Florida EMS Chief Charged With Drunk Driving

TITUSVILLE, Fla. --

The chief over all the paramedics in the City of Titusville has been suspended from his job because police say they caught him driving drunk. However, Eyewitness News learned Tuesday that he won't lose his job and he'll still be allowed to drive city vehicles.

Chief of Emergency Medical Services, Bob Allard, has been suspended for three weeks following his arrest for driving under the influence. It's a loss of $3,600 from Allard's salary.

A police officer wrote in the report, that Allard complied with all of his requests, but didn't follow the officer's flashlight or walk heel to toe.

"He didn't get a break?" asked WFTV reporter Kevin Oliver.

"No he did not get a break, the police officers did their job exactly like they would do with anyone else. He was not given a pass," Battalion Chief Scott Ganieke said.

A Titusville officer spotted Allard driving north on US Highway-1 near Knox McRae Drive. The officer said Allard's truck repeatedly swerved over a white line so the officer pulled him over.

The officer wrote in his report he could smell alcohol, and Allard's eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slurred at times.

The EMS chief told the officer he had three rum and cokes at a sports bar. The officer said Allard could not keep his balance.

Two breathalyzer tests indicated the chief's blood-alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit.

"He feels badly for the position he put the fire department in," Ganieke said.

Allard was off-duty and in his personal vehicle at the time. An internal investigation determined the chief was in violation of the city's code of conduct.

The city's human resources director says the city considers the employee's position, history and the infraction to determine punishments in cases like this.

"We're confident it would have taken on an entirely different tone if it had been in any way work related," Ganieke said.

Allard still has a permit to drive to work. The fire department says he never tried to use his position to get out of the arrest and it's unknown if the officer knew about his position with the fire department.

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