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A Texas firefighter has resigned and three others have been disciplined by their department after damaging a hotel while quarantined in April.
The four New Braunfels firefighters had possibly been exposed to COVID-19 while on duty and responding to a medical emergency, the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung reports. The firefighters were then told to quarantine and given the choice to do so at a hotel in the city in order to avoid potentially exposing their family to the virus.
While at the hotel, four firefighters drank drinking alcohol and caused a bathtub to overflow. Although quarantined, the firefighters were considered on duty.
“The incident in question, where alcohol was consumed and water damage occurred to the hotel, happened during the quarantine period at the hotel, where the employees were still considered on duty per city policy,” City Manager Robert Camareno told the Herald-Zeitung. “A total of three firefighters have since received disciplinary action. A fourth firefighter, who was responsible for the damage to the hotel, resigned before the completion of the administrative investigation."
The city paid the hotel more than $19,700 for repairs to the damage caused by the firefighters. An additional $10,000 was paid through the Texas Municipal League risk pool, according to the Herald-Zeitung.
“The choices made by these firefighters are disappointing, but those actions should not reflect on the culture, professionalism, and commitment of the New Braunfels Fire Department or the city of New Braunfels,” Camareno said in the statement, according to the Herald-Zeitung.
