A Wichita firefighter has been terminated for setting a fire inside a fire station as part of a prank.
A Wichita firefighter has been terminated for setting a fire inside a fire station as part of a prank, according to KSNW-TV.
Firefighter Jarrod Womack, a seven-year veteran of the department, said the Jan. 12 incident at Station 1 was a practical joke that didn't go over well with his superiors.
Womack was let go and five other firefighters were disciplined.
He told the news station that he used lighter fluid to set a paper towel on fire in a upstairs shower. While there was no damage, a training exercise was taking place at the same time.
Despite admitting to setting the fire, Womack maintains that he shouldn't have been fired because pranks are commonplace in the department.
"I was wrongfully terminated," he told KSNW-TV. "Some guys in upper management have done the same kind of thing more than once."
He plans to file a grievance against the city on Friday, beginning the appeals process to get his job back.
Punishments for the other five firefighters range from written reprimands to short suspensions.
