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Firefighter Fired Over Facebook Post of Virtual Firefighter Video
HATZEL VELA
WCSC 5
Reprinted with Permission
COLLETON COUNTY, SC - A Colleton County paramedic and firefighter was fired over a video he posted on Facebook.
Related
On February 11, Jason Brown was called into the director's office and questioned about the video he posted the previous night.
The Facebook post takes you to a YouTube-like site, where a video almost three minutes in length shows an exchange between two cartoon characters at a hospital.
One is a doctor, the other a paramedic.
In a letter of dismissal Brown provided, Colleton County Fire-Rescue Director Barry McRoy said, "You [Brown] displayed poor judgment in producing a derogatory video depicting a member of this department with a physician which is implied to be at Colleton Medical Center."
"There was no malicious attack to anybody involved personally or countywide or any certain department ever," said Brown, who spent two hours making what he described as a text-to-movie video.
On the web site xtranormal.com, you can create characters and even make them look like you. Users can type in a script and the cartoon-like character will say what you write.
"I'm not trying to make any doctor or any nurse look stupid," Brown said.
He said he wasn't even talking about Colleton Medical. He only used the name of a doctor who works at that hospital because he had recently seen him at a party.
It was supposed to be a funny, exaggerated and an almost unbelievable story of real life on-the-job experiences, Brown said.
"It's just general things that go on in the day-to-day business of us running calls within any fire department, any EMS," he added.
The dismissal letter also said, "This video has created an embarrassing situation for this department, our public image and the cooperative relationship we enjoy with Colleton Medical Center. It reflects poorly on you and Colleton County."
Brown appealed the decision, but his appeal was denied.
[See the rejection of appeal letter (pdf).]
Brown never meant any harm, he said.
"If I knew it was going to give me this much headache, I never would have made it in the first place," he added.
Brown said he was told his video was racist because the cartoon character playing the doctor role was African-American and during one of the exchanges the character said, "I don't want to lose my job and go back to being a janitor."
"That was never, ever in my actions or even thoughts when I made the video," Brown said.
When making the video, a black doctor was the only option offered, he added.
Getting fired was a little overboard, he said.
McRoy wouldn't give details about the Brown's firing because he said he couldn't discuss personnel matters.
But he said the Facebook incident wasn't the only reason Brown was fired.
Brown said he has never been seriously reprimanded and points to the dismissal letter as proof the Facebook post was the only reason he was fired.
If asked to take down the post, he would have done it and that would have been the end, he said.
Brown said after he was fired, he was escorted to the station where he returned all his gear, while two officers supervised him.
"I felt like a criminal," he said.
Prior to working at Colleton County Fire-Rescue for three and a half years, he worked at Berkeley County EMS and Goose Creek City Fire.
He said he left those two places because Colleton County paid more.
WCSC 5
Reprinted with Permission
COLLETON COUNTY, SC - A Colleton County paramedic and firefighter was fired over a video he posted on Facebook.
Related
- Colleton County Disciplinary Policy
- Brown's termination Letter
- Rejection Appeal Letter
- STATTer911: Watch Out, This Could Be a Firing Offense
The Facebook post takes you to a YouTube-like site, where a video almost three minutes in length shows an exchange between two cartoon characters at a hospital.
One is a doctor, the other a paramedic.
In a letter of dismissal Brown provided, Colleton County Fire-Rescue Director Barry McRoy said, "You [Brown] displayed poor judgment in producing a derogatory video depicting a member of this department with a physician which is implied to be at Colleton Medical Center."
"There was no malicious attack to anybody involved personally or countywide or any certain department ever," said Brown, who spent two hours making what he described as a text-to-movie video.
On the web site xtranormal.com, you can create characters and even make them look like you. Users can type in a script and the cartoon-like character will say what you write.
"I'm not trying to make any doctor or any nurse look stupid," Brown said.
He said he wasn't even talking about Colleton Medical. He only used the name of a doctor who works at that hospital because he had recently seen him at a party.
It was supposed to be a funny, exaggerated and an almost unbelievable story of real life on-the-job experiences, Brown said.
"It's just general things that go on in the day-to-day business of us running calls within any fire department, any EMS," he added.
The dismissal letter also said, "This video has created an embarrassing situation for this department, our public image and the cooperative relationship we enjoy with Colleton Medical Center. It reflects poorly on you and Colleton County."
Brown appealed the decision, but his appeal was denied.
[See the rejection of appeal letter (pdf).]
Brown never meant any harm, he said.
