Emergency personnel suit against El Paso Natural Gas underway

I just can't believe that these guys are suing for having to do their job. It's been over 9 years and these guys still can't get over what they saw.. I would have loved for them to be with me and my platoon back when I was a jarhead in Fallujah in 2004. Carnage everywhere on a daily basis. Not a good site to see.But I don't plan on suing the Iraqi Government for all the BS we had to see and deal with. It was my job, I got paid for it. I give much respect for our emergency personal for what they do, but they must realize that its part of the job. A real unfortunate part. I was 17 years old when this happened, and me and old high school buddies camped at the very same spot a week before this explosion happened. Such a tragedy. If anyone disagrees with me on here, let me know and give me a good reason why these "emergency" personal should be compensated for doing what they were supposed to do.

LOBO wrote:

I just can't believe that these guys are suing for having to do their job. It's been over 9 years and these guys still can't get over what they saw.. I would have loved for them to be with me and my platoon back when I was a jarhead in Fallujah in 2004. Carnage everywhere on a daily basis. Not a good site to see.But I don't plan on suing the Iraqi Government for all the BS we had to see and deal with. It was my job, I got paid for it. I give much respect for our emergency personal for what they do, but they must realize that its part of the job. A real unfortunate part. I was 17 years old when this happened, and me and old high school buddies camped at the very same spot a week before this explosion happened. Such a tragedy. If anyone disagrees with me on here, let me know and give me a good reason why these "emergency" personal should be compensated for doing what they were supposed to do.

i would say if this was such a bad experience then, which i do not doubt or wish it on my worst enemy, but if they are so traumatized, well then why are they stilled employed doing this job. i think if there is a law suit pending for something like this, then why should they or anybody be paid with our tax payers money? come on all of you know and still know this occupation or volunteer work you choose would not be a bed of roses. we should all have lawsuits because of some of the stuff we experience, let's say, a really bad car accident that is unsightful, let's sue the city for not cleaning it up up right away, or if we are sitting a doctor's office or at the emergency room,(hospital and we see something gruesome or catch something somebody has and sue these places."FIND ANOTHER" field of work and get over it!!!!!!!!!! what about the police force who saw this are they sueing or the coroners at the funeral homes or even nursing staff or doctors, hospital staff? these are greedy people who want a way of getting money in any way they can and using people's horrible losses to recieve it, how sad and pathetic. oh yeah, the ambulance staff as well, i could go on and on

LOBO wrote:

I just can't believe that these guys are suing for having to do their job. It's been over 9 years and these guys still can't get over what they saw.. I would have loved for them to be with me and my platoon back when I was a jarhead in Fallujah in 2004. Carnage everywhere on a daily basis. Not a good site to see.But I don't plan on suing the Iraqi Government for all the BS we had to see and deal with. It was my job, I got paid for it. I give much respect for our emergency personal for what they do, but they must realize that its part of the job. A real unfortunate part. I was 17 years old when this happened, and me and old high school buddies camped at the very same spot a week before this explosion happened. Such a tragedy. If anyone disagrees with me on here, let me know and give me a good reason why these "emergency" personal should be compensated for doing what they were supposed to do.

Amen!!

I feel for Mr. Salgado he was not a volunteer he worked for the gas company I do hope he gets something for the reason is because he was sent out not given a choice to go or not, as far as Chris B. is concerned he needs that money the only way he will be able to get a house that the only selfish reason. He just flat out lazy get a real job and work for it

OMG!... how convenient their very first witness goes into a big dramatic screenplay to shock the concsience of the jury right off the bat!?!?!?
I wonder how much they are paying this jerk and what drama school he went to!
It sounds like this weeks version of the "balloon boy" drama!
The defendant atttorneys should jump and scream for a mistrial! What a crock of shyt for such ludicrous drama nine years after the fact!

If all that was so tramatic to these people why are they still working at that job. It is a joke all they want is money thaat they didnt have to work for and being able to sue is the easiest way they know. And the higher courts allowing for this to go on they are as bad as the ones suing . If you cant handle your job get out and find somthing you can do besides suing people so you can get a little free money cause your to lazy to work .

