Charleston, WV FF's charged

[NJFFSA16]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Four Kanawha County volunteer
firefighters have been indicted on charges stemming from arsons
that were part of an initiation last fall.
The Glasgow firefighters were indicted Wednesday by a Kanawha
County grand jury on felony charges of setting fire on lands. If
convicted, each faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
In addition, former fire chief Danny Michael Dalton and Marvin
Blankenship, the current assistant fire chief, were indicted on
charges of concealing the scheme. They face one count each of
accessory after the fact to a felony, which is punishable by up to
one year in prison and a $500 fine upon conviction.
By law, fire officials are required to report arsons to the
state fire marshal.
Dalton and Blankenship performed their own investigation but
never reported their findings, prosecutors said.
After receiving an anonymous tip, the state fire marshal and the
state Division of Forestry investigated and reported the findings
to the Kanawha County prosecutor's office.
Last Oct. 23, firefighters Andrew Keeney and Scott Coleman
allegedly started a fire by throwing a flare into some brush near
Hughes Creek so that new firefighter Mark Daniels could extinguish
it.
"It was their idea of an initiation," said Assistant
Prosecutor Rob Schulenberg.
The next night, Daniels and new firefighter Randy Knapp set a
fire near London in order to break in Knapp, prosecutors said.




(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[MIKEYLIKESIT]

Wow...Couldnt they have just stuck to a secret handshake? I dont think these were Charleston firefighters...Looks like a smaller outfit.

[John Dibacco]

The department (Glasgow) that the article cites is a small volunteer organizations in Kanawha County. The City of Charleston Fire Department is a career department.

Based on their actions as described, I refuse to call them FIREFIGHTERS. They are obviously not!

John

[NJFFSA16]

My apologies for the confusion. The Charleston, WV Fire Department was not involved with this in any way.

The AP wire story was filed from there, and therefore, the story was slugged Charleston.

These were Glasgow firefighters...not Charleston, WV.

webteam...is it possible for you to edit the Thread title...it is misleading!