ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — The fire district says senior personnel and supervisors subjected apprentice firefighters to hazing, but the union calls the terminations wrongful.
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Videos and photos at the center of a controversy surrounding the firing of three St. Lucie County firefighters and the suspension of two others are now public.
Video shows a modified bug zapper being used to shock three apprentice firefighters while on duty in 2024. Other videos show water being dumped on two firefighters and a dead raccoon placed inside a fire vehicle.
An investigation was launched after a half dozen videos surfaced earlier this year.
In a statement released over the weekend, Fire Chief Jeff Lee said the three employees were subjected to "hazing by senior personnel and supervisors."
Lee was not able to comment on camera, but walked through other harassment complaints involving Station 1 with WPTV Investigative Reporter Kate Hussey, including one that specifically named the three firefighters who were reassigned and then ultimately terminated.
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Lee said those reassignments led to a dozen complaints filed against him with three state agencies. All of those complaints were dismissed.
A Fort Pierce police report obtained by WPTV found there was "no criminal matter behind the alleged hazing."
At last week's county fire board meeting, union Vice President Matt Coney made brief comments on behalf of Local 1377.
"If you haven't seen the videos please take the time to look. This is an extraordinarily frivolous situation that does not need to be before you guys or even on the Fire Chief's desk," Coney said.
The union's determination is that the terminations and disciplines were wrongful, and it is asking for arbitration for the 5 disciplined firefighters.
The president of the local fire union plans to comment more on the situation soon.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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