Washington Firefighters Lose Jobs Over Intubation Training on Deceased Patient

Two veteran officers with the Bellingham, Washington Fire Department have lost their jobs following their involvement in a training exercise last July where personnel practiced their intubation skills on a deceased patient.

The incident occurred when the patient was taken to a fire station to await the arrival of a funeral home. A division chief and several EMS officers practiced intubating the body without permission from the patient’s next of kin. Neither officer has been identified, but the city is reporting that one opted to retire and the other resigned.