DURANT -- After assisting an area volunteer fire department with a fire over the weekend, a former firefighter may be the subject of criminal prosecution brought by a board member, according to the Bryan County Sheriff's Office reports.
The incident report states, during a large grass fire Saturday, the former firefighter contacted the volunteer fire department's dispatcher and "asked if they could use some help, that he would take a (fire) truck and assist."
The dispatcher contacted the fire chief, who was on the scene, to relay the message. The dispatcher was then directed to "start all trucks."
The former firefighter proceeded to the fire, provided assistance to the department, then refueled and returned the fire truck to the station.
"Whether or not his (the fire chief's) intention was for (former firefighter) to take a truck or not is unclear," the reports state. "Dispatch sent him on out."
A representative for the department made a voluntary statement Monday, along with the incident report. His statement read, "(the former firefighter) took our truck from the station without authorization by the chief. No one else has authorization for anyone to roll.
"He was not to be on department property without the chief," the statement says. "He was removed from the department by the board and SODA for illegal activity and drinking and driving trucks."
The representative then reiterated in his statement, "He was told to stay away."
This story was printed with permission of the Herald Democrat Newspaper.
