An Australian mother has sparked an online debate over whether firefighters and other emergency services workers should be able to skip the queue for coffee.
Jacqueline Fauvel, from Melbourne, said she had been waiting in line for coffee with her baby for 15 minutes when she saw a group of on-duty firefighters queue for a moment before leaving.
“That makes me very sad because I guess they have little time for a break and have to be free and available at all times in case there is a fire,” Fauvel said on TikTok.
‘I have also seen paramedics wait in line and turn around because it took too long.
‘I feel like people should automatically let them come to the front. They work very hard and all they want is a damn coffee.
Jacqueline Fauvel, from Melbourne, said she had been waiting in line for coffee with her baby for 15 minutes when she saw a group of on-duty firefighters queue for a moment before leaving (stock)
Fauvel’s video, which has since been viewed almost 76,000 times, sparked a huge debate, with many speaking out in support of his position.
‘As a paramedic in Australia, I appreciate it!’ wrote one.
‘Sometimes it’s our only chance to have a coffee and we’re always so nervous that the next job is just seconds away. “We don’t want discounts, just priority.”
One firefighter said his comments “mean a lot.”
“We don’t have ‘breaks,’ that pager goes off and we’re gone, so we really appreciate your generosity in giving up your spot,” they said.
However, not everyone agreed.
Some poured cold water on the idea that firefighters were busy, claiming they had a “comfortable” job.
‘No, firefighters barely do anything and have a lot of free time. They are NOT busy,’ one wrote.
Another claimed that his brother had been a firefighter for almost 40 years and boasted about how “comfortable his working conditions are.”
Fauvel’s video, which has since been viewed almost 76,000 times, sparked a huge debate, with many speaking out in support of his position. However, others poured cold water on the idea that firefighters were busy.
But firefighter Dan Spooner, of Sydney’s Darlinghurst fire station, defended his colleagues from the criticism.
“We don’t get any breaks,” he said. Yahoo News Australia.
‘When you are on duty, you are on duty. If you go to the cafeteria you could be waiting in line and an emergency call will ring and we will leave you the coffee we bought.
“But we would never get in the coffee line or wait for anyone to let us.”
Spooner, who has been on the job for nearly three decades, said they had quiet nights when they were allowed to recline.
“But you don’t sleep well at night,” he said.
“It’s not like sleeping when you go to bed at home, it’s an interrupted dream because you’re always nervous: a garbage truck passes by and you wake up.”