DUNDEE, MI (WTOL) - A local volunteer firefighter was putting out a fire at the Country Heritage Mobile Home Park in Dundee Saturday when he fell through the floor and sustained some minor injuries. But when he arrived at a local urgent care he was turned away.
"He was refused care because he didn't have any identification or a driver's license on him," said Steve Garrett, Dundee Fire Department spokesman.
Dundee Urgent Care, the only urgent medical facility in the area, said it was against its policy to treat anyone without a valid ID. And personnel continued to refuse treatment to the firefighter even after two other fireman with ID's validated his identity.
"You really question what is urgent care for," Garrett said.
The firefighter was eventually treated at a hospital in Ann Arbor and is expected to make a full recovery. But Garret wonders what if his condition had been life threatening?
"What do we do in that instance going forward?" he questions.
According to Michigan law, firefighters aren't required to carry ID if traveling to or from a fire. Dundee village manager David Uhl says the urgent care was out of line.
"If this is truly policies than I believe they need to be changed," Uhl said.
WTOL 11 reached out to the Dundee Urgent Care and received this statement from medical director Mohammed Arsiwala:
"We are very sorry that this incident occurred and that the patient who is a firefighter was not treated. We have been in the community for over a decade serving our police and fire in six counties and take pride in caring for them, as well as the community as a whole."
But Dundee Fire says it's not enough.
"I've been on the department almost 20 years and I've never heard about something like this… ever," Garrett said.
