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Former firefighter tells council HR should be independent of public-safety leadership after allegations of past misconduct
Summary
A former firefighter told council that human-resources functions should not be combined with the safety directors responsibilities, describing alleged bullying and threats under a previous safety director and urging a separate HR function to protect employees and preserve trust.
A former Barberton firefighter told council May 19 that combining the city's human-resources function with the safety director's office creates a conflict that left employees vulnerable when they raised complaints.
The speaker described a personal, multi-year dispute with a prior safety director and said attempts to file grievances were constrained because HR reported through the safety director. “She sent a high ranking fire official. He took me aside, pointed right…
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