St. Lucie County community members urged the fire district's governing board to reconsider the termination of three firefighters during a recent meeting following an investigation into an alleged hazing incident.
A video that circulated online showed rookie firefighters being shocked with a modified bug zapper. The fire district has said the behavior constituted hazing and violated department policies. An independent investigation cited a culture of peer pressure and social exclusion.
Meanwhile, the firefighters' union has characterized the incident as consensual horseplay among peers. The union also noted that the firefighters in question had previously filed internal grievances to the board.
Resident Nicholas Burgos told the board that he believed the firefighters should face consequences for poor judgment but that termination was too severe.
"Signing up for the job doesn't make the danger easier and it doesn't make the sacrifice of these families any smaller. That is why I'm asking you to reconsider what happened here. If these firefighters exercise poor judgment and hold them accountable, reprimand, suspend, change stations, assignments, but taking away someone's livelihood, it's a whole different story," he said. "I'm asking you to reconsider their termination, reinstate these firefighters, restore their pay, and address whatever discipline appropriate and allow these men and women to continue serving the community they have served."
The firefighters who were terminated are Douglas Boudrais, Christopher Baldwin and Jordan Hutchinson. The three firefighters and their union have been negotiating with the district over potential reinstatement.
Baldwin said the firefighters' decision to continue challenging the circumstances surrounding their terminations was about more than getting their jobs back.
"I could have stopped. Hutchinson could have stopped. And when the possibility of getting our careers back was put on the table, we could have taken the easy road," he said. "But someday, this will not be me, Hutchinson, and Boudrais; it'll be another firefighter. And when that day comes, the precedent I leave behind matters. I want the firefighter to know you can tell the truth, you can challenge someone more powerful than you, you can use the complaint process, and your career will not become the price you pay for refusing to remain silent."
Ryan Sapp, president of the firefighters' union, said the offers to return to work came with conditions the firefighters were unwilling to accept.
"The district may say these employees have been offered their job back. That is not the whole story. Their return is being conditioned on surrendering rights and signing a broad hold harmless agreement concerning issues that the district says were unrelated to their termination," he said. "So I have one simple question. If these issues had nothing to do with their termination, why is it so important that these employees give up their rights concerning those issues as a condition of returning to work?"
Sapp also told the board that the union is seeking further action involving district leadership.
"I also want this board to understand that a motion has been made for discussion and potentially a vote of no confidence in the fire chief, assistant fire chief, and the district attorney at next month's meeting."
Fire Chief Jeff Lee said he has been working to bring the three firefighters back but does not have the authority to do so on his own.
"I have genuinely been trying to get these gentlemen back to work since July 22. I've stretched boundaries to try and make it happen. I cannot hire them back today," he said. "For those of you who don't realize, I can't. I have to agree with that man over there [Sapp] and we have to come to an agreement to bring them back to work. I don't have that power."
The dispute has also raised questions about how internal grievances involving the district's leadership are investigated.
Commissioner James Clasby said he believes the district's governance structure needs to be examined, particularly when allegations involve one of its charter officers.
"I think that we have a governance issue with the fire district. I don't know how it really hasn't made itself apparent in the past, but it's become very obvious to me that when one of the charter officers is accused of something, they should not be able to police themselves," he said.
Lee said he voluntarily participated in an investigation but agreed that the district lacks a clear process for handling complaints against its top officials.
"We don't have a process. This board does not have a process for somebody to come in and complain about me, Kim, or Tim. That's a problem. It's clearly a problem. It's one of the reasons we're here today. I can't fix that problem," he said. "The board has to fix that problem."
Commissioner Jamie Fowler criticized the firefighters' conduct while also calling for a review of the district's disciplinary and communication processes.
"It's not acceptable, guys, and it's not professional. We wouldn't expect to walk into PNC Bank and see people zapping each other. And even though you all have an incredibly tough job, that doesn't make it okay to do that. There are certain lines that a professional public safety organization simply shouldn't cross, especially when it's funded by taxpayer dollars," she said. "At the same time, I have serious concerns about how we got here, how issues have been handled, and how employees communicate with leadership, and how discipline is administered. So yes, I would support a forward-looking review of our processes."
A motion to temporarily suspend Lee and Fire District Attorney Kim Sabol failed 1-4.
The issue is expected to return for discussion at the district's next meeting in September.