Fighting fire with venom

Batten down the hatches - Michael Laws is angry again. Fair enough, he's a talkback radio host, so his job depends on him having strong opinions.

So which deviant subsection of society has got him fuming this time? Which scum, which lowlives are at the receiving end of his scorn and wrath?

Fire fighters, that's who.

Yeah, damn those brave men and women, always going around trying to save people's lives and educate them about fire safety. And I hate those half-naked calendars they put out to fundraise too.

Seriously, though - Laws has just been reprimanded by the Broadcasting Standards Authority for a sustained attack on two members of the Fire Service, during which he called them "dickheads in a uniform", "idiots", "morons", "arseholes" and accused them of racism.

You might think the firemen must have said or done something pretty reprehensible to have such a stream of invective hurled at them.

It all started back in January when four members of a South Auckland family died in a horrific house fire. The parents tried in vain to save their children but were badly burnt themselves in the attempt - a terrible and heartbreaking story.

In the aftermath, the Fire Service stated (while also acknowledging the tragic nature of the incident) that the blaze seemed to have been started by a chip pan left on a stove. They also noted that they had found no evidence of working smoke alarms in the home.

And that was enough to set Laws off. According to him, making statements like this was akin to "using little dead Polynesian kiddies as a marketing tool".

A marketing tool? What exactly does he think the Fire Service is selling, exactly? The last time I checked the Fire Service isn't a money-making venture. It's an emergency service, dedicated to trying to prevent fires as well as fight them. It's not like they're trying to "promote" their services.

As for the accusation that the Fire Service made racist comments... you can have a look at the releases here and here. If you can find a single racist implication, please do let me know in the comments.

One of the men Laws was talking about was South Auckland Fire Chief Larry Cocker, a man with more than 40 years' experience fighting fires. According to the report, Laws said, "Cocker should have the 'er' removed - you're a cock."

This is why talkback radio blows my mind - the fact that everyday people will willingly tune in and listen to a man acting like a ten-year-old, resorting to personal attacks and childish name-calling to get his confused point across.

Well, the BSA released their decision on the matter yesterday, upholding the complaint and ordering Laws' employers, Radio Live to broadcast a "comprehensive summary of its decision".

But Laws isn't happy to let the matter rest there. Today he called the decision a joke and insists he won't apologise because he's right.

"[They] obviously think that the hurt feelings of a couple of fire ghouls is worth more than the feelings of the dead Polynesian family who lost their children," he said.

Fire ghouls!? To suggest that the men and women of our Fire Service somehow delight in the tragedy of a fatal blaze is beyond sick.

I do see the point that Laws is trying to make, that the feelings of the family need to be taken into consideration. But the Fire Service has a duty to investigate the cause of fires - especially fatal fires - and release their findings to the public. Surely it is a good thing if a lesson can be learned from this horrific house fire, if it can prevent others from making the same deadly mistakes.

Dare I say the only one using this tragedy as a "marketing tool" seems to be a certain broadcaster who's still trying to dine off it?

Who would he call upon if his house was on fire, I wonder?