The St. Lucie County Fire Board voted on Wednesday to terminate Fire Chief Jeff Lee, voting 4-3 to end his contract without cause, WPTV reported. WPEC CBS12 also reported the board's decision to fire the chief on Wednesday.

Source: WPTV West Palm Beach

The vote caps months of turmoil in the fire district after videos of alleged hazing at a station surfaced in March. An independent investigation retained by the district concluded that senior firefighters and supervisors had hazed probationary and apprentice employees, and the district terminated three employees and suspended two others, FireRescue1 reported, summarising the investigator's findings.

Source: FireRescue1

A Fort Pierce police investigation concluded there was no criminal conduct in the alleged hazing, and the firefighters' union has challenged the discipline, filing for arbitration to seek reinstatement of the terminated employees, according to the same reporting.

Pressure on Lee had built through the autumn. On September 30, more than 74 percent of the district's firefighters delivered a no-confidence vote in his leadership, board member James Clasby publicly urged him to resign, and the fire district's attorney resigned the same day, Treasure Coast Today and WPTV reported.

Source: Treasure Coast Today

Lee had ordered the independent investigation after the videos surfaced, saying the district needed to avoid any appearance of bias. The board's Wednesday decision was a termination without cause, which is a contract decision by the board and not a criminal finding against Lee.