NORTH BABYLON, N.Y. — A volunteer fire chief has been suspended after a viral video captured him yelling profanities at a 10-year-old girl during an emergency call.
The incident occurred on Aug. 4 when North Babylon Fire Chief Peter Alt responded to a call involving the child. As first responders loaded the 10-year-old into the ambulance, a concerned neighbor recorded Alt shouting at her, the New York Post reported.
| WEBINAR: Command and control of large-scale fire incidents
“Shut the f**k up! It’s like this with you every f**king week!” Alt yells.
“I don’t want to go! I want to go home!” the girl responds.
“Shut your mouth!” Alt snaps back, as the ambulance doors close.
On Aug. 5, the North Babylon Volunteer Fire Company announced Alt’s suspension in a Facebook post, stating an investigation is underway.
“The Fire Company is presently reviewing all of its training, policies and procedures and will determine if further training with respect to responding to emergency calls is required. The Fire Company does not condone this behavior and deems it unacceptable,” the agency said.
The girl’s grandmother, who wasn’t home at the time, said she was devastated by the video.
“Maybe it was a blessing I wasn’t there,” she told NBC New York. The child had become overwhelmed after losing her phone, prompting her mother to call the police for help.
Neighbors who know the family were disturbed by the incident.
“That’s not how you treat people,” neighbor Mark Simms said. “I’d be outraged if he spoke to my kids like that,” Simms noted first responders have been at the home before, but never with such aggression.
In addition to the fire company’s internal investigation, the Town of Babylon is conducting its own review of the incident.
What would an active bystander do?
Chief Alt is surrounded by other first responders who don’t silence him or move him away as he berates the child. Active bystandership, the subject of this popular article “Why EMS needs active bystandership now,” empowers individuals to act when they see potential risk or harm. Have you had a similar encounter during your career? How did you react? How could your service use this video for training on active bystandership?