I agree 100% with everything I read here. I'm ashamed of our firefighters in this town. ASHAMED !! I made a comment about this very case a few weeks ago when the firefighters were whining about the city not paying them to go and march in a 911 memorial parade in Santa Fe. Oh, they want the glory and the hero worship, but suit when they have to actually stand up and be a hero. It's just too much for them to handle. Boo, Hoo, Hoo. If these guys would drop their lawsuit and start acting like REAL emergency responders, then and ONLY then will I consider them hero's. Maybe the firefighters that survived 911 should suit the Taliban for the horrors they had to endure that day.

I agree, they need to drop the lawsuit and for that man making such a dramatic seen is senseless and should not be tolerated! Maybe they need to do psychological testing on FF personnel to see if they can pass a traumatic situation. If he was soooo affected by this then how does he go to store or even get out of his home? My family seen the condition Amy, Amanda, Glenda, Don, and Bobby were in and they are not traumatized like these FF are claiming! It is common sense to know that they were coming up on a fire and should know what damage a fire can do!!!

Come on now! Do your job, don't whine about it. I was a waitress for 6 years. I am not going to sue the company I worked for because I had to bus my own table. I am not going to sue every customer just because they were rude to me. And believe me the "good" people of Carlsbad, you people are so rude to the people who serve YOUR food!!!! I would hate to have to see how these firefighters would react if they had to fill in for the New York Fire Department on 9-11. I feel sorry for those who are working with the Carlsbad Fire Department who are involved in this lawsuit because everyone is LAUGHING at you. So you think because the families got a settlement from this you deserve it!!! YOU didnt have to bury a son, uncle, brother, father, mother, daughter, aunt, or sister!!!! YOU didnt have to watch them lower your baby into the ground in a CLOSED casket because it was too awful to see YOUR baby and know that they suffered!!! Get a freaking clue and learn that you signed up to do a job and what happened out there has to do with the JOB!!!!!

Just remember,As of December 8th i think there are only four firefighters that are part of this suit that are still members of CFD. Dont banish all the GOOD firemen that are there for the GREEDY SOBs that are giving ALL firefighters a BAD name. There are some GREAT guys that work there now.

The plaintiffs in this suit are:
CHRISTOPHER LEE BALDONADO
WINSTON E BRASHER JR
LUPE C CORONA
CHARLES K CROUCH
GLADYS CROUCH
JOHN P DARCY
STEVE DORADO
DEBORAH HAM
DAVID L HARKNESS
KEVIN R HARKNESS
CAMERON KELLY HICKS
DAVID R LOONEY
RONALD R MACALUSO
MARK A OLIVO
FRANCISCO M OROZCO
DENNIS OSBORNE
KAY OTERO
RICHARD W RIDDLE
SAUL RAY SANCHEZ
MICHAEL D SHANNON
JASON E UPTERGROVE
TRACY L UPTERGROVE
KENNETH URQUIDEZ
WILLIE MAXIE WILSON JR

Of the eleven Carlsbad Fire Dept employees in the suit, only 4 still work at the department and only 2 of those still go on fire and EMS calls. There are several other plaintiffs in the suit that are not associated with the dept. The CA just got around to reporting the the trial, it's been going on for 2 weeks. While normally rescue personnel are excluded from suing, the Supreme Court of NM reviewed the case and decided they did have the right to sue in this situation. You do not know what is in these people's heart and mind. I personally know 2 of the former FD employees who were extremely effected by this tragedy (neither work at the department now).

By the way, most of the FD employees disagree with the decision of those that sued and it's unfair to lump those not involved with those involved. I have not interest in this case either.

Just remember,of the firefighters that are a part of the suit as of Dec8 2008 there areonly four that are still members of CFD. Dont banish all the GOOD firemen that are there for the GREEDY SOBs that are giving ALL firefighters a BAD name. There are some GREAT guys that work there now.

