Bush administration federal official gives firefighters the bird!...

Tempers heat up at Ga. camp for firefighters: "

Tempers heat up at Ga. camp for firefighters

The Georgia State Patrol was called in after a federal official said he felt threatened.

By Megan Matteucci
Florida Times-Union
Copyright 2007 The Florida Times-Union

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Georgia State Patrol troopers were called to a firefighter camp Tuesday night in Atkinson County after a federal official said he felt threatened by some of the firefighters working to extinguish wildfires in South Georgia and North Florida.

Georgia officials are investigating the dispute and trying to figure out who started it, said Devon Dartnell, a spokesman for the firefighters' Joint Information Center.

About 200 firefighters have spent the past week battling wildfires in South Georgia during the day and sleeping on the ground outside Willacoochee Elementary School at night.

On Tuesday -- the last day of their shift -- more than the fires heated up.

Firefighters were attending a briefing at the camp Tuesday night when they began questioning a federal official who was serving as an assistant to the incident commander. At some point during the briefing, the official felt things had gotten out of hand and went to get help, Dartnell said.

"There was some sort of verbal argument, and the supervisor got intimidated and went to the incident commander, who called security," Dartnell said. "He felt threatened."

Several Georgia State Patrol troopers arrived and ordered everyone to stay at the camp.

No arrests were made, and no injuries were reported, Dartnell said.

Troopers collected statements while commanders ordered firefighters to stay at the camp.

Patrol officials have since turned over their investigation to the Georgia Mutual Aid Group, which invited the firefighters to help fight the wildfires, Dartnell said.

Savannah firefighter Mike Dodd, who is part of the wildfire team, said neither he nor his co-workers were involved.

Dodd said tempers have been rising all week as firefighters ask questions about sleeping conditions and the lack of communication. They escalated Tuesday when a federal official flashed an obscene gesture at one of the firefighters from North Georgia when the firefighter began to ask questions about a second assignment.

The firefighters spent Tuesday morning extinguishing a small brush fire that broke out on a farm in Berrien County.

About 4 p.m., they were asked to go back to Roundabout Swamp in Atkinson County to continue putting out hot spots, Dodd said. The team has spent the past six days at the 6,000-acre swamp, which Dartnell says is fully contained.

Savannah's firefighters were scheduled to return home Wednesday. They were to be replaced by another team of four men, Savannah fire Chief Charles Middleton said.