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Subscribe to RSSTomas Lopez, who claims he was fired after helping rescue a swimmer outside his post, has declined an offer from his former employer to return to work, saying, "I'd rather not work there." NBC's Mark Potter reports.
The lifeguard who was fired for leaving his designated zone to aid in the rescue of a drowning man will be honored by the city of Hallandale Beach Monday.
Officials said Friday the victim of the near drowning will meet his rescuers, including fired lifeguard Tomas Lopez, at 10:30 a.m. at city hall.
Lopez will be given the keys to the city during the news conference.
See the original report at NBCMiami.com
Jeff Ellis Management, who provides lifeguards for the city of Hallandale Beach, called Lopez on Thursday after a thorough review of the incident and offered him his job back.
Lopez told NBC 6 he “humbly declined” the offer.
“They offered me a heartfelt, a real good apology, but I just declined. I just want to move on to the next chapter of my life,” the 21-year-old said.
The incident unfolded Monday when Lopez ran and left his lifeguard zone, breaking company policy, to try to help a drowning man.
By the time Lopez got to the man, beachgoers had managed to pull him out of the water. Lopez and a nurse tended to the man, who was later rushed to Aventura Hospital in intensive care. He was discharged from the hospital on Thursday.
Lifeguard who was fired for trying to rescue man is offered job back
Lopez’s firing ignited a wave of fury among residents who called his termination unjust.
Jeff Ellis told NBC 6 said he had met with city officials to review existing protocols for responding to aquatic emergencies in unprotected areas and would work to strengthen protocol.
“Hopefully we’ll learn and we’ll take added precautions to prevent this from ever happening again,” Ellis said.
Two other lifeguards said they were also fired for failing to agree with the company policy, and four others resigned in protest.
Ellis said as of Friday, none of the fired lifeguards had accepted the offer to be hired again.
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Leave a Comment:
a Good start HALLANDALE! Now offer the kid a job, and do NOT renew your contract with the wicked ELLIS. Who IS this CREEP anyway?
I hope the city honors all the lifeguards who were fired or resigned out of protest. It's nice to see people who have such character.
I wonder what repercussions (legal, civil, etc.) would have manifested themselves if someone drowned a few feet outside of a lifeguards designated zone while the lifeguard sat there doing nothing but watching the victim drown.
I suspect there would be lawsuits aplenty.
The city will no doubt quickly move to distance itself from Jeff Ellis Management.
Jeff Ellis, that's what you get for being a dick
I hope they don't renew the contract with Jeff Ellis Management. Maybe Jeff Ellis should fire Susan Ellis, the supervisor who fired Tomas!
Suan Ellis should be publically slapped so hard with the back of a hand that she falls down on hard concrete.
She's a WITCH! A WITCH! Burn her!!!
I don't know about burning... but our government lately has been getting more Taliban-like, so maybe a good stoning is in order!
Ellis management. Jeff and Susan Ellis. Sounds like a husband and wife team that kows somebody within the city gov't that got them the contract job.
It's too late for Jeff Ellis and his business. He, like all other business-minded corporatists, put money ahead of human life. All contracts with him should be cancelled and he should be put out of business. Money-grubbing, greedy people like him must be punished without mercy.
He's probably a witch!!! BURN HIM!!!!
Jerry-1903677, you hit the nail on the head with your statement. Too many employers regard their employees as disposable and, as you said, they " . . . put money ahead of human life." I was also impressed by the lifeguards who quit in protest of the firing. They are to be commended as well.
Great job Hallandale. Now fire Jeff Ellis Management for dereliction of duty, placing a human life in jeopardy, and basically unfit to serve in any public capacity. Across the nation the voices are screaming for Ellis Managment to be dismissed, disbanded, boycotted...
