ATLANTA (AP) - An Atlanta firefighter is set to be suspended next week for actions he took while trying to save a 95-year-old woman from a blaze.
Atlanta Fire Department Capt. Daniel Dwyer was among the firefighters responding to a house engulfed in flames last June when he entered the home by himself, located resident Sally Skrine on the ground and pulled her to safety, video from the scene showed. Skrine later died from her injuries, news outlets reported.
But a "notice of final adverse action" prepared last week by the department ordered Dwyer to be suspended without pay for four days, citing his decision to enter the home alone as a breach in the safety policy of "no freelancing," according to the complaint obtained by WXIA-TV on Monday. He will eligible to return to work on Feb. 19.
An official for the firefighters' union told WAGA-TV that Dwyer made a "split-second" decision to go in and save Skrine without waiting for reinforcement because of the intensity of the fire.
Fire officials told news outlets at the time that the fire likely started in the kitchen, but bars placed around the west Atlanta home made it difficult to quickly get inside.
Dwyer said he is appealing the decision.