Firefighters Suspended for Taking Sick Toddler to Hospital

STAFFORD, VA — Suspended for transporting a sick toddler to the hospital on a fire truck, two volunteer firefighters have more than 6,000 online supporters calling for them to be reinstated, with an in-person rally in the works.

Captain James Kelley and Sgt. Virgil Bloom with the Falmouth Volunteer Fire Department, responded to an emergency call Feb. 27 to find a small girl having a seizure. The girl was in need of immediate aid and Kelley has told the media it appeared an ambulance was several miles away.

So, the firefighters delivered the girl to the hospital in the fire truck. But the trucks don't have proper restraints and medical equipment necessary for that kind of transport.

Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department officials could not comment when contacted by Patch on Monday.

A county spokesman has told Fox News, "A potential regulatory compliance issue is under review by the Fire and Rescue Department and the Virginia Department of Health. Therefore, we are unable to comment on this issue."

With the young girl safe and recovering, Kelley says he'd do it again. "I would no hesitate, I'd do the exact same thing, 100 percent," he told WHSV. "Ten times out of 10."

The firefighters' story has been shared online and through national media reports. A Facebook page supporting the firefighters has 6,144 likes, and growing. The number has more than doubled overnight since national stories on the case.

Falmouth station Chief Christopher Smith supports the men, telling the Washington Post, "This is one of those situations where actions outweigh policy."

The girl's father, David Nunamaker, reportedly released a statement saying the men are heroes.

“The actions of these men represent a dedication to their mission, and a deep concern of doing what is best for the people they are serving," he wrote.