DUNDEE, Mich. — An injured volunteer firefighter was reportedly refused treatment at a local clinic because he didn’t have his identification with him.
Monroe News reported that the firefighter, with the Dundee (Mich.) Township Volunteer Fire Department, partially fell through a floor while battling a blaze Saturday morning. He didn’t suffer major injuries, but was told to seek medical treatment.
The firefighter, who was in full gear, went to a nearby urgent care for treatment but was later refused because he didn’t have any identification.
The firefighter left and went to a hospital, where he was treated for bruises to his ribs, side and back.
“Are you kidding me?” Chief Dan Motylinski said. “You don’t treat your local firemen that way. I was very upset.”
Gregory Goss, office manager at the clinic, said he was aware of the incident and was looking into it.
“As a 40-year law enforcement veteran and current (village) manager in Dundee, I am appalled as to how our fireman was treated at the Dundee Urgent Care facility,” David Uhl, Dundee’s village manager, said. “My only hope is that this incident comes to the forefront and that it may help all facilities to take a second look at their procedures so as to prevent this from ever happening again.”
Chief Motylinski said he has never heard of a uniformed firefighter who suffered injuries while on the job being refused care.
“This is the first time I ever ran into anything like this,” he said. “When there’s a fire, we rush out the door. I never take my ID and of course he didn’t have his. So they wouldn’t see him.”