BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A firefighter and paramedic with Brevard County Fire Rescue has resigned following an investigation into remarks he was accused of making to the victim of a shooting.
However, according to Don Walker, communications director for Brevard County Emergency Management, the paramedic’s resignation does not stem from alleged remarks but rather the discovery of false information the medic’s work application.
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“His resignation actually stems from misinformation provided to us on his application and related to his previous employment, which came to light during the course of our investigation,” Walker said.
Walker did not provide details about the false information.
News 6 obtained a copy of the resignation letter from the firefighter. He did not want his name made public. You can read the body of the letter below:
To whom it may concern:
This is my resignation letter to state that I will resign from your organization on January 28th 2022.
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience within the organization servicing the public’s needs by delivering excellent care to my patients and attending to those who needed help. It was a great experience and honor to serve our community.
However, due to the accumulation of unnecessary stressors imposed by this organization’s leadership, I am resigning due to the following conditions:
· Displacement from BCFR Station 23 on July 24th 2020 to the float pool.
· While I was in the float pool there were added stressors that made the job less enjoyable and made it very difficult upon myself and my family.
· I had frequent mandatory overtime due to staff shortages and COVID-19, with short notice which caused problems in my household due to having four children.
· As a floater there were many times my shift would be changed at 06:00 or after to stations that ranged from 45 minutes to an hour away when the shift starts at 07:00. This was inconvenient, extremely stressful and felt unorganized due to the staff were encouraged to show up earlier than 07:00.
· In turn it felt like I was not valued as an BCFR employee, and that consideration was not part of leadership’s planning.
· It is often also seen through-out my shifts in the department that morale and comradery is low due to leadership planning of staffing shortages.
· I often felt that as a floater we did not get all the trainings provided, as opposed to those that had permanent stations.
These conditions made it mentally exhausting, more than the actual job duties at hand.
I was an excellent performer and had above average evaluations with no formal written reprimands from my leadership for approximately 4 years and five months.
I would have loved to continue to serve Brevard’s population through this organization, if the working conditions were different within this organization.
Thank you for this opportunity within your team, I will have great experience under my belt to further my career in the future.
“The workplace experience with the department was starting to wear on me,” the firefighter said.
He submitted his resignation on Jan. 14 and his last day will be on Friday, Jan. 28.
When asked about the county’s accusation of providing false information about his work history the man said it was not intentional.
“Yes, I’d agree that it potentially isn’t fully accurate but not on purpose,” he said. “I just didn’t think about it at the time that I filled out the application.”
The investigation into the medic, who was never named, began in November when County Commissioner Bryan Lober referenced it during a commission meeting. Lober said annual training for BCFR personnel in workplace culture may be warranted as a way to help prevent future such incidents from occurring, News 6 partner Florida Today reported.
According to accounts from Lober, the shooting victim was shot in the leg by a Brevard County sheriff’s deputy during a confrontation. While being transported to the hospital, a BCFR fire medic treating the shooting victim implied to the person, who is white, that the injuries might have been more severe if the person was Black.
“He asked me ‘Why did I get shot in the ankle, I wanted to get shot in the chest?’ The first thing to that came to my mind is ‘Maybe, if you’re a little bit dark then maybe, just maybe, they would have aimed for your chest’ and I laughed and he laughed and we went on about it,” the firefighter said.
The man said he doesn’t regret his comments.
“I can’t believe I’m on light duty for making light of a situation and joking from my own personal perspective as a black man,” the firefighter said. “A lot of people in America need — they need a little bit more exposure to other cultures and other types of people.”
The accusations against this medic came closely after pictures began circulating of a BCFR firefighter, Jake Johnson, seen wearing blackface at a costume party. The results of the investigation into Johnson are not yet available, according to Walker.
As of Nov. 15, Johnson had been on “light duty” at Brevard Fire Rescue Station 63 in Indialantic.