A fire lieutenant used bad judgment when he tried to make a training exercise more realistic and ended up starting a blaze that injured a fellow firefighter, Fire Chief John Oates said Monday.
Lt. Doug McKeon, a 21-year department veteran, was suspended without pay for 14 days in January and February, according to a disciplinary letter released after a Freedom of Information request.
“Your unblemished record and many years of positive professional service were considered in contemplating this discipline,” Oates wrote in the letter to McKeon, dated Jan. 16. “However, this level of failure by a Lieutenant cannot be tolerated.”
The town bought property at 1718 Main St. near Fire Station No. 2 as a prospective location for a new station. Before a vacant house on the property was torn down recently, the police and fire departments used the place for training, Oates said.