Firefighter uses radio to narrate moments before her arrest in a stolen fire truck
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A volunteer firefighter allegedly took a fire truck on a drunken joy ride and then apparently called dispatchers to complain about another firefighter following her.
Investigators say the sirens were blaring with Chelsea Matthew behind the wheel. The 24-year-old woman was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence.
The Lincoln-Ottawa-Harrison fire district keeps their trucks locked up. Matthew had access to the fire district’s rig that is used to fight grass fires.
As she traveled down a road, Matthew apparently used the emergency radio to reach dispatchers, according to dispatch recordings obtained by KCTV5.
While driving, Matthew used the county fire radio frequency in the vehicle and repeatedly stated she was being chased by another firefighter, according to a sheriff’s report. That claim could not be substantiated.
Matthew, who had access to the LOH fire station where the vehicle was parked, took the grass rig without permission, David Gibbs, LOH fire chief, said. The vehicle was not damaged and has been returned to the LOH department, Gibbs said Monday morning.
Matthew, who had worked for the LOH fire department for six to eight months as a volunteer firefighter, has been dismissed from the job, Gibbs said.
