Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
Six firefighters with the Westfield Fire Department were terminated yesterday following a rookie hazing that was captured on video.
The video shows a firefighter strapped to a backboard having water and an assortment of food items dumped on him by his colleagues. An investigation revealed that victim of the prank was a firefighter who successfully completed his rookie period. While strapped to a backboard, fellow firefighters dumped water directly from a tanker-tender on him, along with buckets of water, mustard, flour, popcorn butter, chocolate, yogurt and ice.
Five part-time firefighter were terminated outright and a sixth firefighter, a volunteer, was suspended indefinitely (which in Texas is a euphemism for being terminated).