Employers have such a disposable mentality these days when it comes to their workers. I am glad that his employer has been publicly shamed about their actions. I am glad this lifeguard refused their offer to come back and work for them - he can do so much better.
this is the new republican reality, anything and everything for the all mighty buck, screw anyone who gets in the way
Krazygranny take you trolling elsewhere this is not a place to bring your politics into the thread.
Tomas Lopez.... You have a good future. You chose to do the right thing even though you knew it may result in your termination. I wish there were more like you in life.
Makes me smile a big wide one. Hope he gets a bug money prize, so he can fid a really good place to work.
I hope he gets enough $$ to start his own lifegaurd co.
That would be the ultimate revenge. To put your ex-boss out of business for firing you.
Good for the kid! Also a good backhand slap to the company by not accepting the job back! Make them feel ten times like the jacka$$e$ they are. Bravo to the other guards who protested the firing. There's a company out there who would love to have level headed guys like these as their employees. DROP DEAD JEFF ELLIS MANAGEMENT!
He's a WITCH!!! A WITCH!! BURN HIM!!
Kudos to the city for honoring the kid. I really don't think they had a choice. I am sure that the backlash they have received over this pushed them into doing the right thing by this kid. I am so glad to know that there are young men out there who put their morals first no matter the cost to themselves. This kid has good karma. Jeff Ellis Management can suck it!
nice for the city for wanting to honor the kid for doing his job that he got fired for . next they can not renew the contract with Jack ellis and also make it really clear he does something like this again the city will not be so happy . for after all did jack want the kid to just follow his assanine protocall and get in trouble for the guy drowning . he did his job.
The city is just covering their ass ...jeff ellis is probably related to someone on the city council.....I dont know Jeff but he sounds like a jerk....fire him...destroy his company... money grubbing creep...
I'm sorry. I don't have the facts, but I think everyone needs to take a deep breath. Jeff Ellis Mgmt may not be the bad guy here. Alot of it comes from insurance companies. Coming with an audit and tax background, I was thrown into the deep end of the insurance pool when I was put in charge of the policies and risk management. 22 for some 40 companies under our umbrella. They can be very strict about following protocol. Imagine for an instant, Lopez went out to save this guy and they both drowned? Most likely the insurance company would deny any claims and JEM would be open to lawsuits. Ever hear about how strct companies have become with providing alchohol at company gatherings nowadays?
Over reaction by JEM? Absolutely. But I would not necessarily demonize them either.
Yeah it's a shame that the insurance business looks at everything as a worse case scenario and because of that has thrown common sense out the window. I can just see the headlines now if he would have just stood there while the person drowned. "Victim drowns while lifeguard watches from 20 yards away". Reporter: Why didn't you try and save the person who drowned. Lifeguard: You see that sign, company policy prohibited me from crossing it.
And there it is folks.
Whether it's health insurance or liability insurance, the insurance company CEOs in $3,000 Hugo Boss suits decide if you LIVE or DIE!
And Jackass Obama just put every American at the mercy of insurance companies. We are now required to have insurance or be breaking federal law...thank you President Jackass
R Scott
To R Scott
All these rule makers , cubical rat are wrecking the world . Government Bureaucracies , Insurance Company bean counters. Writing millions of pages of analogies , not understanding what they've written and making rules from these analogies . Taking the smallest denominator , and protecting the world . Because one in 300,000,000 stumped their toe .
These people have worked hard getting a collage degree. They have a 30 inch view out of their cubical . Looking into another cubical , not the world . They have no idea of what they are making rules over . They just want a pay check , every two weeks .
Yes , your correct of how they want the world to run . Rules , rules , rules thoughtless rules to run the world by .
From the start of life , we have to start learning about rules . Mothers and , fathers talk to their new baby so sweetly . Then they start teaching the child rules . Don't touch that , it's hot . Hold daddies hand , we don't want you to get lost . We don't want you to get hurt .On and on and on rules .
Then they start brain washing us .
Good thing for that man . The young life guard didn't follow the rules and hadn't been brain washed .
