OCALA - Two firefighters have been disciplined after Ocala Fire Rescue determined human error was the most likely cause of a firetruck rolling out of Fire Rescue headquarters into a downtown lake on Monday.
Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician Michael Calhoun received a written reprimand and must take a remedial driving class, according to a department statement released Thursday afternoon.
Officials determined that Calhoun failed to set the truck's parking brake as he got out of the vehicle after a run. The combination of a sloped floor in Fire Station 1 and movement of water in the truck's 1,000-gallon water tank was enough to start it rolling.
The truck rolled out of the station, down a ramp, across Northeast Third Street and into Lake Tuscawilla around 5:45 p.m. Monday. No one was injured, but city fleet mechanics estimate the truck sustained $60,000 in damage.
The department also announced immediate policy changes, to include requiring wheel chocks on all trucks when they are in a station house. Station bay doors also are to be kept closed unless an employee is working in the area.
Calhoun's immediate supervisor at the time of the incident, Fire Equipment Operator Clint Wellborn, received an oral counseling session for failure to properly supervise personnel, the department statement said.
Republished with permission from the Ocala Star-Banner
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