Above is our December 14 story on the noose being left in a firefighter’s vehicle. You can read the original story here.
Sources tell STATter911.com two Loudoun County firefighters were fired today almost four weeks after a noose was found inside the car of a black firefighter. The two firefighters had been on suspension with pay since the December 4 incident at Station 5 in Hamilton.
Sources familiar with the incident indicate the career firefighters, both white, thought it was a harmless prank when they put the noose inside the vehicle of a firefighter who worked on the same shift. That vehicle was parked in the lot of the fire station.
According to the sources, who are not authorized to speak officially for the department on this matter, the firefighter who was the victim, while angry, did not immediately complain about the noose. When the lieutenant who supervised the crew became aware of what happened he reported it to his superiors.
We have contacted officials with the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue & Emergency Management for comment, but they have not yet responded. When STATter911.com first reported the incident on December 14, Chief Joseph Pozzo confirmed it had occurred and was being investigated. Chief Pozzo wrote in an email, “When the Department learned of the allegation we took immediate action”.
One of the firefighters terminated had just finished his probationary period in November.
On December 6, two days after first dealing with the noose incident, Chief Pozzo was faced with another serious incident involving a career firefighter. In that case, a phone call to Station 6 in Ashburn was perceived as a bomb threat. The call was traced to Station 2 in Purcellville. The firefighter being investigated for the threat is still on suspension with pay and has not been told what punishment he will face, if any.
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