Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A volunteer firefighter in Texas who posted an offensive comment about the recent murder of nine African Americans in Charleston, South Carolina on the Facebook page of a South Carolina newspaper, has been summarily terminated from his fire department.
Kurtis Cook was terminated by the Mabank Fire Department after posting that murder suspect Dylann Roof “needs to be praised for the good deed he has done.” People who were upset with the post shared it through social media asking others to join them in demanding the Mabank Fire Department terminate Cook.
Last Friday, the Mabank Fire Department released the following statement:
As of 1123 hrs, after an investigation in the allegations being made of Firefighter Kurtis Cook, the Mabank Fire Department Command Staff has terminated Kurtis Cook as a volunteer Firefighter permanently and has trespassed him from all Mabank Fire Department property. The Mabank Fire Department does not condone nor promote these type of actions or thoughts. On behalf of all members, the Mabank Fire Department offers our deepest apologies to all that were offended by his actions and comments.
