Firefighter Shoots Station Commander

Posted by: Curt Varone October 29, 2015 0

A South African firefighter has been accused of shooting and killing his station commander.

Platoon Commander Lesedi Mphatswe of the Johannesburg Emergency Services Management, was shot and killed at the home of a firefighter as he was delivering a disciplinary summons. Commander Mphatswe was a 20 year veteran.

The disciplinary summons was reportedly related to a strike that occurred in July. The strike was to protest unsafe working conditions that contributed to the deaths of two firefighters, Daniel Zwane, 50, and Michael Letsosa, 34. The men died at a fire in the Nedbank Mall in May.

Eyewitness News EMW.com is quoting a representative of the Johannesburg firefighters, Dan Motsoeneng, as saying of JESM management that “They basically push the firefighters beyond their emotional endurance is over and above what the stress of the job.”

More on the story.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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