Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
Two Miami-Dade firefighters involved in the death of a non-firefighter at a training exercise last year, are now facing charges of manslaughter. Francisco A. Camero and Rafael Fernandez were formally charged on Friday, February 21, 2025.
The training exercise on June 21, 2024, claimed the life of Camero’s son, Fabian Camero. He was 28 at the time and worked as an EMT for American Medical Response. The live-fire exercise was being conducted in an acquired structure, in violation of department policies.
A formal report into the incident has not been released, but NBC6 is reporting that Francisco Camero was hoping to provide his two sons with some realistic training in conjunction with training for a group of visiting international firefighters. Several barrels were lit on fire. Quoting from the arrest paperwork, the two brothers “were left unattended on the third floor of the structure directly adjacent to the ignited barrels.”
Camero, Fernandez, and Steven Colon resigned from the department on October 30, 2024. It is not clear if other will be charged.
