ESTERO, Fla. — A Fla. battalion chief has been fired for allegedly breaking protocol and putting the lives of her crews in danger.
Battalion Chief Jeannine Horton is accused of forgetting about firefighters at the scene of a large brush fire that shut down an interstate highway in July, according to NBC2.
Chief Horton was a nine-year veteran of the Estero Fire Department, responsible for crews from the Estero department as well as others.
“It’s an incredibly big responsibility. They are the sole responsible figure for the district in the absence of any other chief officer,” Asst. Fire Chief Mark Wahlig said.
An investigative report said that Chief Horton left the scene of the fire before accounting for resources and leaving crews in the woods without backup. Chief Horton admitted to leaving the scene to allow someone from the media to get a closer look at the fire’s damage.
The report also said that Chief Horton allowed firefighters to go into a home to switch smoke alarm batteries when the owner was not present and allowed crews to do electrical work which they are not allowed to do.