Two Stafford County volunteer firefighters were reinstated Monday afternoon after the took a child suffering a seizure to a hospital in a fire truck.
Falmouth Volunteer Fire Department Capt. James Kelley and Sgt. Virgil Bloom were placed on “non-punitive” administrative leave Saturday after they were called to a McDonalds in the Ferry Farm section of the county. There, an infant was suffering a seizure.
A fire engine from the Falmouth station with two EMTs on board arrived at the scene at 11:11 a.m. Saturday. A medic unit dispatched from the Stafford Volunteer Fire Department was headed south on Route 1 and was about five miles away from the call. A basic life-support ambulance was about two miles away.
EMTs on the fire truck decided to take the infant to a local hospital in the fire engine instead of waiting, or choosing to meet an ambulance, according to Stafford County Fire and Rescue Chief Mark Lockhart.
The child made a full recovery. The actions of the two volunteers got them temporarily removed from duty, and a spotlight in the national press.
At a press conference today at the county’s public safety center, Lockhart stated:
The officer in charge of the engine, while Nationally Registered as an Emergency Medical Technician, is not certified to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This is largely an administrative matter through the Office of EMS that will be addressed with the individual. The other EMT onboard the engine is Nationally Registered as an Emergency Medical Technician and certified to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia. However, neither one of these members is currently approved to provide care by our department’s Operational Medical Director. Again, this is an administrative matter that will be addressed with the individuals involved.
He added:
We did, however, find that the medical department protocol for this type of patient was not followed and that will be addressed with the individuals involved.
Kelley
Taking questions from reporters, Lockhart said: “I believe these men believe they made the right decision.”
Kelley attended the press conference and told reporters he was “glad” to be reinstated by the chief.
In his statement, Lockhart said the tried to meet with members of the Falmouth Department but they were unwilling to meet.
“I am representing these firefighters, and when I came to the meeting that’s when they decided they didn’t want to meet,” said Jason Pelt, the attorney for Kelly and Virgil.
