Teacher fired for putting out fire. Image: Shutterstock
Michelle Hammack, a dedicated Florida preschool teacher has lost her job after putting out a fire. The children were sleeping at nap time when the teacher smelled smoke. She said she peeked around the corner and found a fire in the oven that was cooking chicken nuggets. Then the fire alarm went off.
She woke her students and ushered them outside. The other teachers did a headcount to make sure they were not missing anyone. During that time, Hammack went back inside to check on the fire and look for any stray children. She realized the blaze was localized to the oven, grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the flames before the fire department arrived.
Instead of giving Hammack an award for valor in the face of danger, she was fired. Why, you ask, could she possibly have been fired?
Her boss, Olga Rozhaov, said, “I fired her only because she left her room. It’s not acceptable, and if anybody else does the same thing, I will fire again. I will fire them. No question.”
Rozhaov said her first priority is children. If that’s true, you would think she would have been happy the fire was spotted and put out. Nobody got hurt.
However, Rozhaov was more concerned that Hammack left her room, with sleeping students, for just a few minutes. Something is deeply wrong with this picture.
Put out the fire = get fired? Image: Shutterstock
The Daily Caller gave its perspective on the incident. They said the story is a “sign that America is clearly wheezing its last ethical gasps.” The case is being investigated by the local Department of Children and Families.
There is now a petition to get Michelle Hammack’s job back.