The 4 that are still with the dept are Max Wilson Asst chief, Rick Riddle Ems supv., and Kelly Hick and Steve Dorado both are Lts and still go on "TRAUMATIC" callss every day. So dont banish all the GOOD guys that work there for the down right GREED of these Sons A Bitches. FIRE ALL FOUR OF THEM NOW!!!!

First off I am a Volunteer Firefighter. I DO NOT support this lawsuit and would be to ashamed of myself to ever partake in a suit of this nature. That being said there a few point to make. To the Veteran THANK YOU for your service to our great nation. When you enlisted you knew that (depends on when you enlisted) you would go to war or could be called to war. At war you see death and you will kill or be killed. As a firefighter you don’t go into a situation expecting death. While you know that there could be death you count on your training and knowledge to try and prevent it. To the people that like to complain about the suit but have no knowledge or experience dealing with death on a larger scale maybe you should join a local Volunteer Fire Department and get some experience before casting stones. As a Volunteer Firefight /EMT I have seen death and know the effects that it has. It’s not only the normal feelings one gets when there is a death but also guilt. If I would have been a little closer to the scene, a little faster, better equipped I could have save this person. Some say what if FDNY sued because of what they had to go through? The government stepped in and gave them the help they needed and gave compensation to some and some have had to sue. Some have asked if it bothered them that much how come they are still doing it. A person still has to provide for themselves and for their families. It has been 9 years could you go that long with no income. I’m sure some are just in it for the money but I would bet not all of them are. Sometimes it takes action to prevent another event of this type from happening again. Eddy County has hundreds of miles of pipeline running through it. Do you not think it is cheaper for the companies to pay settlements then it is to check and maintain the pipelines? As stated I do not support this suit but I do support my Firefighter Brothers and will continue to do so. Also Mr. Salgado was/is an employee of EPNG and was testifying to what he saw. He was not trying to get the Firefighters money. The article stated that he collapsed a minute after the jury was ordered out of the court room.

So tell me this, IF???By some ungodley happening!!!!!These greedy bastards do win. IS the city going to fire them on the spot?? They are not mentaly fit to do their duty!!!!Are they?

"As a firefighter you don't go into a situation expecting death".

Sorry, but that sounds like a lame excuse to me. Noone goes into a situation EXPECTING death, but it happens. I'm a nurse and I never EXPECT a patient to die a traumatic death, but I also knew BEFORE I went into this field that it happens. And believe me, I've seen some pretty bad things. So does that give me the right to sue the patient's family because I seen something traumatizing? Ummm...nope.#1 - it's my job,#2-it's my career choice and I knew that the field of medicine can be a gruesome sight, and #3-it's MORALLY and ETHICALLY wrong.

Nurses have the same feelings of guilt upon a patient dying. But that still doesn't give us the right to sue.

Yes, a person must work to provide for their family, however, if they aren't mentally stable enough to be a firefighter, wal-mart is always hiring..... "if ya can't handle the heat, get outta the kitchen"

The ONLY thing EPNG should give the firefighters is a lifetime of counceling for post traumatic stress disorder and antidepressants. It should be billed directly to EPNG so that way, no money is given to the firefighters.

If this case is won by the "responding Personnel" what do you think this will do to our homeowners/auto insurance that those of us have. It stands to change. The insurance could put a clause in the insurance that they won't cover us in case of litigation like this. Something, I don't know what, but it would change for alot of us. I don't think is right that they a suing for something that is in the job description. It just isn't right.

im sorry but i know mr darcy is in it for the money he is an addict and has been for a long time,i also feel that they knew what they were getting in to when they signed up for this job. the nurse is right, hmmm think i can sue because of all the bad things i heard from it? its giving me nightmares just thinking they might win

How many of these firemen went to the fire outside of loving that burned those three people about 15 yrs.ago I know a couple of these did and they didnt sue then.And I knew every one that died aug.19,2009 for they was my friends and family.

I worked at a funneral home, so i must be really stable person thin seeing all that death and stuff every day and NOT a WHIMPY and SCAREDY CAT FIRE FIGHTER!
I dont want to be a fire fighter any more.