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Firefighters Suspended

A group of volunteer firefighters from Waterford have been suspended.

By Amy Parmenter

| Friday, Oct 9, 2009 | Updated 12:00 AM EST

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7 volunteer firefighters from Waterford have been suspended.

Seven volunteer firefighters have been suspended from a Waterford fire department while police investigate an incident at the Quaker Hill firehouse over the weekend.

Assistant deputy chief Vinnie Ukleja revealed few details except to confirm that 5 junior firefighters - between the ages of 14 and 18 - and 2 senior firefighters had been suspended.

Police also offered no comment except to acknowledge the on-going investigation.

Ukleja says the community is not at risk because there are four other fire departments in town but he says, suspending so many of the volunteers has put a strain on Quaker Hill. "We're in somewhat of a bad situation because all 7 involved in this have been very active", Ukleja says. Typically there are about 25 active volunteers at Quaker Hill.

The suspensions mean that the volunteers cannot respond to calls, nor can they even set foot in the firehouse.

So far, no one is facing any criminal charges. Police expect to wrap up their investigation early next week.