ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Two St. Lucie County firefighters fired over an alleged hazing incident are speaking out for the first time, saying what investigators described as hazing was nothing more than consensual, good-natured fun among colleagues.
WATCH BELOW: Fired firefighters speak to WPTV on bug zapper hazing case
Jordan Hutchinson, Doug Boudrias and Christopher Baldwin were terminated in May after a third-party investigator concluded videos that appeared to show them using a modified bug zapper to shock probationary firefighters at Station 1A who answered job-related questions incorrectly.
The firefighters' union and the three men said the punishment went too far and Union President Ryan Sapp said fire district leaders have now reached out to the union in an effort to avoid a court battle.
"I am happy to to actually tell you today that we have been reached out to by admin, and they would like to come to some kind of conclusion and work together with some kind of reasonable compromise at the end," Sapp told Investigative Reporter Kate Hussey Wednesday.
"It's been a long road, but we're ready to be done with it and go back to work," added Hutchinson.
WATCH BELOW: Videos surface in St. Lucie County firefighter hazing controversy
Watching the videos back, Hutchinson and Boudrias told Hussey they were stunned to hear the incident described as hazing.
"It was just us in our downtime, joking around, having fun," Hutchinson said.
"We're all still friends — we were all friends, us and the victims, no ill intent," Boudrias said.
The investigation found all three men were supervisors at the time of the incident. Boudrias and Hutchinson said they believed it was consensual and were devastated when they were terminated.
"I have five kids. Doug's got two, and Chris got three. So, it's been a lot on them," Hutchinson said."We never wanted to lose our jobs."
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Ryan Sapp, who along with the Union now represents all three men, argues the external investigation reached a predetermined conclusion and questions its neutrality.
"[The Fire District] hired that firm. A neutral party is a party that two people would come to conclusion to actually get, nor should we have involvement," said Sapp. "This is not hazing whatsoever, hands down. This is joking around, having fun at the station."
Fire Chief Jeff Lee declined an on-camera interview, because of pending legal proceedings, but earlier also pointed to a separate 2025 investigation that described Station 1A as an environment "characterized by intense peer pressure, social exclusion, and inappropriate banter."
When given the opportunity to respond to those allegations, Hutchinson pointed to the record.
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"Everybody can have their own opinions on things, but I think the record itself speaks for itself," Hutchinson said. "I think the witness statements themselves that are on the recordings speak volumes. I think that's if any was to hear all those. I think that's because it says enough."
Hutchinson also pointed to a Fort Pierce Police report that found "no criminal matter behind the alleged hazing" and states every person initially identified as a victim told investigators they were not victims and did not want to pursue the case.
"Two of the three supposed victims at the last fire board meeting were there, standing right next to us in support of us," said Hutchinson.
"This was all unfounded. There was no hazing," Sapp added.
Sapp said his focus is now on reaching a compromise that would put all three firefighters back to work.
"Our ultimate goal was to reinstate them," Sapp said. "I think the fire chief is a reasonable man, so if they're reaching out and wanting to find compromise, I'm confident that that was definitely one of the things they would like to do, but we'll just have to wait and see."
If no agreement is reached, the union said the legal process could last a year or more.
Timeline of events
Though Chief Lee said couldn't discuss the terminations on camera, Monday he did walk WPTV through the timeline of events that led to them:
- Between January and March of 2025, 3 female employees filed separate complaints alleging harassment and workplace misconduct.
- In June, those complaints prompted the district to hire outside counsel to investigate the workplace culture at Station 1A.
- That same month, a 4th complaint named multiple Station 1A employees, including Hutchinson, Baldwin, and Boudrias. That complaint was found unsubstantiated
- Later in June, the investigation described the station as an environment "characterized by intense peer pressure, social exclusion, and inappropriate banter."
- The 3 firefighters were reassigned in August 2025.
- In September, they challenged the investigation that led to their reassignment. That complaint was denied.
- In December, they filed a second complaint against Chief Lee and District Attorney Kim Sabol. The district sent that complaint to another outside law firm for review.
- Between January and March 2026, the 3 firefighters filed 12 more complaints against Lee and Sabol with 3 state agencies. Chief Lee says all 12 were dismissed.
- On March 12, the hazing videos surfaced.
- In May, Hutchinson, Baldwin, and Boudrias were fired, while 2 other firefighters were suspended.
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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