Brevard County Fire Rescue investigating third case of alleged inappropriate behavior
Brevard County officials plan to implement new training for Brevard County Fire Rescue staff in proper workplace conduct, as a third allegation of improper behavior by a fire department employee is being investigated.
In the latest allegation, a BCFR lieutenant was accused of using "inappropriate language and content" in 2017 and possibly earlier on a podcast he was involved with, according to Brevard County Communications Director Don Walker.
Additional details on that incident have not been disclosed while the investigation is continuing, Walker said.
Walker said, as in the two previous cases, the employee has been placed on "light duty," with no interaction with the public, while the allegation is investigated.
More: Brevard fire medic under investigation for allegedly insensitive remark to shooting victim
In previous incidents:
A member of the BCFR staff is under investigation after he allegedly made a racially insensitive remark to a man being transported by ambulance to the hospital after the man had been shot by a sheriff's deputy.
An off-duty BCFR firefighter was seen in a photo on social media wearing blackface at a beachside Halloween party.
In a memo sent this week to county commissioners and other county officials, Brevard County Director of Human Resources Jerry Visco updated commissioners on training related to workplace behavior in BCFR.
"In light of recent incidents on social media and in the workplace, an effort to identify enhanced training opportunities has been undertaken by our employee development staff and senior leadership in public safety/fire rescue and human resources," Visco wrote.
Visco said the training material being discussed focuses on "unwelcomed verbal or physical conduct, relating to any lawfully protected classes of individuals, that creates an offensive or hostile environment."
"This training will also be utilized in other areas of our organization going forward," Visco said.
Visco noted in his memo that "our existing training has always offered programs that focused on organizational goals and values, as well as our expectation that employees conduct themselves professionally in a workplace that does not tolerate unlawful discrimination or harassment. The curriculum we present in mandatory training, employee development, executive leadership training and the elective courses we offer are all focused in this manner."
Visco said he expects to have the additions to the training plan "finalized and presented to the county manager in the next two weeks, with a rollout of training to follow shortly thereafter."
In discussing the first two incidents during a Nov.16 Brevard County Commission meeting, BCFR Chief Mark Schollmeyer told commissioners those were the first two incidents of alleged racial insensitivity he was aware of in the department. Schollmeyer has been in the department for 33 years, including 15 years in a leadership role.
There are about 450 first responders on the BCFR staff.
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @bydaveberman.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Third Fire Rescue employee being investigated for improper conduct
