WASHINGTON — The D.C. fire lieutenant charged with neglect in the death of a 1-year-old last year must appear before a review panel before he can retire with benefits, NBC Washington reports.
The lieutenant was on duty at Engine 20, on Wisconsin Avenue in Northwest, last March when a toddler choked on a grape on Warren Street.
An ambulance from farther away nearly was sent to the boy because the lieutenant at the Wisconsin Avenue station didn’t tell dispatch that the computer system had disconnected from the network and that his paramedics were available to help.
The boy died a few days later in a hospital.
He was charged in July neglect of duty, incompetence and unreasonable failure to assist the public and announced his retirement last month.
Earlier this month, it was announced that the lieutenant, whose name has not been released, would retire with full benefits because the fire department had not adopted regulations to implement a law passed last March preventing the retirement of firefighters under disciplinary investigation.
