PEA RIDGE — Fire Chief Frank Rizzio is suspended from driving any Fire Department vehicle for four weeks as a result of rolling and destroying a tanker Wednesday, March 14, Mayor Jackie Crabtree confirmed.
Rizzio was driving the countyowned 4,000-gallon tanker on U.S. Highway 62 responding to a structure fire in Avoca when he attempted to turn left onto Rose Street and rolled the vehicle. He escaped with minor injuries. The truck was destroyed.
Crabtree said Rizzio has been asked not to drive for four weeks “because of the seriousness of what could have happened. It’s standard operating procedure. It’s the Fire Department procedure.”
According to the Pea Ridge Fire Department Standard Operating Guidelines, the fire chief or assistant chief can give a verbal warning, a written warning, suspend privileges or suspend or dismiss from the department any firefighter for disciplinary actions.
Any discipline can be appealed to the mayor or City Council.
Only four persons on the department drove the 4,000-gallon tanker. Rizzio said it wasn’t departmental policy, but just that other firefighters did not feel confident enough to drive the truck.
“There’s a lot of them too nervous to drive something that big,” Rizzio said.
As for the driving suspension, Rizzio said: “The mayor felt like he had to do something; which islogical. We talked about it when it first happened.
“It was just a sequence of events. I had to self-discipline myself ... I’m making it my mission to be sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong. It was just a sequence of events,” Rizzio said, adding that he did not get a ticket. Rizzio said he told his two assistantchiefs, but no one else.
“Only four people on the planet knew aobut that. It’s not a big deal.”
Rizzio, who had been working on the paid schedule, removed himself from the daily schedule. He said he’ll be on vacation for 10 days.
Insurance money for the truck, $34,500, went to the county.
News, Pages 1 on 05/23/2012