SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Victoria rural firefighters duct-taped teen to fire truck as part of 'hazing' incident: report

A teenage girl was duct-taped to the front of a fire truck as part of a pattern of hazing at a Victorian fire station, a new report has found.

File image of CFA firefighters
File image of CFA firefighters Source: AAP

2 min read

Published

Updated


Skip to article content

Firefighters duct-taped a 17-year-old girl to a fire truck in one of several hazing incidents at a rural Victorian Country Fire Authority brigade.

A new report found the girl was the target of multiple hazing incidents at the Eaglehawk station, which the CFA investigated after CCTV footage emerged showing four men assaulting her.

The grainy CCTV vision showed the girl being dragged by her hair, kicked, and left soaked by fire sprinklers by boot-wearing middle-aged men in November

The teenager was taped to the bull-bar of a fire truck in August or September last year and was also chased and hit with a thong by a volunteer in another incident.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"The brigade has been let down by significant leadership deficiencies by its then-captain, who was involved in a number of incidents and has displayed a lack of responsible leadership," the CFA report, released on Wednesday, said.

The CFA found the original assault was not isolated but showed a pattern of "poor behaviour" including a lack of discipline and respect at the station.

But the captain, Hayden Allen, who has since resigned from the post, had previously said on social media his name had been tarnished by the media.

"Please understand that I can not make comment on the allegations that have been accused. But like all things there is two sides to every story and unfortunately we just have to ride the wave," he posted on Facebook in December.

Three days before the attack, Mr Allen also updated his Facebook profile picture to include a frame promoting White Ribbon Day, when men to speak out against violence against women.

Mr Allen was facing serious disciplinary charges but resigned beforehand, while one volunteer was suspended for 14 months and three others face disciplinary action.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world