OCALA, Fla. (WSVN) — Several members of the Marion County Fire Rescue team in Central Florida have been fired for accusations of brutally hazing a rookie firefighter. Some of those now former employees face criminal charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In interviews, the four fire rescue members facing charges said that it all started out as a playful joke, but department leaders said what actually happened was anything but.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In total, 10 fire rescue members were fired for failing to report the alleged hazing at a firehouse in Ocala last month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It’s a devastating loss with the 10 personnel and the experience that they have, and we don’t take that lightly,” Marion County Fire Rescue spokesperson James Lucas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marion County considers the November incident as an act of violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Couldn’t breathe for a little bit, and I was, like, trying to actually, like, fight and get out,” the alleged victim said in an audio recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marion County Fire Rescue released 15 hours of video from 14 different interviewees, as well as hundreds of pages of investigative documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every single employee questioned told a similar story, saying they roughhoused often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Not an excuse, but this is, like, what’s been happening to me all the time,” one of the accused fire rescue members said in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They also told deputies that they didn’t think things started out all that serious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Because I just thought we were all just joking around with it,” a different fire rescue member accused of assisting in the hazing said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They admitted, however, that things got out of hand last month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marion County Fire Rescue policy states there is no tolerance for hazing, and firefighters have a duty to report any harassment they see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officials said this case was only reported after a firefighter at a different station heard what happened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We are here to answer their call on their worst day. We hope to restore the trust and confidence that the citizens once had in us,” Lucas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An attorney representing one of the accused firefighters said in a statement that he hopes to get the matter resolved in an appropriate manner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"