The Umatilla fire chief, hired in October, will likely be fired for e-mailing pictures of a 26-year-old female accident victim to other fire departments which showed the victim’s exposed breasts.
Richard Shirk has been suspended after a complaint was filed against him by the executive director of the Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Services following the November accident in which the victim died.
Shirk claims that he was going to use the photographs for “educational purposes” and never meant for them to be derogatory. He claims he didn’t realize there was any nudity in the photos.
Umatilla officials say that Shirk showed a lack of concern for the victim, violated her right to privacy and embarrassed the fire department by his action.
The woman had crashed her SUV into a tree and Shirk had taken pictures of the accident scene and woman as she was being treated by EMS personnel.