Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
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. The vote came on the recommendation of Mayor Linda Horning Pitt, Fire Chief Steve Krock, and Village Administrator John Rostash following an investigation.
Rostash was quoted by the Mansfield News Journal as saying:
- It wasn’t the playing video games that was the issue but playing video games using such vulgar language, graphic language and posting to YouTube.
- They used the ‘F’ word more than 80 times in a span of about 40 minutes.
The Journal also quoted from Mayor Pitt’s letter to the firefighters:
- Your cavalier exposure and discussion regarding Chief Krock’s medical condition and posting this information onto an online public forum was deeply troubling, for an individual that is responsible for providing emergency medical services to our citizens.
- Your expressions of disdain for the village and disparagement of your own employment here is clearly conduct that is unbecoming of a village employee, not to mention a firefighter, responsible for the safety and protection of our citizens.
- This matter demonstrates an ongoing unwillingness to accept leadership from your superior officers, an inability to recognize the harm of your actions, and a complete lack of regard for your role in our community and the impact of your actions on the Village of Crestline.
- Further, your lack of candor during your interview with Administrator Rostash and an unwillingness to demonstrate any amount of contrition or recognition of the impact of your actions shows that there is no opportunity for rehabilitation or corrective discipline.
