Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.metro From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: VFD head guilty of false alarm Date: Thu, 26 Nov 92 15:00:28 EST Message-ID: Lines: 59 \SE B;METROPOLITAN \HD VFD head guilty of false alarm \SH Faces $1,000 fine, 6 months in jail \BY Jim Keary \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES The president of the Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Department has been convicted of setting a false alarm, apparently as a prank on the Riverdale Volunteer Fire Department. Bob Holbrook was convicted of the misdemeanor charge Tuesday in Prince George's County District Court and faces up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. He will be sentenced Feb. 3. Jeffrey Purcell, a 19-year-old Bladensburg volunteer accused of helping Mr. Holbrook set the false alarm, pleaded guilty and was placed on a year's probabtion and ordered to perform 80 hours of community service. Both men have been suspended and could be barred permanently by the county fire department from serving as firefighters. While Mr. Holbrook cannot fight fires or command firefighting operations, he can remain as president of the Bladensburg VFD, county officials said. "That is a private corporation. They can do what they want," said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the county fire department. "The chief has control only over operations." Mr. Piringer said Fire Chief Steven Edwards will make the final determination on whether the men will be reinstated to the firefighting ranks. "Their status is currently under administrative review," Mr. Piringer said. The false alarm was made on July 7, when Mr. Holbrook and Mr. Purcell went to the Riverdale VFD with a recording of a previously dispatched call to a fire on Kenilworth Avenue. The two men tapped into Riverdale's public address system and rebroadcast the call over the system about 7:30 p.m. Riverdale firefighters responded to the address only to find there was no fire. The fire department began investigating when it learned only the Riverdale department responded to the call. Normally fires are broadcast over the countywide fire communication system. Mr. Holbrook could not be reached for comment yesterday. A volunteer who answered the phone at the fire station said he could not comment on the cases. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM