Virginia Firefighters Suspended For Taking A Sick Child To The Hospital In A Fire Truck


Two Virginia firefighters, both volunteers, have been suspended after they transported a sick child to the hospital in a fire truck, WTTG (Washington, D.C.) is reporting.

Officially, the firefighters were suspended for transporting the child in a “non-transport unit,” which is a violation of Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department policy. But according to the two firefighters’ accounts of what happened that day, they had no choice.

At about 11 a.m. on February 27, Captain James Kelley and Sgt. Virgil Bloom, both volunteer firefighters, responded to an emergency call at a McDonald’s in Fredericksburg, after being dispatched to a call about a child having a seizure. On the way to the scene, Kelley says, he twice radioed dispatch to see how long it would take to get an ambulance to the scene. Both times, he was given vague information. Further, he says, radioed the city of Fredericksburg for assistance, and never got a call back.

At the scene, Kelley made the decision not to wait for help. Instead, he and his co-worker, Sgt. Virgil Bloom, administered oxygen to the child, who by this time was experiencing paralysis over the entire left side of her body, and then put her in the fire engine so they could transport her to the hospital immediately.

On the way to the hospital, an ambulance did finally respond and asked to meet the firefighters, but because they were so close to the hospital, they declined, instead proceeding to the hospital.

From the time the firefighters received the call until the time the child was in the emergency room was less than 13 minutes.

Speaking to WTTG on Saturday, Brian Nunamaker, the girl’s father, said that she has fully recovered from her emergency and is going to be “just fine.” He said she is home now and acting as if nothing happened.

In a statement, Nunamaker thanked the firefighters for their quick thinking that likely saved his daughter’s life.

“As a parent, you feel extremely helpless to be unable to assist the most important person in the world (your child) during such a time of emergency. Worst case scenarios run through your head while you are hoping for the best. The eternity of waiting for help to arrive was surprisingly non-existent in this situation. I was surprised at how quickly help had arrived in the form of a fire truck.”

Unfortunately for the firefighters, their actions that day, while likely saving the girls’ life, violated Department policy. Specifically, the fire engine wasn’t authorized for transporting patients. It lacks proper safety restraints as well as medications and other equipment that paramedics would have available to them. Both firefighters have been suspended from their jobs.

Officials with the Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department have declined to comment on the firefighters’ suspensions because it’s a personnel matter.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nunamaker is sorry that his daughter’s emergency set off a series of events that cost the men who saved her life their jobs.

“My wife and I feel terrible for the fallout that has happened to these two gentlemen. They simply had the best interests for our daughter’s care in mind. We are extremely thankful they made the decisions they did, and that our daughter is back home with us doing well. The actions of these men represent a dedication to their mission, and a deep concern of doing what is best for the people they are serving. In our eyes, they are heroes.”

Do you believe the Virginia firefighters deserved to be fired for their actions? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

[Image via Shutterstock/PRILL]

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