Accident review board upholds discipline after engine 37 strikes tree branch

The Lawrence City accident review board concluded that a response vehicle’s collision with a low-hanging tree branch on April 27, 2026, was preventable and recommended disciplinary action; the board later voted to uphold that recommendation.

Chiefs told the board that engine 37 struck a branch after completing an EMS run at a location near Lyric Drive and Bell Chime. The accident review board met, including a second meeting on May 29, 2026, where the firefighter in question, Marty Starrett, gave testimony. The board recommended 10 total points under the department point system — eight points for a second vehicle accident and two points for collision with a fixed object — which corresponds to a written reprimand, 12 hours off without pay and additional training under General Order 4.2.

Nick Remmel, district vice president of the City of Lawrence firefighters, questioned whether corrosion on ladder brackets and roadside overgrowth contributed to the incident and whether the sanction was proportional. "Those are designed to break away so that way the whole system... doesn't break," Remmel said when pointing to bracket corrosion and breakaway behavior.

Starrett testified the incident was an "unfortunate decision" and urged leniency, saying he did not believe the damage warranted 12 hours of lost pay. "I don't feel that what happened to the vehicle warrants 12 hours of pay," he said.

The chief and accident review board members said the recommendation follows the department’s peer-review process and the standing general order, and they did not change their decision after hearing testimony. "This is just flat out what the rules say," the chief said, describing how the point totals map to prescribed disciplinary measures.

A motion to uphold the accident review board's recommendation was made and approved by voice vote. The board moved to other business and later adjourned; the chief also announced a July 4 community event.