Food run costs Austin firefighter his job

AUSTIN, Texas, May 28 (UPI) -- The Austin, Texas, fire chief says he was shocked that one of his firefighters decided to grab a burger before heading out to an emergency call.

Firefighter Michael Pooler was fired for a January incident in which he ran over to a fast-food stand next to his fire station before answering a call for help from a woman suffering respiratory distress.

"Immediate response to 911 calls is the very essence of what it means to be an Austin firefighter. ... Because of his selfish and highly unprofessional actions, he has no right to remain an Austin firefighter," Chief Jim Evans said in a memo released Tuesday.

The Austin American-Statesman said the response to the call was delayed by about two minutes and the call was actually canceled after paramedics arrived ahead of Pooler's fire truck.

The newspaper said three other members of the truck crew did not leave without Pooler due to rules requiring four firefighters on each run.

A spokesman for the 12-year firefighter said an appeal to his dismissal would be pursued.