Disciplinary action will be taken against a firefighter who was behind the wheel of a paramedic truck that collided with a fire truck last August, injuring 12 people near Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami Department of Fire-Rescue officials said Tuesday. Firefighter Gustavo Alzate, who has worked for the city for 2 years and 4 months, will be suspended in the next couple of days, Assistant Fire Chief Adrian Plasencia said. In a letter sent to Alzate and obtained by Local 10 News, Chief Maurice L. Kemp informed Alzate that he would be suspended 96 hours, from Jan. 17 to Jan. 28.
The crash was reported on the afternoon of Aug. 11 at Northwest 12th Avenue and Northwest 14th Street, a few blocks west of Jackson Memorial Hospital. The fire truck was on its way to a call when it crashed into an ambulance that was also on a call. Traffic camera video shows the ambulance running a red light before crashing into the fire truck, which immediately overturned. Both vehicles had their emergency lights and sirens on.