Protecting and serving… and grabbing a quick drink at a popular Broadway bar?
Firefighters and other first responders are some of the bravest and finest people we have on this Earth. There are countless examples of them being perfect, model citizens. This latest story is not one of those examples, and it’s unfortunately a situation where you can’t help but ask, “What were they thinking?”
Which is a bit ironic, since the incident apparently played out at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row (a la Dierk’s 2003 hit “What Was I Thinkin'”).
According to reports, a bartender at the Broadway bar became concerned that three Nashville firefighters were drinking on the job. The men were wearing NFD T-shirts and even carrying their radios, and they were evidently enjoying themselves in the establishment. So much so that, around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, a manager made a call to the Metro Nashville Police Department to come and investigate.
Upon arrival, the authorities walked up to… well, the other authorities and began asking questions about what they were doing there, and whether or not they were on the job. The three firefighters had ordered two vodka Red Bull drinks and a water, but denied drinking any alcohol (because, you know, sometimes you just order an alcoholic beverage to stare at it/throw it away).
Jordan Huffman, a District 14 Metro Council Member, spoke to News 2 and expressed his disappointment and outrage with the situation:
“Anyone who thinks that they can drink on the job or be under the influence on the job, on Metro’s dime, on taxpayers’ dime, is outrageous. People are definitely feeling the outrage. It’s their tax dollars that are paying for their salaries.”
Another police officer later stated that they had seen the firefighters in Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row for hours prior to the incident, but had not confronted them.
And they were on duty, which is truly shocking. They are supposed to be ready to jump into action at the drop of the hat, and instead, they were on Broadway with all the Nashville tourists presumably throwing back vodka Red Bulls. More than anything, it’s hurt the public image of the Nashville Fire Department. Like I said earlier, most firefighters and first responders carry out their duties in a responsible and honorable manner.
These three did the exact opposite, and it could take a while for the NFD to earn public trust back because of this.
One of the Nashville Fire Department’s first moves to regain trust? They appear to have parted ways with the three firefighters, and understandably so. In a press release, a spokesperson for Nashville Fire said that all three firefighters were dismissed from the department following the shocking drinking-on-the-job incident:
“Upon learning of the incident, the department promptly initiated an internal investigation and took appropriate steps to address the matter. As of Wednesday, October 28, 2026, all three individuals involved are no longer employed by the Nashville Fire Department.
The Nashville Fire Department holds all personnel to the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and conduct. Actions that compromise those standards are taken seriously and addressed accordingly.”
