The chief of the San Antonio Fire Department says he had little choice in his decision to terminate six cadets and has taken the unusual step of talking about personnel matters publicly to put clarity to the issue.
Fire Chief Charles Hood issued a statement to the “members of the San Antonio Fire Department Family” dated Tuesday saying “continued misinformation communicated through both mainstream and social media” forced him to share the details of the matter.
Hood said eight SAFD cadets were at University Hospital on Aug. 4 doing clinical rotations as part of their emergency medical technician class at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio when they asked to be excused early to study for a final exam.
Six of the cadets did not go home as they led their preceptor to believe, but rather made a decision to go to Twin Peaks restaurant, according to Hood’s statement. The cadets spent between an hour and half to eight hours at the restaurant. A seventh cadet joined the six later in the evening after finishing a ride out with a medic unit.
A patron of the restaurant recognized the cadets as people seen at the University Hospital earlier in the day. That patron sent an email to the department’s training academy staff stating what he had seen, the statement reads.
During a department investigation, six of the seven cadets admitted to drinking alcohol and driving home.
Hood said in the statement that the cadets’ behavior was in direct violation of the Training Academy’s Rules and Regulations as well as the Cadet Code of Honor. Hood said each cadet must sign off that they understand the rules and agree to follow them. Further they must understand that failure to adhere to the rules and code of honor will result in their dismissal from the SAFD Training Academy.
“Expectation for cadets are extremely high,” Hood wrote in the memo. “And they are held accountable should they fail to meet those expectations. …The disregard and violation of the Cadet Code of Honor and Rules & Regulations is what led to the eventual discipline.”
Specifically, the memo said the terminated cadets had: misled the hospital staff to release them early to study; went to a location they specifically had been instructed to stay away from; admitted to consuming alcohol; were aware that the time of the offenses was considered city time; and they admitted operating a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol.
The statement said the case was investigated and each of the candidates were given the chance to resign or be terminated with the options and ramifications explained. Four cadets resigned and two were terminated.
“The SAFD unequivocally expects cadets to meet the high standards expressly communicated to them, those of the San Antonio Fire Department, and those expected of our public servants,” Hood wrote in the statement. “If a cadet cannot follow the rules during the training and probationary period, can the SAFD reasonably rely on that same cadet to follow departmental rules and regulations when they become a firefighter?”
Hood acknowledged that some may consider the termination action severe, he said it was done after “careful deliberation” and done in a way as to not preclude a career with the department for the cadets in the future. In fact, he said the cadets remain eligible to apply again in the future should they choose to do so.
“As stated at the beginning, it is generally not the practice of the SAFD to discuss civilian personnel matters,” Hood said. “Although it was my intent to protect the privacy and humility of the six cadets involved, the malicious rumors and misinformation circulated throughout the department left me with no other option but to lay out the facts. It is my sincere hope that personnel now understand the circumstances that led to this extremely difficult decision.”
