A fire chief in Long Island, New York, was suspended from his job after disturbing cellphone footage captured him shouting profanities at a young Black girl as she was strapped to a gurney.
“Shut the f*** up! I have to deal with you every f***ing week!” the chief is heard yelling at the crying child while he and other first responders place her in an ambulance.
The 10-year-old child is heard yelling and sobbing, “I don’t want to go!”
“Shut your mouth!” the fire chief yells in response.
“I want to go home!” the girl yells as the first responders roll her into the ambulance.
Authorities have identified the man as North Babylon Volunteer Fire Company Fire Chief Peter Alt.
The fire company confirmed that Alt has been relieved of his duties pending an investigation into the viral video and his conduct, WNBC reported.
“This conduct is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of our department,” an NBVF spokesperson said.
But for the child’s grandmother, a suspension isn’t enough.
“He doesn’t need to lead anybody or anything,” she said. “He needs to be fired.”
She said that the child’s mother called 911 after the girl grew increasingly upset over her phone being taken away. The family said that police officers and first responders have been called to the home before and have been kind in previous encounters.
“She needed my help and needed my protection, but I wasn’t there,” the grandmother said. “When you call for help — the police, the fire department — they’re supposed to help you. Not treat you like garbage. And curse at a child at that.”
Neighbors say they have seen emergency services at the home in the past, but have never witnessed a response this extreme.
“There’s been a few times over the summer where police were called, but they’ve never treated her like that,” one neighbor said.
“That’s not a professional way to deal with people,” another neighbor remarked. “I wouldn’t want him to speak to my children like that or anyone in my family. I’d be outraged myself.”
Another resident said they were glad a neighbor caught footage of the incident.
“Shoutout to the neighbor who took the video,” the resident said. “But that is completely unacceptable. Completely.”
The volunteer fire company is reviewing its procedures and policies, and the town of Babylon is also conducting an investigation.
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