A FIREFIGHTER spotted driving erratically while using a mobile phone has been disciplined after a member of the public complained.
The complaint was one of 22 received by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service between April and November last year, of which seven were upheld.
It is detailed in a report to be discussed next week by the Fire Authority, which monitors the Fire S
ervice's performance.
The report states the firefighter was identified by bosses and warned about his behaviour.
The standard of driving was "unacceptable" and the incident was placed on the employee's personal record for six months.
The firefighter was driving a Fire Service van near Sheffield Arena in July when he was spotted by another motorist using his phone behind the wheel.
A Fire Service spokeswoman said: "The firefighter was on non-operational duties during work hours. He was not responding to an incident.
"The complainant was contacted and was happy for us to deal with this internally."
Two of the complaints upheld involved the "excessive" use of emergency horns while answering emergency calls.
Another was lodged because of the noise generated at a fire station when horns were tested.
One complaint came from a motorist whose car was damaged when it reversed into a water hydrant which firefighters had left with metal rods protruding.
The report said over the same period the force had received 192 letters of appreciation, including 37 specifically resulting from the work of fire crews during last summer's floods.
The Fire Service report says: "Complaints are received via various sources. There is a dedicated customer complaints telephone line and email address on the Fire Service website.
Complaints can also be received at any fire service location in person or via telephone.
"All complaints are taken seriously.
"Where a complaint cannot be dealt with informally in the first instance, the Customer Care Manager will instigate and monitor a formal investigation procedure to ensure the complaint is investigated fully and fairly and in strict confidence and that timescales are monitored.
"The current procedure states a complaint shall be formally acknowledged within three working days of receipt.
"There are no defined timescales to complete an investigation and issue a formal response to the complainant."
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