Firefighter claims captain took him to party with offensive material
Rochester, NY (WROC) — A Rochester Fire Department captain has been suspended with pay after a fellow firefighter filed a lawsuit against him, multiple sources say.
These sources tell News 8 that the captain told 3 subordinates to attend a party with him during their shift and one of the firefighters found offensive material at the party and filed a complaint in response.
Rochester City Hall confirmed that a firefighter filed a complaint “in regards to a fire company (the captain and 3 subordinates) participating in an unauthorized event.”
Rochester Fire Chief Felipe Hernandez told News 8, “Immediately upon receiving the complaint, I notified the Department of Human Resource Management. The allegations are serious and we will get to the bottom of what happened and deal with the allegations quickly and transparently within our guidelines and legal requirements.
Hernandez declined to provide specifics, saying it was a personnel matter and he needed to wait for the investigation to be completed before he could comment further.
Eddie Santiago, president of IAFF Local 1071, which is the union local that represents Rochester firefighters, also said he could not comment until the investigation is complete, but confirmed that Capt. had been suspended with pay.
