Response requires honestly

SEELEY LAKE - On June 29 my son and father were in a vehicle wreck. As a father it’s terrifying to hear. I called my son who was complaining of his stomach hurting from the seat belt and his leg that was hurting from hitting the dash and tried comforting him. He was crying the entire time I was on the phone with him. I asked him if the ambulance had arrived and he told me they had, they were taking care of the pregnant lady in the other car (which I have no problem with, she’s pregnant.)

Now here’s where I have issues with the situation that transpired.

I ended the call expecting the Fire Department to care for my minor son. After some time I called him back and the Fire Department had left, no one checked on my son or anyone else on scene!

Being a concerned parent I called the Fire Chief and asked why my son had not been attended to. His many replies were “Your son told me he was OK and he looked fine!” “Your son’s not a minor.”

Are you serious? If you did your job and would of asked him or his grandfather you would have known, right!?

So after the Fire Chief made these statements, I called him back later to get a patient care report on my son, after all if you attended to him you should have one for medical transport or medical refusal, right!?

The receptionist told me she would tell the Chief and call me back. I waited with no return call and called them back the next day. The Chief refused to talk to me and had his receptionist tell me “It’s a violation of HIPPA rights to release that to you and if you want it you have to contact the Montana Highway Patrol.” SERIOUSLY I’M HIS FATHER!

So after getting off the phone with the Fire Department I called the Montana Highway Patrol (who where more than glad to help) and told them what I had been told. The Trooper I spoke with said he would call the Fire Department to get clarification.

A little while later the Trooper called me back and said, “The Fire Chief told me there is NO patient care report.” Now why would a fire chief blatantly lie to the father of a minor involved in a car wreck about a violation of HIPPA rights and make the father jump through all the hoops to get an honest answer!? 

If you can’t do the job for the community, if you have to lie about proper documents YOU should have, if you have to lie about attending to a person, if you have to give false answers in hopes people won’t further question you, then you have no right being in the position of a first responder. YOUR job is to serve the community and do your best.