"If I knew it was going to give me this much headache, I never would have made it in the first place," he added.
Brown said he was told his video was racist because the cartoon character playing the doctor role was African-American and during one of the exchanges the character said, "I don't want to lose my job and go back to being a janitor."
"That was never, ever in my actions or even thoughts when I made the video," Brown said.
When making the video, a black doctor was the only option offered, he added.
Getting fired was a little overboard, he said.
McRoy wouldn't give details about the Brown's firing because he said he couldn't discuss personnel matters.
But he said the Facebook incident wasn't the only reason Brown was fired.
Brown said he has never been seriously reprimanded and points to the dismissal letter as proof the Facebook post was the only reason he was fired.
If asked to take down the post, he would have done it and that would have been the end, he said.
Brown said after he was fired, he was escorted to the station where he returned all his gear, while two officers supervised him.
"I felt like a criminal," he said.
Prior to working at Colleton County Fire-Rescue for three and a half years, he worked at Berkeley County EMS and Goose Creek City Fire.
He said he left those two places because Colleton County paid more.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joseph McMahon on
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Cindy,
Please don't go away mad. You're a nice person. I took exception to your comment about being glad you don't live here. That's all.
Joe
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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Cindy,
It comes down to professionalism and has nothing to do with what country anyone lives in. The same thing could happen to any FF or paramedic in Canada as it has happened here. I see this as no "accident" nor "small error", the person made the video and while he may have not meant for it to become a big deal, goes and posts it out to the world, and it came back to bite him.
Now this is not the only video out there and I viewed many and had a good laugh. I understand it is sattire and meant to be a joke, but when implying a certain person or place and then posting it for the world to see, professionalism goes by the wayside. As professionals in the public's service we are held to a higher standard, fairness or not, it is how we are perceived. When stuff like this happens it isn't "Joe Blow", it is Firefighter/paramedic Joe Blow, and that affects the image of all.
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Permalink Reply by Cindy Jodrey on
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nope.....i am open to living anywhere....
I am not mad...its just u and i are obviously not going to agree on the subject..
I like america...i have visited...and even thought about moving there at one point in my life...there is nothing wrong with ur country i am sure...i just was stating that policy seemed kinda far fetched...i understand completely...its just...fired seemed to have gone a bit much for me personally....its just a personal feeling..i am sure there is more to the whole situation but being an outsider looking into the topic...that was my view.
I don't like to argue with anyone Joe...I will walk away before i will tell u to go *&^% urself...lol...
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Point taken...and no...it doesn't matter what country...i guess...there in lies my fault of free speech and commenting...SORRY FOR THE COMMENT I GLAD I LIVE IN CANADA.....i would be equally as happy to live in USA....it has nothing really to do with that....I APOLOGISE (i guess what i really should have wrote was that i am glad i live in a small rural community...where in all reality i don't know how it would have played out...just a personal feeling John...i just thought fired was wrong..sorry...)
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Permalink Reply by Peter F. Henrikson on
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Chief,
I knew I would eventually find someone on this blog who made some sense, and you are correct when you say it will occur more and more. With access to the internet and the clever people we now hire this type of behavior will continue to errode the history and pride that use to make up the fire service.
Peter F. Henrikson
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Okay. Now we're happy again. Good.
Just a point of information. I do not agree that the punishment fits the crime (if in fact everything we're assuming is true). Losing his job over this is excessive and inhuman in it's own way.... take care...
Joe
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:D
enjoy the game :D
and to be polite....good luck :D
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Permalink Reply by Brian Mackie on
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I now pronouce you two (Joe and Cindy) buddy and buddette! You may now ki... oh oh .. shakehands! ;)
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Many on here, myself included, may think that termination was an extreme form of discipline here, but that decision isn't up to us. The point is many here are taking a "freedom of speech" approach, which it is not, because there are standards one must conduct themselves by as a requirement of employment.
Secondly, joke and sattire aside, it is quite difficult to say this was a small error or mistake, when the offender posts this on his facebook for the world to see. That basically becomes the crux of the issue, because now there can be a specific place and specific person implied, which can tarnish an image. This is not like a random place or person and the creator using some type of screen name. It again goes back to professionalism and how we conduct ourselves and shows the issues with such social sites and what people put out there for the world to see.
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Permalink Reply by Greg Nixon on
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Good to see that sense of humor still runs strong Brian !!!!
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Permalink Reply by Ronnie Larson on
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Pretty lame video anyway. I didn't think it was that funny if at all. Kind of dumb if you ask me. If he was going to get fired over it, at least it should have been better.
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