In the motor city these days, there’s no shortage of blankets.
That’s because people from all over the world are sending them to protest the disciplinary actions facing a Detroit medic who gave a fire victim a blanket after he was forced out into the cold.
The said blanket -- donated by an organization, Firefighter Support Services – was considered city property. And, Paramedic Jeff Gaglio didn’t have permission to give it away, The Detroit News reported.
Since the story went viral, people have been sending blankets to city hall, the fire department and EMS officials. There was even a blanket event in a city park last week.
"We are getting sent blankets from all over the country, even from overseas," said Detroit EMS medic Robert Shelton. "It is amazing what is going on here."
Several Facebook pages about blanket scape have been created, and many people are voicing their support for the medic.
The local Fox station that broke the story reported about the fire and the ensuing issue: “An old cripple man lived inside. They brought him outside. He was in his underwear. It was cold. He was shivering…”Responding to questions about the problem with giving a cold victim a blanket, EMS Chief Jerald James told reporters that employees can't be allowed to give away state property of any kind without permission.
“We can’t have an employee who feels that they have a right to give away state property, be it donated, be it a blanket, be it a tire off a vehicle, without getting prior approval from somebody or notifying the proper authority. This is what he did,” the EMS chief told the media.
