The head of a union that represents most of the Memphis Fire Department said three employees who were laid off after the death of Tire Nichols did not receive enough information when they responded to the call for medical help.
Thomas Malone, president of the Memphis Firefighters Association, also wrote in a letter to city council members that people on the scene did not provide first responders with information.
Nichols, who is black, was beaten by Memphis police after being pulled over on January 7 for an alleged traffic violation. However, Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis has said that the released footage does not show why Nichols was taken into custody.
This still from video released on January 27, 2023 by the City of Memphis shows Tire Nichols being treated by paramedics after a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers on January 7, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. (City of Memphis via AP)
The union leader came to the defense of the fire department as a whole, saying its more than 1,600 employees “serve this city and its citizens with purpose and intent every day.”
The Daily Memphian reported and published a copy of the letter, which says that “there is no way any member could really be prepared for a situation that occurred on January 7, 2023.”
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“Our members were not provided with adequate information upon dispatch or upon arrival on scene,” Malone wrote. “Frankly, there was information withheld from those already on the scene that caused our members to handle things differently than they should.”
Three fire department employees were laid off after Nichols’ death. In all, 13 police officers have been disciplined or are under investigation for their role in Nichols’ death. Six were fired and five of them are charged with murder. Two Shelby County sheriff’s deputies were also suspended.
Two of the former fire department employees, EMT Robert Long and Advanced EMT JaMichael Sandridge, had their professional licenses suspended by a state medical board. Lt. Michelle Whitaker was the third employee fired. No suspension of her license was considered, although members of the state Emergency Medical Services board commented that further action could follow.
First responders with what appear to be medical bags arrive to treat Tire Nichols. (Memphis Police Department)
Memphis city spokeswoman Arlenia Cole told the Daily Memphian that the three former fire department employees appealed their firings.
Fire Chief Gina Sweat said the department received a call from police after someone was pepper-sprayed. When workers arrived at 8:41 p.m., Nichols was handcuffed to the ground and slumped against a patrol car, the statement said.
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Long and Sandridge, based on the nature of the call and information provided to them by police, “failed to conduct a proper evaluation of Mr. Nichols’s patient,” the statement said. Whitaker remained in the vehicle with the driver during the response to the beating of Nichols, the department said.
This still from video released on January 27, 2023 by the City of Memphis shows Tire Nichols being treated by paramedics after a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers on January 7, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. (City of Memphis via AP)
An ambulance was called, which arrived at 8:55 p.m., according to the statement. An emergency unit treated Nichols and went to the hospital with him at 9:08 p.m., 27 minutes after Long, Sandridge and Whitaker arrived, authorities said. Nichols died three days later.
An investigation determined that all three violated multiple policies and protocols, according to the statement.
“They were reacting to what they saw, to what they were told at the scene,” Sweat recently told city council members. “Obviously, they didn’t perform to the level that we expected, or that the citizens of Memphis deserve.”
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Before suspending Long’s and Sandridge’s licenses earlier this month, the state EMS board viewed 19 minutes of surveillance video showing the two responders failing to care for Nichols, who was unable to sit against the side of the vehicle. him lying face down on the ground several times.
EMS board member Sullivan Smith said it was “obvious even to a layperson” that Nichols “was terribly distraught and needed help.”
