The state has cited Stafford’s Fire and Rescue Department for four violations after a February incident in which volunteer firefighters transported an 18-month-old girl having a seizure to the hospital in a fire engine.
The two firefighters at the center of the controversy are still working at the Falmouth Fire Station. The infant is back at home, and the county says it is taking steps to address the violations. Though the department doesn’t face any restrictions, it must take corrective measures before June 30, the state’s report states.
The county department initially prevented the two firefighters from answering emergency calls for about one week after the incident, but later reinstated them after faced with public outcry.
The state’s investigation, which was opened after the Stafford department alerted it to the incident, concluded that the firefighters’ decision violated a state regulation that prohibits transporting patients in a fire engine.
The state Office of Emergency Medical Services also noted a violation for adequate response staffing, a finding that comes as county officials grapple with the highest public-safety staff turnover in five years.
As many as 31 additional firefighters could be added to the department’s ranks if a recent grant request and budget proposal are approved.