Fire chief, 5 others on leave following Maplewood nursing home death

After the death of an elderly woman at a nursing home in Maplewood, the fire chief and five members of his department have been placed on administrative leave.

Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell said firefighters and paramedics were called to the Good Samaritan Society nursing home on Aug. 7 where a 71-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease had stopped breathing and was unconscious.

According to reports, resuscitation attempts were made and firefighters were in the process of taking her to the hospital when the woman's husband arrived and asked them to stop. The woman was taken back to the nursing home where she died a short time later.

Schnell said police investigated because there was no "do not resuscitate" directive in place.  Even though police determined there was no criminal wrongdoing, the six were placed on leave.