D.C. Firefighters Riding Desks After Facebook Post about Cops

Five D.C. Fire and EMS personnel have been placed on desk duty following a post on Facebook criticizing a police officer who doled out a ticket.

WRC reporters said the punitive action came after a firefighter posted a picture critical of D.C. police on Facebook and four others commented on it.

The firefighter cited, took a picture of the officer walking toward his cruiser and posted it on his Facebook page with a comment to the effect of "This is why we should be careful and take our time getting to incident scenes," sources told the reporters.

The post was considered so so inflammatory it was brought directly to the attention of both Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe and Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

In March, a motorcycle officer waited 20 minutes for an ambulance after a crash. When one from D.C. wasn't available, a crew from Prince George's County, MD responded. That officer was just recently released from the hospital.

IAFF Union President Ed Smith told reporters: “Right now it’s in the investigation phase. Hopefully they’ll be back to duty soon, and then we’ll have to deal with any disciplinary proceedings if there are any depending on the outcome of the investigation.”