A local fire chief is facing criticism after a video of him getting into a fight during a fire was posted online. The video is 10 minutes long and takes place during a fire call outside Winchester.
The video shows Winchester Fire Chief Jim Bodenheimer pushing landowner Bill Gardner twice and eventually shooting him with a hose.
The fire department called the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to come investigate the incident. Sheriff Jeff Herrig told KSNT News that they took statements from both sides and those statements have been passed on to the county attorney’s office.
Gardner was burning trash without a permit and he says he was written a citation. He admits he could’ve been more respectful when talking to Bodenheimer, but he says he expected more restraint from a public official.
Bodenheimer told KSNT News he doesn’t think the video tells the whole story, but he’s embarrassed by his actions.
He says they are changing fire department policy to make sure this never happens again. First, he says no firefighter will ever arrive on a fire call alone for now on. He also says if a firefighter gets too upset that person will be told to leave the scene instead of escalating the situation.