When I served as mayor of Madison, if there was an issue as dreaded as endless debates over liquor licenses, it was personnel matters that related to appearance and grooming.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is caught in a tattoo controversy. According to Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times on Saturday, Los Angeles Fire Department tattoo coverup muddles real mission:
At issue is a policy the department announced this spring, requiring firefighters with tattoos to cover their body art whenever they are on duty.
I am not a big favorite of tattoos, especially the massive works which hides, not enhance the human body, but as Banks points out, the LAFD has more important issues to fry than tattoos. Painted or not, in a crisis the citizenry want the firefighter who arrives to be comfortable and ready to perform.
The LAFD has numerous administrative problems that make the inked arms and necks pale in comparison. Frankly, if I was chief, I would do everything imaginable to discourage the men and women of the department from getting tattoos.
This is all reminiscent of thirty years ago when police and fire departments went through the long hair controversy. Then the issue was also grooming, with the added safety issue. Police officers, it was feared, would be vulnerable to assailants pulling their longer locks. Firefighters' tresses could catch on fire.
Most police departments figured out reasonable hair lengths.
The fire departments realized that so long as the hair was covered and protected by the uniform, it was not vulnerable to fire. The uniform protected their hair just as it protected the skin.
The tattoos might seem unflattering and distasteful to the likes of me, but so long as my firefighter is devoted, professional and prepared to serve, I can live with the ink.
While in Turkey I noticed the young female Turkish Army soldiers wore their hair flowing around their shoulders - dangling earings a'dangling. The capstone of their presentation was the neat uniform complimented by the AK-47 assault weapon over their shoulders.
While in Iraq I noticed the young female police women wore their hair flowing around their shoulders - dangling earings a'dangling. The capstone of their presentation was the neat uniform complimented by the menacing assault pistol on their hips.
While in Viet Nam I notied the young Vietnamese female soldiers wore their tied-back hair flowing around their shoulders - dangling earings a'dangling. The capstone of their presentation was the neat uniform complimented by the menacing assault pistol on their hips and their ubiquitous smiles.
I never had a problem with these lovely ladies acting as my advocates. We really have become a nation of over-sensitive sissies.
Bob Keith
cooldadiomedia.com
Posted by: Bob Keith | June 25, 2008 at 02:51 PM