A Denver Fire Department assistant chief was fired in September after bringing a loaded AR-15 to a public park during a mental health crisis.

The DFD fired James Hart after 32 years of service with the department on Sept. 3 in connection to an incident in which Hart drove around Denver with an AR-15 and alcohol, contemplating suicide, according to a disciplinary letter by the Denver Department of Public Safety.

“Assistant Chief Hart’s actions demonstrate a willful and wanton disregard of the Department’s mission and guiding principles and demonstrates a serious lack of integrity of the integrity necessary to hold his position,” Denver Deputy Director of Safety Mary Dulacki wrote in the disciplinary letter.

The incident — which occurred on March 28 — began with Hart’s wife confronting him about sexually explicit text messages she found between him and the ex-wife of another firefighter at the department, according to the letter.

Hart was described as upset and agitated as he left Fire Station 15 in the City Park neighborhood. He was approached by another firefighter asking to help. Hart asked the man to take his gun, handing him a loaded handgun he’d kept behind the driver’s seat of his truck.

The firefighter then contacted Hart’s wife and asked her to remove any guns from their home and leave. He also contacted various friends of Hart to alert them of a potential mental health crisis.

Hart returned home and found that his wife had packed her suitcases and left. He then grabbed an AR-15 from the garage and left in his truck.

Hart’s brother, another member of the department, attempted to stop him in the driveway, but Hart drove around the brother’s vehicle. The brother contacted the police.

The man drove around Jefferson County and eventually stopped at Anderson Park in Wheat Ridge, according to the letter. He loaded the rifle and got into the backseat of the truck, but decided not to “act there” because of the nearby families at the playground.

Hart admitted to drinking whiskey in his truck and driving around, eventually shooting his gun into the hillside at Golden Gate Canyon State Park. He eventually accepted help from his brother and was transported to the Denver Health Medical Center by Denver police around 2 p.m.

Denver Fire Chief Desmond Fulton recommended that Hart be demoted and terminated, but that the termination should be held in abeyance pending other disciplinary incidents because Hart had a 32-year career with a clean record.

Dulacki ultimately denied the request, firing Hart. She noted in the letter that Hart lacked accountability — denying that he was speeding and claiming he never had his gun in his truck at the fire station prior to that day.

“Firefighters respond daily to the carnage caused by inattentive, careless, reckless and intoxicated drivers. Thankfully, Assistant Chief Hart’s reckless driving did not result in any accident,” Dulacki wrote, adding that his drinking and driving is egregious for his profession and rank.

“Assistant Chief Hart is not being disciplined for suffering an emotional crisis; rather he is being disciplined for the willful choices he made that amount to policy violations,” she continued.

Department officials declined to comment on the incident when contacted by The Denver Gazette.