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It’s always possible there’s a perfectly good explanation behind a widely shared video that’s caught the attention of the news media in San Jose, California. Even if somehow there is, you still have to ask what were they thinking?
In today’s world with cameras everywhere, it’s the exception when there isn’t video. How could anyone think a passersby wouldn’t pull out their smart phone to show a fire engine with its emergency lights running parked at night in front of strip club?
Once the fire engine door opened with a bikini clad woman in heels walking out of the rig and into the Pink Poodle, what started as a curiosity became a reputation harming news story. If the fire department can’t immediately articulate a credible reason for the 22 seconds of video they have a multi-alarm reputation management issue to deal with.
Neither the San Jose Fire Department or IAFF Local 230 tries to justify what we are seeing. Surprisingly, it’s the union that really addresses the issue with a considerably stronger statement than the department. The statement from Chief Robert Sapien says, “If findings of an internal investigation reveal inappropriate behavior of any Department members, appropriate steps will be taken to address the matter.” In the statement attributed to Local 230’s executive board there’s no talk of “if”. The union makes clear they don’t condone “what was seen on video” and that it “does not represent the values of San Jose firefighters Local 230.”
The Pink Poodle video is another reminder you don’t have to be on social media yourself to become afflicted with SMACSS (Social Media Assisted Career Suicide Syndrome). The public is more than willing to handle the social media duties.
From @SJFirefighters :
“We are aware of the situation. This union does not condone what was seen on video. The fire department is handling and investigating. This does not represent the values of San Jose firefighters Local 230. “
-Local 239 Executive Board
— Damian Trujillo (@newsdamian) October 7, 2022
The video appears to show a woman in a very tiny bikini getting out of a fire truck and walking into the Pink Poodle, a San Jose strip club.
“The Department has become aware of a concerning video posted on social media,” San Jose Fire Department Chief Robert Sapien Jr. said in a statement Friday. “An investigation has been initiated to determine facts surrounding the video.”
If the internal investigation finds that any fire department members engaged in inappropriate behavior, “appropriate steps will be taken to address the matter,” the department stated.
