[ad_1]
Virginia Volunteer Firefighter Severely Injured During Unauthorized Controlled Fire

A volunteer firefighter from the White Oak Volunteer Fire Department in Virginia, Alex Byers, suffered severe injuries while attempting a controlled burn of yard waste in Stafford County. Byers fell into the fire and sustained third-degree burns to 22% of his body. His father, Capt. Patrick Byers, mentioned that Alex spent a month and a half in the hospital as a result of the incident.

The community rallied around the Byers family by organizing a spaghetti dinner fundraiser to support Alex while he was out of work and recovering. However, Stafford County Fire and Rescue Chief Joseph Cardello revealed that the use of county fire apparatus for personal use was not authorized and addressed the issue through the disciplinary process to prevent it from happening again.

It was disclosed that the Byers used a brush truck and a tanker from the county fire department to assist with the yard waste burn at a neighbor’s house. Despite admitting to using county equipment for personal purposes in the past, Capt. Byers acknowledged that certain practices needed to change and have been addressed.

Cardello emphasized the importance of not misusing taxpayer resources and potentially putting the public at risk if emergency calls were to come in while county equipment was being used for personal tasks. Moving forward, the county fire department aims to ensure better accountability and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. Capt. Byers and his sons remain part of the White Oak Volunteer Fire Department team as Alex continues his recovery.

Source
Photo credit www.nbcwashington.com