It's a great feeling to save a life . I once helped pull a woman out of a burning car . I had work duties at the time , and broke company rules by stopping . If they had fired me , so what . If it had come to them offering my job back . I would have been just like the young man . Kiss my but .
Because , if it happened again I would brake the rules .
People need to chill and take a breath! Of course the lifeguard is a hero and the policy stinks. The people recognize it and are giving him the keys to the city. The policy is flawed and this shows why. However, It may be the fact that lifeguards have certain areas because he would leave his area, leaving those people in danger of nobody watching in his area. Then that would turn into a crazy situation, but it happens. Just look up all the drownings this year! What is this burn people and mob mentality? Look, he made a choice and it was the right one, but don't think for one minute that Susan Ellis or Jeff Ellis want someone to die. Maybe if some of you who had this much passion about doing the right thing, maybe you all might stop speeding down city streets, or treating their kids like crap. The ones reading this will know who you are, everyone else who has a sensible head, disregard.
I hope he gets his own reality show. Team him up with Pamela Anderson and they can run in slow motion for at least one season.
Are you kidding? Do you want the kid to catch something from that skank? They don't make a condom strong enough for me to even take the risk.
What a twisted world we live in:( This young lad apparently has more common sense than the agency that hired him.
Of course he does. That's why he didn't take his job back.
Understanding City politics very well, this City can force Ellis to make the change. The City would also be aware of this "protocol" if the company has already dismissed four employees for the same action. Someone at City Hall knows more about this than they elude too and It would be interesting to look closely at the contract and who in the City approved the contract . Wonder if anyones brother or sister hired a family business because the city surely has walked around the issue here. Most cities would be overconcerned about the legal issues faced with a potential wrongful death suit brought by a deceased family member. So to let the business "work on a protocol" sounds to easy......More pressure on city hall for more answers and you'll see that there is probably a devil in the details. And NO! I'm not into conspiracy theories, just know a great deal about the inner working of City Governement and the elected Politicians that supposedly represent its citizens.
In short you know how crooked the local politicans are and how they work. If everybody knew what you probably know, there would be some changes coming real soon.
listen to this bitch back pedal
The local fire dept. should offer him a job. Good pay, benefits and he certainly has the integrity for it. Good for the lifeguards that didn't come back, but also good for people looking for lifeguard jobs because there's openings now.
Who do you think is going to come work for this company if this is how easy it is for them to fire you.
The people that would come to work for them would be desperate ones without a job. They wouldn't care if they got fired if they even had income for a while. Or maybe you have a job and this wouldn't even cross your mind or be an issue. :-/
I hope this idiot who went swimming outside the zone is happy now. He is to blame for a lifeguard losing his job. Obey the rules in the first place and this wouldn't have happened. He's lucky his ass was saved. I personally would have let him drown.
Brian, you are a moron, victim was swimming on a public beach next to a private one.
Not sure who the idiot here is HMCFarmer. Didn't you READ that he was swimming in an area with no lifeguard, swim at your own risk? If he used any brains, he wouldn't have swam there and this wouldn't have happened and this guy wouldn't have lost his job. That's why I said, I would have let the f*cker drown.
WOW Brian are you related to Jeff Ellis Management company perhaps?
Whats next you would not rescue a person that caused an accident?
I think Mr. Lopez did the right thing by refusing the job. Had he been rehired, he would have been victimized by his employer because of the public embarrassment the company suffered when they fired him.
By principle, he refused to subject himself to such treatment. Likewise, the other lifeguards who lost their jobs should be commended for their stance as well.
Hopefully Ellis' competition will put him out of business now.
Sounds like the saving of a life cost this company 7 trained personnel. I wonder who will protect these zones now.
Hopefully no one will want to come work for this company and it will go under. I know I wouldn't want to work for a company that puts limits on when you can save somebodys life when that is your job after all.
Two thumbs up and accolades for Tomas Lopez for knowing "right" from "stupidity."
i hope after they honor him they run the company out of town.