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FireRescue1 - News, products and training resources
September 02, 2010

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Child's prank misleads Va. firefighters

A boy told emergency dispatchers that his Richmond apartment was on fire and that he could see red flames

By Joe Macenka
The Richmond Times Dispatch

RICHMOND, Va. — What turned out to be a prank call by a child prompted an entourage of Richmond firefighters to respond to what was believed to be an apartment fire yesterday.

Fire Marshal David Creasy said the department's investigators were looking into the circumstances surrounding the call, which was placed about 9:30 a.m. by a boy who told emergency dispatchers that his South Richmond apartment was on fire and that he could see red flames.

As is standard procedure when a caller says fire is visible and there are occupants inside a residence, dispatchers immediately sent a so-called full assignment - in this case, five manned units.

But the child called back and said he had been joking.

"This could have had very serious consequences," Creasy said, noting that prank calls can take away firefighting resources that could be needed elsewhere in the city.

In this case, however, he said there were no other calls in the city that required the firefighters who were dispatched to the 300 block of Grey Birch Drive, where the boy said his apartment was burning.

Investigators were working yesterday to determine such factors as the child's age, whether he was home at the time the call was placed and whether he was alone.

Creasy said prank calls made by children are rare, and while they could result in criminal charges, he said a more likely outcome would be that fire investigators discuss the matter with the family and leave the discipline to the boy's parents.

"Hopefully," he said, "that will take care of it."

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