Petal Mayor Carl Scott has rescinded the dismissal of five part-time city firefighters.

“After in-depth consultation with the gentlemen involved, namely Michael Palmer, Michael Guy, Don Snyder, Curtis Howell and Joseph Barker, it has become apparent that the so-called performance expectation violations cited as cause for termination are erroneous,” Scott said in the statement released Tuesday.

The mayor reportedly said he and the board of aldermen extended “our sincere apologies for any embarrassment they may have suffered based on this decision and will rescind the dismissal order in their regard.”

The firefighters had been dismissed this past week. Scott said after the decision that the five were “not performing up to what (Fire Chief Richard Bryant’s) expectations are for a part-time firefighter.”

The firefighters said they had been given different explanations for their dismissals.

Scott said Tuesday that the five should be recognized “for volunteering their time to the needs of the city of Petal Fire Department out of the goodness of their hearts and to the unselfish commitment to serving our community.”