LOCAL

Lansing firefighter quits amid investigation involving 'inappropriate restraint' of patient

Ken Palmer
Lansing State Journal

LANSING – A Lansing firefighter has resigned amid an investigation involving "inappropriate restraint" of a patient, city officials said.

In a news release on Friday, officials said they learned of a "possible patient care issue" that happened in August and eventually placed the involved paramedic/firefighter on leave pending further investigation.

A Lansing firefighter resigned during an investigation involving a patient care issue, officials said.

The firefighter involved in the incident was found to have violated state and Lansing EMS protocols in a pre-disciplinary hearing conducted Oct. 26, officials said.

He or she resigned two days later, before discipline could be imposed, officials said.

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Officials did not identify the firefighter or disclose how or why the patient was restrained. But they said a Lansing police officer was present during the incident, "and his actions are under review for potential internal policy violations and not criminal law issues." 

A possible criminal investigation was referred to Lansing police, which in turn referred it to Michigan State Police, according to the news release.

Officials said they would make no other statements about the incident while the investigation remains open.

Contact Ken Palmer at (517) 377-1032 or kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.