Social Media

Social Media Posts Lead to Reassignment of Florida Lieutenant

A veteran Jacksonville fire lieutenant has been reassigned to headquarters as the department investigates complaints into his social media posts. Anthony Treadwell is accused of posting photos depicting Aunt Jemima and the Confederate flag, along with commentary supporting the group “Proud Boys”.

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Houston Chiefs Prevail in Suit Brought By A District Chief

The dismissal of a lawsuit brought against two ranking chief officers of the Houston Fire Department by a district chief over a social media post has been upheld by the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. District Chief Steven Dunbar filed the federal court action pro se after he was suspended and transferred for a social media post.

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Social Media in a Volunteer Department

Today’s Burning Question: Our volunteer fire department has our own Facebook page and the fire-police have a page they created on their own. Please correct me if I am wrong, but doesn’t the Facebook page belong to the creators, not the fire department? In other words, the fire department cannot make the fire-police get rid of the page, can they?

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Delaware Firefighter Facing Hate Crime Charges

A Delaware firefighter who was expelled from his fire company in July over a social media meme, is now facing criminal hate crime charges. Michael D. Cook, 55, a member of the Cranston Heights Fire Company, has been charged with two counts of committing a hate crime, and three counts of harassment

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Ohio Firefighters Terminated For Posting Videogame Recordings

Three Ohio firefighters who posted videos of themselves using vulgar language and discussing the fire chief’s medical condition while playing videogames have been terminated. Kyler Dille, Tyler Furry, and Christopher East were terminated from the Crestline Fire Department Monday evening by the Village Council.

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Fired Arkansas Firefighter Denies Facebook Post Was Racist

An Arkansas firefighter who was terminated last week over a racist Facebook post, has spoken publicly to the news media about his punishment. Bryant firefighter Kyle Robertson spoke with FOX16 this week contending that people “misinterpreted” his post about Black Lives Matter.

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SC Firefighter Terminated Over Facebook Posts

A South Carolina firefighter has been terminated over several social media posts that were found to be racist. Georgetown County firefighter Bob Kosto was fired last week one day after county officials were informed of the posts.

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California Fire Chief Terminated Over Comments

The past few weeks have seen unprecedented numbers of firefighters in the headlines over comments posted in social media related to race relations. Sometimes we get so accustomed to speech-related discipline being associated with social media posts, that we forget that non-social-media-related speech can be just as problematic. And so it was with Manhattan Beach Fire Chief Daryn Drum.

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Topeka Prevails in Gender Discrimination Suit

The US District Court for the District of Kansas has granted summary judgment to the City of Topeka in a suit brought by a female firefighter alleging she was subjected to a hostile work environment and retaliation. Amy Bermudez, a 25-year veteran of the department, filed suit in 2018 alleging the harassment stretched back to 2014.

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Florida Fire District Sued For Viewpoint Discrimination

A Florida man has filed suit against a fire district claiming that his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated when the department’s public information officer blocked him from the department’s Facebook page. Randy Scott filed against the Lehigh Acres Fire Control And Rescue District and PIO Katie Heck suit this week.

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