Ind. Firefighter Faces Demotion, Suspension for Video
Source South Bend Tribune, Ind.
Jan. 26--SOUTH BEND -- A South Bend firefighter actively working a fire at Park Jefferson Apartments earlier this month is facing a possible suspension for allegedly recording a video of the blaze on his cell phone and uploading it to Facebook.
The South Bend Board of Public Safety at a special meeting Thursday morning met to hear the fire chief's recommendation to demote Tony Schelske from special assignment captain to first-class firefighter and suspend him for nine days of unpaid leave.
Both taking video of a fire and uploading it online are considered violations of the department's duty manual. Taking a picture with a cell phone while working would also be considered an infraction.
Schelske, who did not attend the board meeting, has five days to seek a hearing to dispute the charges before the suspension can be enforced. He received papers on Thursday notifying him of the chief's recommendation, which is the only matter the board approved on Thursday.
If Schelske does not contest the allegations, the board will vote on Buchanon's recommendation. The board has the power to increase or decrease the punishment.
Buchanon said he could have recommended a standard 30-day unpaid leave but said he was lenient considering Schelske's special assignment.
Either way, Buchanon said Schelske, who joined the department in 2001, should have known better.
"I made it clear to all captains that this is something you don't do, and he did it," Buchanon said. "He had a task to do, and he wasn't doing it. Instead he was shooting video."
Buchanon said the punishment has less to do with social media and more to do with the fact he was not doing his job while he was recording the fire.
"He was supposed to be working," he said. "You're in special assignment to be captain. We hold you to a higher standard."
Buchanon said all of the captains, including Schelske, have been trained on the rules.
It is unclear what specific job Schelske was doing while at the fire scene. It is also unclear how long the video was, although Buchanon said it was "long enough."
The fire Jan. 6 destroyed an apartment building, including dozens of individual units. It took several hours and dozens of firefighters to distinguish the blaze.
A similar incident occurred in August 2009, when a firefighter was accused of taking pictures of a patient inside an ambulance and posting the pictures on his Facebook account, without the patient's permission.
Department policies forbid firefighters from taking images inside an ambulance or hospital, and from using cell phone or any other personal communications devices while responding to or at the scene of an emergency.
Schelske could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Staff writer Tom Moor:
574-235-6234
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Copyright 2012 - South Bend Tribune, Ind.
