(See below for a very ironic update)

Donald Trump is constantly praising police and firefighters, yet his actions show that he really doesn't appreciate the hard calls and decisions they must make. Take what happened in Colorado Springs yesterday as an example:

“So I have to tell you this. This is why our country doesn’t work,” Trump started as soon as he got onto the stage. “We have plenty of space here. We have thousands of people outside trying to get in. And we have a fire marshal that said, ‘Oh we can’t allow more people.’”

Trump explained that the venue had set up an overflow room for the extra supporters who were waiting outside and weren’t let into the main space. He said it was “unfair” to the people at the event not to let them into the main venue.

"And the reason they won’t let them in is because they don’t know what the hell they’re doing,” Trump continued. “Hey, maybe they’re a Hillary person. Could that be possible? Probably. I don’t think there are too many of them.”

I find it interesting that someone involved in construcion doesn't understand things like building occupancy. The occupancy level of any structure is not solely based upon the square footage, but also things like fire exits, alarms, sprinklers and numerous other factors. There are actual formulas in place, most dictated by state or local laws, to calculate the maximum occupancy level and almost all are based off of NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code of the National Fire Protection Association. As matter of fact that part of the NFPA standards is rather unique in that it is one of the only parts of the standard that applies to not only new construction, but also existing buildings.

Or maybe Trump does realize that, and instead decided that it would serve his own interests better to throw the fire marshal under the bus by accusing him of partisan games. I mean talking about things like safety codes is boring, but attacking someone simply for doing their job - well now that is excitement!

Add to this the fact that the fire marshal Trump decided to throw under the bus, Brett Lacey, was recently named Civilian of the Year for his efforts following the shooting at the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood. Nope. Trump will attack anyone so long as it gets him some cheers.

Like I said, talking fire and safety code is really boring stuff. Trust me. I used to sit through enough classes and lectures about it when I was a firefighter. Of course it's also vitally important, and when you ignore it, you end up with tragedies like the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire.

[UPDATE]

So it turns out about 90 minutes before Trump decided to blast the fire marshal, Trump actually needed a little rescuing:

It turns out the presidential candidate was late for the speaking engagement at UCCS. News reports this afternoon indicate the reason is that Trump and others were stuck in a hotel elevator around 1:30 p.m. The group, including Trump, was rescued by firefighters from the Colorado Springs Fire Department. That’s the same fire department that employs Fire Marshal Brett Lacey. About 90-minutes after the elevator rescue, Donald Trump publicly complained about Fire Marshal Lacey over not letting more people into the event.

Luckily firefighters aren't as thin-skinned as Trump and if he needs his tiny handed big ego rescued again, they will be there. Can't say as much about Trump.