Utah Man Arrested For Impersonating A Firefighter

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KUTV News

A Utah man put on his firefighter uniform each morning and went out to help the public, but that landed him behind bars.

2New's Kathryn May joins us live to explain why.

When you have an emergency and call 911 for an EMT, you expect them to come from a fire station like this one. But one citizen was taking it upon himself to answer the calls without the authority.

Firemen are called into a dangerous gas leak that threatens many nearby businesses. They offer expertise and a sense of security, but what if they weren't really firemen? The unified fire authority says that's what a Murray man was doing--pretending he was a fireman in real situations.

“He put lights and sirens on his car. He’d listen to the dispatch then he’d get in his car and he’d go fast to a scene,” said Captain Gaylord Scott, Unified Fire Authority Spokesperson.

Fire investigators say Patrick Fredericksen tried to order some more emergency equipment, saying he was a Salt Lake County fire fighter. The company contacted the the Unified Fire Authority (UFA) and learned he wasn't a fire fighter at all.

Then investigators searched his home. They say they found a uniform, a badge, emergency lights, radios and all sorts of EMT gear.

“Being a fireman's cool. I think he just wanted to be a fireman,” said Captain Scott.

Authorities say that Fredericken's family and friends thought he was a firefighter. Now he's behind bars for impersonating an officer.

Authorities say Patrick Frederickson was a volunteer fire fighter in Huntington, Utah in 2003, but he was let go and had his EMT license revoked in 2004.

He has a criminal history and is now facing charges for impersonating an officer, possession of stolen property and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

This is one weird story,

[Guest Devil Dog]

he wanted to a firefighter, when i was a kid i wanted to be a firefighter, hell i dressed as a firefighter for halloween. its about wanting to be important, but he really did put people in danger by responding like he did