SANFORD, Fla.,None — Sanford's fire chief has admitted that he knew a firefighter had a suspended license when he drove a city fire truck.
The firefighter, Glenn Johnson, was suspended Wednesday without pay for the incident.
Johnson's supervisor told him to drive the truck back to the station, knowing Johnson didn't have a valid license. It's against city policy for firefighters to work if they don't have a license.
Sanford's fire chief, Gerald Ransom, said it's not uncommon for him to give the firefighters a few days to get issues like this cleared up. Still, WFTV wondered why the supervisor would order him to drive a fire truck.
Johnson was out on a medical call when he got the order from his lieutenant, Albert Alberti. Alberti told Johnson to drive the fire engine, even though, according to the report, Johnson immediately reminded him his license was suspended. A memo ordering him not to drive was sent to Johnson and his supervisors earlier in the day.
"I think the lieutenant forgot about it, and wasn't alerted about it until later," Ransom told WFTV.
When WFTV told Ransom that Johnson had been notified earlier in the day, Ransom agreed, and said the excuse was "just a call in the middle of the night."
Johnson is a five-year firefighter. He was suspended for one day without pay for violating safety procedures.
The supervisor who admitted he ordered him to drive the truck received a written reprimand. He's been with the department 15 years. WFTV asked why wasn't he suspended as well.
"If you'll review the documents, and there were statements made, I think it will shed a little more light," Ransom said.
When WFTV asked Ransom to shed light and explain why the supervisor wasn't suspended for his actions, Ransom said he would rather not go into details.
Firefighters must have a license to work for the department, but not a CDL. Johnson's license was suspended for nearly a month because of traffic violations.
So why not relieve him of duty until he gets it cleared up, or put him on desk duty? Well, there's a cost to that.
City officials said the policy is clear: You need a valid license. But the fire chief has leeway to give firefighters time to get situation like this cleared up, officials said.