YCMTSU New Foundland – Disbanded Fire Department Being Rebuilt

Posted by: Curt Varone February 22, 2016 2 Comments

A fire department in New Foundland is rebuilding after 20 members resigned en mass last month following allegations of sexual harassment leveled by a female firefighter. The Spaniard’s Bay Fire Department is preparing to resume operations with a new complement of firefighters after having been disbanded.

Last week, twenty-eight members were appointed to the re-built department, with 21 of the 28 having previously served in the department. The department must receive approval from the Fire and Emergency Services-Newfoundland and Labrador (FES-NL) before resuming operations.

At the heart of the controversy were allegations leveled last November by Brenda Seymour, a volunteer firefighter as well as a Town Councilwoman for Spaniard’s Bay. She accused the fire chief and others of blatant sexually harassing behavior, as evidenced by the video below.

At a council meeting on January 19, twenty members of the department quit including the fire chief. Vocal supporters of the firefighters rallied on January 21, 2016, and some in the department have called upon Seymour to leave the department. A Facebook group, Concerned Citizens of Spaniard’s Bay, has also been created.

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.
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