BB gun battle in bunkroom leads to probe of injury claim. Questions on how Prince George’s County, MD volunteer received serious eye wound.
Read response to the story from Scott Kaiser, Clinton VFD president
Earlier this month two firefighters from the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department in Prince George’s County, MD were in a darkened firehouse bunkroom firing BB guns at each other when one of the men was wounded in the eye. Sources familiar with the incident tell STATter911.com investigators have a statement from the uninjured participant confirming the BB gun battle took place.
An investigation by the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department was started after the details of the initial injury claim began to unravel. According to numerous sources, the injured firefighter filed paperwork indicating the injury happened when a handlight fell from a locker and struck his eye. Volunteer firefighters are covered under workers’ compensation. Sources tell STATter 911 the paperwork for the claim was filled out on January 17, the same day the incident is reported to have occurred.
Prince George’s County Public Safety Director Vernon Herron said Friday afternoon that medical reports indicated something very different, that a BB was removed from the volunteer’s eye.
The firefighter was initially seen at Southern Maryland Hospital in Clinton. The eye injury was serious enough that the firefighter was then taken to the trauma center at MedStar in the District of Columbia.
The firefighter, born in 1986, is listed as an active member of Clinton VFD on the department’s website. Since no criminal or internal charges have currently been filed, STATter911.com is not publicly identifying those under investigation.
Vernon Herron said the county is very concerned about the allegations. Herron expects the investigation to quickly get to the truth of this incident. Besides his concerns about violent activity in the workplace, Herron said the county will not tolerate “those who are not honest or forthright”.
Herron had a meeting scheduled Friday afternoon with Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick to discuss the incident.
STATter911.com has contacted the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department for comment about this incident, but has not received a response.
