10 Marion County Fire Rescue members fired over accusations of hazing rookie firefighter; some face criminal charges – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
OCALA, Fla. (WSVN) — Several members of the Marion County Fire Rescue team in Central Florida have been fired for accusations of brutally hazing a rookie firefighter. Some of those now former employees face criminal charges.
In interviews, the four fire rescue members facing charges said that it all started out as a playful joke, but department leaders said what actually happened was anything but.
In total, 10 fire rescue members were fired for failing to report the alleged hazing at a firehouse in Ocala last month.
“It’s a devastating loss with the 10 personnel and the experience that they have, and we don’t take that lightly,” Marion County Fire Rescue spokesperson James Lucas said.
Marion County considers the November incident as an act of violence.
“Couldn’t breathe for a little bit, and I was, like, trying to actually, like, fight and get out,” the alleged victim said in an audio recording.
Marion County Fire Rescue released 15 hours of video from 14 different interviewees, as well as hundreds of pages of investigative documents.
Every single employee questioned told a similar story, saying they roughhoused often.
“Not an excuse, but this is, like, what’s been happening to me all the time,” one of the accused fire rescue members said in an interview.
They also told deputies that they didn’t think things started out all that serious.
“Because I just thought we were all just joking around with it,” a different fire rescue member accused of assisting in the hazing said.
They admitted, however, that things got out of hand last month.
Marion County Fire Rescue policy states there is no tolerance for hazing, and firefighters have a duty to report any harassment they see.
Officials said this case was only reported after a firefighter at a different station heard what happened.
“We are here to answer their call on their worst day. We hope to restore the trust and confidence that the citizens once had in us,” Lucas said.
An attorney representing one of the accused firefighters said in a statement that he hopes to get the matter resolved in an appropriate manner.
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