r/Firefighting • u/AngronOfTheTwelfth • 3d ago

General Discussion Border Patrol agents arrested firefighters fighting Washington wildfire after they asked the fire crew to line up to check their IDs.

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What do we all think of this? Seems pretty nuts to me. They are actively getting in the way of wildlands guys as they do their job out there. I dont think this should be allowed or encouraged. Firefighting is a lot more important than .... risking 20 guys dressed exactly like firefighters crossing the Canadian border?

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u/Serious_Cobbler9693 Retired FireFighter/Driver 3d ago

I'm not sure about wildland guys, but when I was a firefighter we didn't carry any ID on us or you take a chance of losing it in a burning building or when you are hanging upside down in a car that has flipped on the highway.

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u/lemonlimesodas 3d ago

Exactly I rarely carry my wallet while on the line, so what then. I can't prove I'm a citizen right then and there and get shipped off to Uganda?

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u/TheBrianiac 3d ago

I feel like this has been dramaticized by the media. I watched an ICE documentary (albeit over 5 years ago) and they had mobile fingerprint readers that could identify you if you didn't have ID. They are mainly going after visa overstays, so they have the fingerprints of the people they are looking for.

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u/snrub742 3d ago

I think any disruption to a fire response by ICE is incorrect. But hey that's just me

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u/TheBrianiac 3d ago

That's not what I was replying to

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u/snrub742 3d ago

That's what the thread is about.