Only a day after the holiday weekend, seven members of the Sacramento Fire Department have been suspended and one fireman stands accused of sexually assaulting a female partygoer.
The mixing of firemen and porn partiers began on Friday night when two fire trucks from Station No. 20 made an unexpected call on what was being billed by the Radisson as a "Porn Star Costume Ball." The seven fire fighters and their captain had reportedly gone to the party to dance and mingle with 1,800 scantily clad men and women while still on duty.
According to the Sacramento Bee, those same firemen had been sited on previous occasions cruising the streets of Sacramento trying to pick up women in their fire trucks and giving joyrides, which according to city officials is forbidden.
An investigation into Station No. 20's overall behavior was already underway but picked up an accelerated pace after the porn star ball when a 24-year-old woman reported to police that she had been sexually assaulted by a fireman at around 11:30 p.m. after she accompanied the fireman to one of the trucks.
"She was inside of this vehicle interacting with one Sacramento City Fire Department employee - that's one on-duty firefighter. At that point is where she alleged the sexual assault occurred," Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Justin Risley said in a statement.
No arrests have yet taken place and the investigation will be handed over to the District Attorney's Office by the end of the week, Risley said.
Fire and city officials have stated that regardless of the misconduct, no Sacramento citizen's safety was ever compromised during any of the incidents. The trucks used by the errant firemen are for fighting grass and brush fires.
The seven firefighters and one captain have been placed on paid administrative leave until the completion of the investigation.
The Sacramento Fire Department was under a similar investigation two years ago when a female firefighter complained of sexual harassment from a fellow worker. No disciplinary action resulted.
