response was "the captain told me to". This went on and on despite numerous
requests to cease. It was explained that a fatal motor vehicle accident,
is in fact a homicide scene. Nothing seemed to work.
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Our Chief advised their Chief, Accident
Investigation people made appearances at the fire academy hoping to change
the thinking. Now, I won’t for a minute suggest that my poem changed them,
it hasn’t. In fact almost 20 years later it still happens. However, the
poem did give firemen the nickname cylons. A name which remains in use
today.
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