NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Three Nashville Fire Department firefighters are no longer with the department after police documented them buying drinks at a lower Broadway bar during their shift, and Mayor Freddie O’Connell is pressing the department about retraining.
The visit happened around midnight Monday into Tuesday, Oct. 27, at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row. A manager called Metro police after a bartender worried about the liability of serving firefighters who might be working. Police wrote that the men had on department T-shirts and had yellow radios with them.
Officers met the men outside at the corner of Fourth Avenue North and Broadway. All three told police they were on duty and said they had not been drinking. Staff told officers the group ordered two vodka and Red Bull drinks and a water, and the bartender handed over a receipt signed by one of the men, though she said she did not see them drink the cocktails.
A fire commander came to the scene and put the three on administrative duty right away. Following an internal review, all three were out of the department by Wednesday. Two had finished the fire academy in April 2022 and the third in November 2024.
The department called it a personnel matter and released no further details. In a statement it said it holds every member to high standards of professionalism and conduct, and that actions falling short are dealt with.
O’Connell said he is looking for proof that the department is doing enough retraining to keep the public’s confidence, and that he has spoken with Fire Chief William Swann about the case.
Section: More Nashville TN crime news
Filed under: Nashville TN Public Safety News
