Tag Archives: insubordination

A Florida fire lieutenant who was demoted for insubordination, and then terminated when he refused to accept the demotion, has lost his federal court lawsuit to get his job back. Lt. Christopher Chandler claims Walton County Fire Rescue violated the FMLA when it demoted him, and violated the FMLA and Florida disability discrimination laws when it terminated him.

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Today’s burning question: What is "insubordination"? I am so tired of people trying to make fire departments into paramilitary organizations. We are not the military, it’s a vocation. Insubordination has no place in the fire service as a basis for discipline. Answer: While you are correct that fire departments in the US are not part of the military, the term paramilitary has several definitions.

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A Washington fire captain who was terminated for ignoring orders to stop sending religious-themes emails over the department’s email system has reached a settlement of his First Amendment religious discrimination suit. Former Spokane Valley captain Jon Sprague has agreed to settle his suit against the Spokane Valley Fire Department for close to $1 million.

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Today’s burning question: My immediate supervisor recently called me into a conference room and berated me, called me a sandbagger and used numerous expletives (predominantly dropping the "F bomb"). It got so bad, the administrative assistant down the hall heard the berating and walked in because she was concerned about my welfare. As he was in the middle of cussing me I stood up to leave and was told if I left I would face discipline and that I was ordered to sit down or face insubordination charges.

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A St. Tammany Parish firefighter who accused his fire chief of misconduct and was then himself placed under investigation, has filed suit alleging whistleblower retaliation. Fire District 12 firefighter Thomas Williamson accused Fire Chief Stephen Krentel with stealing department air conditioning units and having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.

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A Tulsa firefighter who was terminated earlier this year for ignoring an order to report for an internal affairs interview, is now suing the fire department for wrongful termination. Greg Chapman was fired in January after he failed to appear for an interview concerning a derogatory comment he posted about a viral video.

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The president of the Columbus Firefighters, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 67, is facing disciplinary charges of insubordination, neglect of duty, and violating the department’s rules of conduct. The charges stem from a dispute between Battalion Chief Jack Reall ...

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A former fire chief has lost his bid to be reinstated to his New York fire company following allegations he cursed at fellow firefighters, didn’t wear proper PPE and refused to follow orders at a fire scene. Michael Pasqua, a ...

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A sex scandal in the Columbus Fire Department that cost one firefighter his job has claimed another victim. Battalion Chief Gerald C. Birkhimer has been demoted to lieutenant for his role in covering up on-duty sexual activity between Firefighter Marc ...

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