San Francisco Firefighters Tell Their Side of Harassment Story

Posted by: Curt Varone November 16, 2016 2 Comments

Two San Francisco firefighters assigned to Station 2 in Chinatown that is at the center of an investigation into sexual harassment and sexual misconduct have come forward to publicly discuss the allegations with KTVU.

The firefighters, identified only as Albert and Jack, denied any involvement in either the harassment or misconduct. Members assigned to the station were accused to of urinating on a female firefighter’s bed and spreading feces in the woman’s bathroom.

Among their comments:

  • “When we first heard that; it was a unanimous thing where we said we’ll submit to a DNA test, why don’t we get a sample of it and that would rule us all out.”
  • “We’re being punished for something we didn’t do, I felt very hurt by it, I felt very betrayed by the department.”

The firefighters allege that the problems began when a chief officer assigned to the station arranged for a female subordinate with whom he was having an affair to be assigned their station.

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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