Tag Archives: hazing

Plea Deal Reached in Texas Hazing

A plea deal has been reached in the sexual assault-hazing incident that occurred last year in Ellis County, Texas. In January, 2015 five firefighters sodomized firefighter Jason Waldeck with a sausage and a broom handle. The girlfriend of one of the firefighters filmed the hazing with her cellphone camera.

Read More »

FDNY Hazing Prank Prompts Discipline

FDNY has taken disciplinary action against seven firefighters over a hazing incident involving an African American firefighter. The New York Post citing unofficial sources reported that firefighters pranked a member by putting his locker in a bathroom. FDNY has refused to identify the members involved or release any details about the incident.

Read More »

Nebraska Captain Claims He was Victim of Retaliation

A Lincoln, Nebraska fire captain who claims he has been subjected to retaliation since he reported the harassment of recruits in 2011, has filed suit in federal court. Troy Hurd filed suit in US District court last Friday against the City of Lincoln and six ranking officers in the fire department.

Read More »

Jacksonville Investigating Offensive Computer Photo

Jacksonville Fire Rescue and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office are investigating a prank photo left on a fire department computer depicting a firefighter with a Middle Eastern sounding last name as a possible case of harassment. The doctored photo set as the computer’s screensaver depicts the firefighter with a fake beard juxtaposed with a skull adorned with a Santa cap and includes the words "Jingle BOMBS"

Read More »

Six New Jersey Firefighters Under Investigation

Six New Jersey firefighters have been suspended or removed as an investigation is underway into allegations of sexual harassment of a female firefighter, sending threatening text messages, and forcing of a vehicle off a road. The firefighters are all volunteers from the town of Hammonton, and reportedly all of the conduct involved members of the department as perpetrators and victims

Read More »

Indiana Firefighter Sues Over Noose Incident

An Indiana firefighter who was tossed a noose during a training exercise has filed a lawsuit in federal court naming chief who tossed the noose. Marion firefighter Mikel Neal and his wife, Rachelle Fears-Neal, have filed suit against former Deputy Chief Rick Backs. The four-page complaint alleges a single count of a due process violation.

Read More »

Horseplay Leads To Lawsuit in Kentucky

The mother of a junior firefighter who was shot in the eye with a BB gun in the fire station has filed suit against the fire department and three firefighters. David Blake Jones suffered a permanent eye injury on October 25, 2014 when he was shot while on a sleep-over at the Laurel County Fire Department. Jones was participating in the Laurel County Junior Firefighter Program at the time.

Read More »

Texas Chief and Assistant Chief Charged in Hazing Sex Assault: Shades of Shreveport

The scope of the Ellis County Emergency Services District 6 sexual assault hazing incident just widened with word that the fire chief and assistant fire chief were arrested today and charged with witness tampering. Fire Chief Gavin Satterfield, 31, and Assistant Chief Billy Getzendaner, 34, were arrested this afternoon because they reportedly instructed the victim and involved members not to discuss the incident with authorities.

Read More »

Texas Firefighters Charged in Hazing Incident

Five Texas firefighters have been charged by police in regards to a hazing incident of a new recruit. The incident occurred in Ellis County Emergency Service District Number 6 last January and reportedly involved a sexual assault using a sausage

Read More »

Noose Incident Prompts Apologies, Demotion, and a Lawsuit

A white assistant chief in Indiana who threw a noose to a black firefighter during a knot tying exercise has been demoted to firefighter. The incident has also prompted a race discrimination suit by the black firefighter. Former Marion Fire Department Assistant Chief Rick Backs created the noose during a training exercise last February exercise and reportedly threw it toward firefighter Mikel Neal. The incident sparked racial tensions in the city of Marion that brought back recollections of lynchings that occurred as late as the 1930s.

Read More »

Connecticut Fire Department Not Liable for Arson By Volunteer

A Connecticut jury has ruled in favor of the Mystic Fire District in a civil suit filed by the owner of a house that was set on fire in 2008 by a volunteer firefighter. Gretchen Chipperini alleged that the negligence of the fire district’s leadership made the district liable for the actions of probationary firefighter William Celtruda who set the fire on July 25, 2008.

Read More »