Firefighters duct-taped a 17-year-old girl to a fire truck in one of several cruel pranks aimed at her at a rural fire brigade.
A new report found the girl was targeted multiple times at the Eaglehawk station in Bendigo, 160kms north of Melbourne.
The Victorian Country Fire Authority investigated the hazing incidents after CCTV footage emerged showing four men assaulting her.
A 17-year-old girl was repeatedly targeted in cruel pranks by male firefighters at the Eaglehawk station (pictured) in Bendigo, 160kms north of Melbourne
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 bullbar 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.
She was also repeatedly ‘flicked’ with a towel by the station’s captain Hayden Allen, who then swirled keys near her head once she fell to the ground, the report found, according to the Herald Sun.
The report led to three men being charged with misconduct under the CFA’s disciplinary code.
One of the men was also charged with negligence and received a 14-month suspension, while four witnesses who failed to intervene will undergo compulsory counselling, the publication reported.
‘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 girl was duct-taped to a fire truck in one of several hazing attacks aimed at her by CFA members (stock image)
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 captain Mr Allen, who has since resigned from the post, 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,’ he posted to Facebook in December.
‘But like all things there are two sides to every story and unfortunately we just have to ride the wave.’
Three days before the attack, Mr Allen also updated his Facebook profile picture to include a frame promoting White Ribbon Day, when men speak out against violence against women.
Mr Allen was facing serious disciplinary charges but resigned beforehand.