3 Resignations Follow Midnight Bar Incident

Three Nashville firefighters stepped down from their positions on Wednesday after a police report revealed they ordered alcoholic beverages while on duty. The incident occurred at a bar on Broadway around midnight on Monday. Their departures follow a brief period on administrative leave and a formal review by department leadership.

The sequence of events began when the manager at Dierks Bentley Whiskey Row called police. A bartender reported that three individuals in Nashville Fire Department T-shirts were consuming drinks. The employees, identified in the report as Athams Davis, Griffin Hunter, and Daniel Wrenn, were also carrying bright yellow radios. Officers arrived and questioned the group. The firefighters stated they were on duty but denied drinking inside the venue.

Police interviewed the staff who served the men. The bartender confirmed the group ordered two vodka-Red Bulls and a water just after midnight. Although she said she did not personally see them consume the mixed drinks, she provided officers with a receipt signed by one of the firefighters. The fire commander for the area arrived at the scene and placed the three on administrative duty immediately.

The department placed the men on administrative leave following the night shift. They formally resigned on Wednesday. The Nashville Fire Department said it is aware of the incident but declined to release specific details or the names of the employees because the matter is personnel-related. A spokesperson did not respond to requests for a copy of the department’s employee rules and regulations regarding conduct.

Mayor Freddie O’Connell spoke with Chief William Swann to address the situation. O’Connell said he is working to ensure that Metro employees understand that drinking or using drugs on the job is not acceptable. “I think (Swann) has demonstrated, within the fire department, that there is a zero-tolerance approach to this,” O’Connell said. “They are delivering internal accountability. But, I think also, what I am looking for is the assurance that we are doing the appropriate amount of retraining updates to ensure that all personnel are there.”

The mayor also stated he is working with the firefighter union, IAFF Local 140, to hold staff accountable. The union said it has no comment on the incident at this time. O’Connell said the union wants to ensure the department retains the confidence of Nashvillians and their ability to execute on all fronts. “We have been having those conversations throughout the year,” he said. “I think we will be looking to leadership in the Nashville Fire Department to give the public signs of the ongoing confidence we all need to have in them.”

This incident follows a previous event in which a firefighter was found unresponsive at his station with drug paraphernalia. An autopsy report determined he died from cocaine toxicity. The fire department said in a statement that it holds all personnel to high standards of professionalism and accountability. It noted that actions compromising those standards are taken seriously and addressed accordingly. The bar manager said she is working to obtain video footage to provide additional context.