Firefighters charged with arson

By Jennifer Wroblewski
Turley Publications Staff Writer

BRIMFIELD– Two of the five firefighters charged with arson in connection to three suspicious fires during a two month period this summer were graduates of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s call/volunteer firefighter training class 032.
One of the fires, which officials allege was intentionally set, happened July 13, the night of the fire graduation in Palmer.
According to a statement released by the state Department of Fire Services, the five call firefighters were arrested Thursday, Sept. 2 on allegations that they set three fires: two in Brimfield and one in Holland.
They are: Brian Findley, 18, of Ashford, Conn., a call firefighter on both the Brimfield and Holland fire departments; Dylan Lajeunesse, 18, of Holland, a call firefighter on the Holland Fire Department; Patrick Elliot, 19, of Charlton, a call firefighter with the Brimfield Fire Department; Donnie Moores, 20, of Brimfield, a call firefighter on both the Brimfield and Holland fire departments; and Jordan Frank, 18, of West Brookfield, a call firefighter with the Brimfield Fire Department.
State and local investigators allege the five men were involved with setting fire to vacant homes on June 15 at 153 Paige Hill Road, Brimfield; June 22 at 151 Washington Road in Brimfield; and July 13 at 6 Chandler Road in Holland. Those fires were investigated by state police assigned to the office of the state fire marshal, the Holland police and fire departments and the Brimfield police and fire departments. State police from the Sturbridge barracks assisted with the investigation.
Trooper David Percy of the state fire marshal’s office said accelerants – a mixture of oil and diesel fuel – were used to start the fires in vacant homes in rural areas. Each of the alleged arsonists returned to the fires as firefighters to battle the respective blazes, he said.
“Firefighters as arsonists is not as uncommon as it should be,” said state Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan in a statement. “Being a firefighter is a noble and public service where one neighbor protects another. A firefighter accused of deliberately setting fires betrays the public’s trust and destroys the credibility of the fire service. It is also a betrayal of the trust firefighters need to place in one another to see that everyone goes home at the end of the day.”
The most recent study on the subject of arsons committed by firefighters was released January 2003. Research for the U.S. Fire Administration/Technical Report Series Special Report: Firefighter Arson indicated that one of the primary motives for firefighters who commit arson is to be seen as a hero.
“They may be the first to call in a fire, the first on scene, and one of the most eager, excited, and enthusiastic members of the response team,” the report states. “Their main reason for lighting the fire is so they can appear as a hero, either by being the first to spot the flames, or by rescuing people and saving property.”
The 59-page report goes on to state that the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) report crimes of arson, although none of the three track the sub group of incendiary fires set by firefighters. Such a database, research shows, would be difficult to develop because it would only be populated after criminal proceedings occur and a verdict of guilty or a confession is obtained.
District Attorney William Bennett’s office will prosecute the five individuals charged. According to Massachusetts General Laws, the punishment for setting fire to a dwelling is up to 20 years in state prison, up to 2 _ years in house of correction, or a $10,000 fine.
“The conduct of these defendants is outrageous,” Bennett said in a statement. “Their callous disregard for the safety of the community and the safety of the dedicated firefighters who had to respond to the scene of the fires, is shocking. It is a very sad day when people pledged to serve the public become a serious danger to the public.”
Holland Fire Chief Paul Foster said the actions of the five firefighters “gives the entire fire service a black eye.”
Likewise, Brimfield Fire Chief Stephen Denning said they “needlessly put the lives of other firefighters at risk. We are a tight-knit community and their actions wound us all and they have forever altered their young lives.”
All five were arraigned Friday, Sept. 3 in Palmer District Court. All pled not guilty to the charges outlined by Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth. Bail was set at $250 for each defendant. The five are scheduled to appear at Palmer District Court for a pre-trial conference Oct. 8. In addition, Lajeunesse was scheduled to appear in court Sept. 7 for a status check for counsel.
According to Forsyth, Elliot has a previous probation sentence, of which he is in violation with this arrest. Forsyth declined further comment on the violation.
Additional information was not made available at presstime.