Ventura firefighters were reportedly tricked into allowing two women from an adult entertainment company to take risqué photographs at their station last month. Authorities are now investigating how two photographers and two scantily clad women gained access.
According to a recent report by the Ventura County Star, firefighters on duty at the time told investigators that they agreed to a women's request to have their pictures taken at the station, but immediately told them to stop and leave once the women were seen wearing little clothing.
"As soon as the on-duty personnel realized the women had moved into these positions, they immediately asked them to stop and to leave," acting Fire Chief Kevin Rennie told the Ventura County Star. "Our personnel would not allow a photo shoot like this."
According to Rennie, as a member of the station staff spoke to a woman off to the side, two photographers quickly snapped pictures of the models — who stripped down from their street clothes — inside the station, which had its sliding doors open.
The photos recently surfaced on the website of Simply Seductive, an adult entertainment company that has a small upstairs office across the street from the fire station No. 2. Authorities were tipped off when an anonymous letter and printouts of the risqué photos from the website were sent to City Hall. The site has subsequently been shut down.
According to the report, the photos — which were also mailed to local media — featured two scantily clad women in seductive poses in front of fire engines. Some of the images had the Simply Seductive logo and a local phone number.
A representative from Simply Seductive told the Ventura County Star that, "There is no rule that says you can't take a photograph on a public street."
Police Lt. John Garner told the Star that he expects to finish his investigation next week. The results will be given to the Fire Chief and other top city officials but not released to the public because of privacy concerns, Garner said.
