By Sarah Roebuck
FireRescue1
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — A volunteer firefighter who suffered severe injuries during a controlled fire used the department’s equipment during the incident without authorization, according to new details released by the department.
In late May, Alex Byers, a volunteer with the White Oak Volunteer Fire Department, was attempting a controlled burn of yard waste in a person’s backyard, NBC4 reports. Byers fell into the fire and sustained third-degree burns to 22% of his body. He spent a month and a half in the hospital, according to his father, Capt. Patrick Byers.
Stafford County Fire and Rescue Chief Joseph Cardello addressed details of the fire with NBC4, stating a county fire apparatus was used for unauthorized personal use and that discipline had taken place.
Byers, his father and brother took a brush truck and a tanker to their neighbor’s house to help with the yard waste burn, Cardello said. The county was unaware of the equipment being used, and the shift supervisor had not authorized its use.
“That’s not the best use of taxpayer resources, and we shouldn’t get in that position,” Cardello told NBC4.
Patrick Byers said he took the apparatus to the controlled burn in case the fire got out of hand.
The apparatus were not damaged in the fire, but county-owned personal protective equipment was, according to Cardello. He noted that if an emergency call had come in, the shift supervisor would not have known the whereabouts of the apparatus, potentially putting the public at risk.
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