CARLISLE, Iowa --
When you call 911 you expect the people responding to help you. But one Carlisle man said the fire chief sent to help him last week only made things worse.
The Carlisle man did not want KCCI to identify his last name or show his face, but he did want us to know everything that happened early last Thursday morning.
The man said his diabetic wife was having convulsions around 12:15 a.m. because her blood glucose level dropped to a dangerously low level.
When he called 911, two people from the Carlisle Fire Department responded. But, he said, one was slurring his words and couldn't even draw blood from his wife.
"He starts squirting this gel into her mouth and she starts choking. She was gagging on it," the man said.
That fire department member turned out to be the Carlisle Fire Chief Scott Burger, who is now on paid leave.
"It made it even worse that this guy is supposed to be setting an example. He is supposed to be the top guy. Those people that work for him are supposed to look up to him and emulate him," the man said.
The Carlisle City Council is not commenting on the suspension because it is a personnel matter. The city attorney said Monday that the council plans to hold a closed door meeting next week.
Burger is on paid leave until the investigation is complete. KCCI asked Chief Burger for an interview, but he would not comment. For now, the assistant fire chief has taken over Burger's duties.
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