PEORIA - About 30 firefighters marched outside City Hall on Tuesday to protest an injured firefighter being returned to active duty against his doctor's orders.
Physkie Green was injured last July when a piece of falling debris struck his helmet during a fire. While he's been cleared for light duty, such as desk work, he was instead told to come back Tuesday full-time as a firefighter.
Not long into his shift, Green relapsed and was taken to the emergency room at Methodist Medical Center where doctors sent him home, said Firefighters Local 50 Union President Tony Ardis.
Ardis doesn't know what the city will want Green to do next, and City Manager Randy Oliver said he couldn't comment on Green's next work assignment.
"We believe that employees have the right to be treated fairly and receive worker's compensation benefits if they are injured on the job, as provided by law," Oliver said. "We believe these issues are best addressed by medical professionals and the Illinois Industrial Commission and not in a public forum."
Oliver said he'd be willing to say more if Green would release his medical records for discussion.
Firefighters protested again before the City Council meeting Tuesday night. They also lined the council chambers during the meeting.
"We're not talking about lazy people or people who exaggerate their injuries," said Green's attorney, Robert W. Bach. "They're much too macho for that."
Bach, who also represents the city's firefighters union, says this isn't the only case "of the city's refusal to honor injured firefighters' rights under the Illinois Workers Compensation Act and related statutes."
Fears are that an injured firefighter will be forced back to work too soon, endangering himself, his fellow firefighters and anyone he's attempting to rescue, Bach added.
Meanwhile Tuesday, the council heard complaints from neighborhood activists about city crime and lack of resources for neighborhood conferences.
Clara Underwood told the council about MASC, a new grass-roots group which stands for Mothers Against Street Crime. Her son, Reginald Autman, was murdered Dec. 9, 2002. It's still unsolved.
"Since then, there have been over 10 homicides and half have not been solved," Underwood said, adding that MASC helps the families of crime.
Also, LaVetta Ricca of the Olde Town South Neighborhood Association lamented the city's lack of financial support for an upcoming regional neighborhood conference, noting that every other city except Peoria last year paid for their attendees.
The Neighborhood Development Commission is trying to raise $25,000 so about 30 Peoria neighborhood activists can go this year.
