SMOKESCREEN

The smoke is thick, the child is unconscious and lying on a bedroom
floor of her rapidly burning house.

Strong arms reach out to her and carry her to safety.

Does it matter if many years earlier those same arms were used to
light a marijuana cigarette? Or that the eyes that helped find her
once peeked over the shoulder of another student in order to cheat on
an exam.

We think not.

Unfortunately, the Calgary Fire Department thinks it does
matter.

New recruits who would, if given a chance, make fabulous firefighters
owing to their bravery, strength and ability to think quickly while
facing danger won't even get a chance to prove themselves worthy,
owing to a relatively new practice of putting wannabe firefighters
through a gruelling inquisition.

Lie-detector tests are being used to ensure that probing questions
about a person's past are answered truthfully.

We don't have a problem with using a lie-detector test to determine
the current state and behaviour of a recruit. But the personal
disclosure form and subsequent polygraph tests seem more interested in
a person's distant past than the current person.

Questions such as:

Have you ever experimented with an illegal street drug?

Have you ever used or sold steroids?

Have you ever declared bankruptcy?

Have you ever cheated on an exam?

Have you ever been unemployed for extended periods?

While it's obvious that you don't want criminal firefighters and
police officers, the problem with these questions is the word "ever."

People are redeemable. People can change for the better.

Being broke or having a business go under does not necessarily mean
you'd make a bad firefighter or police officer.

In fact, maybe having made a few mistakes in one's life will actually
help new recruits to be more empathetic and wise.

That firefighting and police work involves risk is a given.
Risk-takers are often those who rebel a little in their youth.

It is appropriate to screen all fire and police recruits carefully to
get the best candidates. Let's hope that under the current inquisition
the bravest and strongest ones are not smoked out in the process.