DeWitt chief questions safety at academy where Watertown firefighter suffered fatal incident

DEWITT, New York (WWNY) - Questionable safety measures and complacency. DeWitt’s fire chief wants to see change at the state firefighter training academy after one of his recruits broke his arm while training.

It’s the same academy where Watertown firefighter Peyton Morse suffered a medical emergency and later died last year.

“This is a job that can kill you, but the training shouldn’t do that,” said Jason Green, the chief of the Dewitt Fire Department just outside Syracuse.

He says a lack of safety precautions at the New York State Academy of Fire Science in Montour Falls led to one of his firefighters breaking his arm.

Chief Green says it happened last August during a ladder bailout drill where firefighters exit a window head-first and spin around to land on their feet - a difficult move while wearing turnout gear.

He says the ladder that day was upside down and not tied to the building - a practice that he says should always be done for safety.

Chief Green also points to pictures taken during Morse’s training class. It’s the same drill. The ladder is once again upside down, nothing is weighing it down, and there is no mat at the bottom.

“There should’ve been no reason it couldn’t have been prepared properly in advance to be as safe as possible for the recruits,” said Green.

Morse suffered a medical emergency during a separate drill in February 2021. He later died after spending more than a week in a coma.

There is an ongoing state police investigation into the incident as Morse’s parents are seeking accountability.

As for Green, he sent a letter to state fire officials detailing his concerns. Green wrote quote, “It is evident that instructors were at the very least careless with what I consider basic safety practice in a training setting.”

Green says the state has since responded and addressed some of his concerns, saying they’ve improved equipment and safety concerns.

But he says the complacency culture also contributed to his recruit’s accident as well as firefighter Morse’s fatal incident.

“I think in general, it’s the whole ‘it’s not going to happen here’ kind of thing when in fact it is, it probably will, and it did.”

Green says recruits are not hesitant about going to the training academy in Montour Falls, but he says the two incidents did open some eyes as to some of the facility’s practices.

He says he wants to work with the training academy and be part of the solution to keep recruits safe.

The New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, which oversees the fire academy, issued the following statement:

“OFPC is proud to train New York’s recruit firefighters each year at the Academy of Fire Science in Montour Falls and is committed to safe, effective and quality training. Following this injury, OFPC leadership held a productive discussion with Chief Green to address his concerns. We appreciate his partnership in ensuring safe and effective training for New York State’s fire service.”

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