April 27-- A group of Detroit firefighters is under fire for wrecking an apparatus during an off-duty joyride and then trying to cover it up.
WJBK reports that two of the firefighters out of Engine 55 decided to take the apparatus for a ride on March 30, but they failed to convince the driver of the rig to get behind the wheel. It was then that a firefighter who had only a few years on the job chose to drive.
Where the two firefighters took the vehicle is unknown, but WJBK has learned that along the way, the driver lost control of the expensive fire truck and slammed into the median along I-96 near Southfield, causing extensive damage to the tune of $75,000.
They made their way back to the fire house and eventually convinced the driver who wouldn't go along to help cover for them, getting that firefighter to take a urine test to screen for drugs and alcohol.
When Detroit police responded, the firefighters claimed someone sideswiped the rig. Although they initially lied to police and their superiors, their stories didn't line up and eventually they confessed.
The apparatus is currently behind locked doors at the Detroit Fire Maintenance Division and considered evidence, and Fire Commissioner Eric Jones said an investigation is underway.
"All I know is that they said it is under investigation and we can't get to it," a Dept. maintenance worker told WJBK. "They keep it locked up."
The two firefighters involved in the wreck and the other who helped cover for them are on administrative leave without pay.
"It remains the policy and practice of the Detroit Firefighters Association not to discuss a member and/or member's internal matters publicly," Michael Nevin, the president of the city's fire union, told WJBK. "Detroit firefighters/EMS are rescuing and saving more lives like no other time in the city of Detroit's history."
