A cold water challenge stunt that has gone viral has landed several New Jersey firefighters in hot water.
The 16-second video shows a firefighter standing with his arms out-stretched in an open field as colleagues turn hoses on him. The blast to his head bowls him over.
Washington Township District Chief John Hoffman quickly denounced the stunt by the Whitman Square Fire Company volunteers.
"Recently, a video surfaced on social media involving several firefighters at one of our stations utilizing department equipment to 'deluge' water on a firefighter in an open field. This action was NOT sanctioned by the department, the use of the equipment was not approved and the individual firefighters involved behaved inappropriately and outside of the boundaries of department policy, procedures and standing orders,” Hoffman said in a statement.
The nationwide promotion involves firefighters challenging one another to take a plunge in cold water or donate money to an organization that supports the families of fallen firefighters.
One of the New Jersey firefighters training the hose was positioned on a ladder.
Hoffman said the firefighter knocked over was not injured.
Board of Fire Commissioners Chairman Sam Micklus told The South Jersey Times said that while no one was hurt, the actions could easily have resulted in serious injury.
"The hose they used could've killed someone. I'm still shaking my head. They should've known better," he told reporters.
