Long Island Fire Chief Yells At Black Child In Viral Video
A Long Island fire chief was suspended on Tuesday after a video went viral showing him yelling at a 10-year-old Black girl in a stretcher.
According to NBC 4, the Long Island fire chief has been identified as Peter Alt of the North Babylon Volunteer Fire Company. Alt could be heard telling the 10-year-old to “Shut the f–k up! It’s like this with you every f—ing week!” in the video as she was strapped to a stretcher and crying. The girl can be heard crying and saying, “I don’t want to go! I want to go home!” to which Alt responded with “Shut your mouth!”
The firefighters arrived at the home after a family member called emergency services when the child became emotionally overwhelmed after her phone was taken away. NBC 4 spoke to the child’s grandmother, who wished not to be identified. She wasn’t home when the Long Island Fire Chief began yelling at her granddaughter, and thinks that’s for the best.
“She needed my help and needed my protection, but I wasn’t there,” the child’s grandmother told NBC 4. “Maybe it was a blessing I wasn’t there because I would have jumped all over this guy.”
She added that the family has called emergency services before when the child had behavioral episodes, and they’ve generally been gracious. “When you call for help — the police, the fire department — they’re supposed to help you. Not treat you like garbage. And curse at a child at that,” the grandmother said.
I’m not a fire chief nor a first responder, but I’m pretty sure telling a 10-year-old girl going through a behavioral crisis to “shut the f–k up” isn’t how Alt was trained to handle those situations. I really hope he doesn’t have kids, because who tells a 10-year-old that? Especially one who’s clearly scared and needs reassurance? I couldn’t imagine seeing a child dealing with a crisis and my first response being vitriol.
The actions of the Long Island fire chief spurred outrage throughout the child’s community.
“That’s not a professional way to deal with people,” Mark Simms, a neighbor, told NBC 4. “I wouldn’t want him to speak to my children like that or anyone in my family. I’d be outraged myself.”
Another neighbor applauded the person who recorded the incident so Peter Alt’s behavior didn’t go unchecked. “Shout out to the neighbor who took the video,” one resident told NBC 4. “But that is completely unacceptable. Completely.”
The town of Babylon released a statement condemning Peter Alt’s actions. “There is no place in our town for behavior that disrespects or harms the public, especially when it involves a young person or child. The Town of Babylon condemns this conduct in the strongest possible terms and stands with the affected family and all residents who rely on our emergency services in their times of need,” the statement read.
After the video went viral, the North Babylon Volunteer Fire Company also released a statement announcing Alt had been “relieved of all of his duties pending a full and thorough investigation, whereupon appropriate action will be taken.”
“The Fire Company is presently reviewing all of its training, policies, and procedures and will determine if further training with respect to responding to emergency calls is required. The Fire Company does not condone this behavior and deems it unacceptable,” the statement added.
The child’s grandmother doesn’t think the suspension goes far enough. “He doesn’t need to lead anybody or anything,” she said. “He needs to be fired.”
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