Disciplinary ActionEMSSocial MediaYou Can't Make This Stuff Up
Columbus Firefighter Resigns Over Facebook Post
A Columbus, Mississippi firefighter has opted to resign following a controversy resulting from a remark he posted on his Facebook page about an accident involving a 2 year old child who was struck by a car.
Brad Alexander allegedly made a posting on his Facebook page that was critical of the mother of the child. While the post has since been removed it stated that the child was unattended and questioned where the child’s mother was.
Two firefighters and a police officer who “liked” Alexander’s post are also facing discipline.
Additional details on the case are sketchy – if anyone from Columbus has more details please let us know.
Sometimes you have to hold back your remarks even though they are true it is ashame that he the fireman has to resign … I think he should be disciplined…the same with the police officers. As long as they have no other marks against them.
This is not the type of stuff that should end someone’s career. It isn’t like he hit the kids with the car.
Curt, is this the wave of the future? Public safety (or just public) employees must resign, if social media postings cause controversy?
Or does it really boil down to policy, and what a department/agency has in place beforehand?
Next question, that I also asked on the Statter posting. Is there a benefit to resignation, versus seeing what outcome originates from the agency itself?
…and maybe this whole thing is something that gets put into recruiting packets, so to speak.
Take this job and, be advised, you will lose (or want to withhold) your voice on some topics, on some channels.
Mike
The only advantage to resigning is you don’t have to put yourself and the department through the ordeal of a battle… the expense of the ordeal being both financial and emotional.
Based on what info is available in this case – I do not imagine a termination would be a slam dunk in most departments. Up here in the northeast it would be hard to even get a reprimand to stick if the employee fought it.
Mike – you just put your finger on the solution: setting a clear boundary (policy) and training so everyone knows where the boundary lies.
Without a clear boundary – folks post something and nothing happens, post something and nothing happens… they see others post something and nothing happens… then wham – they post something and get in trouble because what they post becomes widely known.
What is driving the discipline is not what they did but the fact that it became widely known – and now the city/department feels like something has to be done about it. Yet what the person did is no worse than what others have/are doing.
To me it is a leadership responsibility that we set the boundaries for employees in a very clear way (not easy given 1st Amendment and concerted activities rulings from the NLRB).
If we don’t set clear boundaries – we should not be out there punishing folks who stepped over some imaginary line.
Incidentally – due process may be implicated when we try to enforce vague rules in an arbitrary manner.
Curt This is most disturbing. How can an employee get diciplined for “liking” a FB post? unless you use department computers is that not a violation of one’s free speech or freedom of association? Liking a post in not an endorsement (to me) it juet means that you liked what someone wrote.
recently a teacher was diciplined for talking about a student and refering to him with a name to another teacher and she went on to id him by his initials only. A school administrator saw it and told the kid’s mother who filed a complaint. AFTER the administrator REPOSTED the comment on FB. Only when mom retained council did it became a thing BUT almost everyone believes that the school administrator should have gone to the principal BEFORE she went to suspected child’s mother. They wanted her job but all she got was a tranfer.
What left a bad taste in everyone mouth was the fact that she was expressing and opinion to another person and that got reposted on FB and that’s what started the entire episode
my question to you is if what you say to a person on social media (A) gets reposted by an employee for all to read on social media (B)-and you dont have an account on B, is it right for you to be tagged for it since you didnt post it on media (B), somebody else did? and would you be right to sue your employer and who reposted it for defermation?
what makes a FB comment or a like any different than writing a collum for firehouse magazine on a new tactic that that your department does not do but it becomes a hit nationwide? because your department is the last to know, it makes your department look stupid because people are writing about them not doing it in social media…so to save face, you chief diciplines you for writing it?
i’m wondering what would happen if hugh halligan marketed his tool natiowide and it becommes a hit but the FDNY decided not to use it and as a result they start taking some facebook heat for it and the chief decides to dicipline him for it because he “liked” somebody’s comment
just seems to me that some dicipline against people related to FB posts are vindictive
He wanted to know where the momma was. As a good parent, it probably got all over him. no names, no location, no time, no identifying a Dept.- just a blurb about where was the momma when the child was hit.
The other two FF’s got 10 shifts without pay for hitting “like”. The officer that was suspemded 30 days for hitting like is the same officer that arrested a beligerant Judge for not obeying an officer after numerous opportunities to shut up ( ” do you know who I am????Do you know who I am??? Call the mayor! REPEAT)[ that was appointed by Mayor, no less] I will not go any deeper than that other than the obvious revenge theory….
Yes, I’m from Columbus and fought fire with Brad and the officer who is also a Volunteer FF as well. I can see a chewing for the FF and maybe cleaning a toilet or two, but what they had in mind for him and what they imposed on the others is way off base.
But hey, it’s Columbus.
One last thing. If you read the article in the disgrace, you will see his comments about his brothers and the department.
This guy is a prime, textbook example of a firefighter’s firefighter.
Class act.
What a shame…