Hey, Fire Chief, Leave those coons alone!

[Vandelay Industries]

Raccoon intentionally ran over at Springfield Fire Department by fire commissioner

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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - In Springfield. a video of a potentially rabid raccoon being run over on purpose at the city’s Fire Department headquarters has continued to grab attention on social media, and residents are concerned.

We were able to obtain that video, but it may be considered disturbing, so view with caution.

Springfield Fire officials told us that Commissioner B.J. Calvi ran over the animal because he believed it had rabies.

Cheryl Coakley-Rivera of the Hampden County Registry of Deeds told us, “That’s some sick stuff right there for whatever reason. He had an audience and he just wanted to show off like a bully, like a high school bully.”

The video Coakley-Rivera took and posted to Facebook showed Fire Commissioner B.J. Calvi running over a potentially rabid raccoon on the lawn of the Fire Department’s headquarters on February 21st.

Fire Captain Drew Piemonte told us, “One caller stated that the raccoon looked sick...

He added that dispatch had received multiple calls about the animal that morning and in the previous days. The animal was found around the Worthington Street Station around 11 a.m. last Wednesday.

Piemonte added, “He went down and assessed the situation and he determined by watching it walk in circles and foaming at the mouth it was rabid.”

After the wildlife trapper couldn’t provide an estimated time of arrival, Piemonte said Calvi took matters into his own hands, deeming the situation a public safety threat, and running over the animal with an SUV multiple times.

“We have a high traffic area around here,” Piemonte explained. “Six, eight apartment blocks, pedestrian traffic at the shelter, and he felt that due to the best interest of public safety, the animal needed to be dispatched.”

We were sent these videos of the animal, which appears to be limping and dragging itself on the ground.

Coakley-Rivera doesn’t believe the story, as she claims the animal was believed to be blind, not rabid, and would appear around the department regularly to be fed.

She said, “There was no public safety threat. We had police officers right there, they didn’t perceive it, they didn’t shoot it. In order for someone to do that, run over a harmless helpless, raccoon that’s blind, and he knows its blind, he knows it’s been there before, he knows it’s not a threat, he took it upon himself to run it over and over again.

Before the decision was made to run the raccoon over, City Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton Harris emphasized that proper protocol was followed, saying, “The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for responding to those calls. We do have a contracted entity that we use to trap those animals. In the case of this particular animal, procedures were followed, however, the entity that we contracted could not tell us when they were going to arrive on scene.”

To determine if an animal is rabid, it needs to be tested for rabies, Caulton-Harris explained. When the city traps an animal, the head of the animal is cut off, and sent across the state to Jamaica plains for testing.

But one question remains, where is the raccoon?

Captain Piemonte says the Department of Public Works retrieved the raccoon around 1:30 p.m. The animal’s location is unknown. Coakley-Rivera said that she will continue to inquire on the incident until the animal is tested

Western Mass News reached out to DPW Director Chris Cignoli about the animal, and we have yet to hear back.

Piemonte told us the raccoon was not treated as a fire house pet. Western Mass News also reached out to Mayor Domenic Sarno for comment, which reads in part:

“Time was of the essence, in order to protect our residents, especially our children and our pets. This was an unfortunate situation but one that had to have been taken in the name of public health and safety.”

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, also weighed in – contradicting the city, telling us in part that they:

“...[urge] Springfield officials to establish proper protocols in order to ensure that wildlife is always treated humanely and, if necessary, euthanized with care and consideration.”

We also asked viewers at home for their thoughts, here is what you said:

Was running over a reportedly rabid raccoon in Springfield the right call?

53% Yes

44% No

3% Unsure

This poll is still active, and can be found attached HERE: https://www.westernmassnews.com/2024...ention-online/

Copyright 2024. Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.

[DJ_Critterus]

[UD] [/loafers]

[Yadkin]

It's Massachushits, where guns are effectively illegal, so he had to use his car.

[Vandelay Industries]

Originally Posted by DJ_Critterus

[UD] [/loafers]

A worse fate than slinging soda.

[Tikiman]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

It's Massachushits, where guns are effectively illegal, so he had to use his car.

Not only that, but had one of the officers discharged his weapon, he would be placed on leave pending an investigation.

[MadInNc]

To bad the raccoon wasn’t carrying an Acorn.

[Bill]

The raccoon had wvidence of Brandon family crimes.

[Tikiman]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

The raccoon had wvidence of Brandon family crimes.

If that were the case, the FBI would've put two in the back of its head, declared it a suicide, and then taken any cell phones and laptops.

[Vandelay Industries]

Originally Posted by Tikiman

If that were the case, the FBI would've put two in the back of its head, declared it a suicide, and then taken any cell phones and laptops.

Since the body has gone missing, that's a distinct possibility.

[DJ_Critterus]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

It's Massachushits, where guns are effectively illegal, so he had to use his car.

Massholes probably have to hunt deer the same way

[ZipZap]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

It's Massachushits, where guns are effectively illegal, so he had to use his car.

Was actually my first thought.

My second thought is what kind of degenerate thinks running over an animal (didn't watch) is good entertainment?

I can put down a dangerous animal in my yard, and everybody understands that's just a part of being a responsible human. If I had no means of putting it down humanely, I'd call a guy. But, unless it's a bear, I'm probably ok. If all else fails, my next door neighbor is the GM of the Scheel's in town. I can borrow his elephant gun.

Sriously, these people should be watched at a minimum. Wantonly killing animals, and capturing video, is the kind of shit mass killers do when we look back and say, "we should have seen this".

[jw38]

ASSachusetts is nothing more than a freak show. The entire state is a liberal cesspool.

[Vince Clortho]

I've had two raccoon calls in two different houses. The first was in city limits and the officer cracked it with a shovel until it died. The second was in the township so the sheriff shot it several times with his handgun. That one surprised me, the neighbors aren't too far away and I didn't think he would shoot that close to other houses.

Worked out fine both times. Raccoons seem really susceptible to rabies and other diseases.

[Mick]

Originally Posted by Vince Clortho

I've had two raccoon calls in two different houses. The first was in city limits and the officer cracked it with a shovel until it died. The second was in the township so the sheriff shot it several times with his handgun. That one surprised me, the neighbors aren't too far away and I didn't think he would shoot that close to other houses.

Worked out fine both times. Raccoons seem really susceptible to rabies and other diseases.

Years ago I had a rat in my back yard that had an unfortunate high speed collision with the head of my shovel. It did not survive the impact.

[Onebadcad]

where are the 'useless dood' photoshops??

[Swany00]

can you lure them with chicken?

[Anjdog2003]

BLM

[Unsuspicious]

Rabies or distemper are a whole lot more likely that that dumb lady's bloviating about it just being blind.

[Yadkin]

Originally Posted by DJ_Critterus

Massholes probably have to hunt deer the same way

It's likely that harvesting roadkill In Massachushits is illegal as well.

[Yadkin]

Originally Posted by ZipZap

Was actually my first thought.

My second thought is what kind of degenerate thinks running over an animal (didn't watch) is good entertainment?

I can put down a dangerous animal in my yard, and everybody understands that's just a part of being a responsible human. If I had no means of putting it down humanely, I'd call a guy. But, unless it's a bear, I'm probably ok. If all else fails, my next door neighbor is the GM of the Scheel's in town. I can borrow his elephant gun.

Sriously, these people should be watched at a minimum. Wantonly killing animals, and capturing video, is the kind of shit mass killers do when we look back and say, "we should have seen this".

All joking aside, I agree with you 100%. As a kid I remember assholes doing shit to turtles and I was like, what the ****?