Is Florida BC Dangerously Incompetent or the Victim of Discrimination

Posted by: Curt Varone October 25, 2012 3 Comments

A Florida battalion chief who was terminated for, among other things, leaving a firefighting crew in the woods at the conclusion of a wildland fire, claims she is the victim of discrimination.

Estero Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Jeannine Horton was fired following an investigation report that cited nine separate instances of poor judgment. She had been with Estero for nine years, but has over 25 years of experience having served previously with the Largo Fire Department.

Chief Horton filed charges of discrimination in July 27, 2012 with the US EEOC, which according to her attorney, Benjamin Yormak, was the same day the department launched its investigation into her conduct. NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral

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

Suit Against FD Alleges False Arrest and Conspiracy

A lawsuit accusing a volunteer fire department, two firefighters, three police officers, and two law enforcement agencies with assault, battery, false arrest, conspiracy, and a host of civil rights violations, has been removed to the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Steven Makowsky filed suit earlier this year in Nassau County Supreme Court.

KCMO Challenges Arbitration Award in Triple Fatal Crash

The City of Kansas City is appealing an arbitration decision that reduced the disciplinary penalty for the firefighter responsible for the 2021 triple-fatal apparatus crash to a three-day suspension without pay. Dominic Biscari was driving Kansas City’s Pumper 19, when it ran a red light, collided with an SUV, struck several parked cars, came to rest in a building, and in the process killed three people.