Is Detroit and its fire department being way too petty? Yes, according to Taryn Asher of Fox 2.
The department is proud of its 10 new fire trucks, she reports, but Mike O'Lear of Engine Company 52 fired off a letter to the city pointing out a flaw: Seatbelt alarms are so loud that firefighters could miss vital information transmitted over the radio, he claims. He said the suggestion should be addressed and that he'd notify journalists.
Chief John King didn't appreciate the letter, headed to O'Leary's station and ordered firefighters to line up for roll call, Fox 2 reports.
King reportedly ordered everyone not to move, Asher says. When a firefighter moved to the side to let a sergeant into the line, King suspended him without pay for six days.
Asher reports that the city also was unhappy about the complaint about the rig and took it away from Engine 52 and transferred it to Engine 59.
"The way it was handled was wrong," union president Jeff Pegg says.
The city calls the rig transfer an "administrative decision."