Ohio YCMTSU

Posted by: Curt Varone April 20, 2013 1 Comment

A fire lieutenant with the Springfield Township, Ohio Fire Department has been terminated for a number of infractions, including showing a female colleague a lewd photo of his penis, and having pornography on his fire department computer.

Lt. Jason Bowman was terminated on April 16, 2013 for conduct unbecoming, dereliction of duty, and sexual harassment. Besides showing the female firefighter the photo (which occurred while on duty), he also allegedly sent her a sexually explicit text while off duty, and had pornographic videos on his fire department computer.

The Blade reported that Lt. Bowman had a troubled disciplinary record, including past discipline for:

  • failing to complete required equipment inspections,
  • failing to complete reports on time,
  • open arguments with officers about firefighting tactics,
  • failing to show for a scheduled shift,
  • tardiness,
  • sharing of his concerns about disciplinary decisions with subordinates, and
  • aggressive driving

More on the story.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
© Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved. | FireLawBlog.com & Curt Varone | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
x

Check Also

NJ Court Upholds Removal of Firefighter From Promotional List

The Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court has upheld a decision to remove a firefighter from a promotional list based on his poor disciplinary record. John Shaw sought to challenge his removal from the promotional list for lieutenant in the Belleville Fire Department, claiming it was politically based due to his record as a Democrat conflicting with the Republican-leaning administration.

NY Chief Challenges Removal

The fire chief of the Wading River Fire District who was removed by the district’s Board of Fire Commissioners last November, has filed suit alleging a violation of his statutory and constitutional due process rights. Fire Chief Kevin Berg was initially suspended and then removed as fire chief, all without notice of the reason for these actions, or an opportunity to respond.