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Board approves termination of probationary firefighter after department alleges job abandonment
Summary
The Board of Works and Safety approved a recommended termination of a probationary Richmond Fire Department employee accused of job abandonment, failing to follow orders and not maintaining required communications, after department staff presented a termination memo.
The Board of Works and Safety voted to approve the Richmond Fire Department's recommendation to terminate a probationary firefighter after department leadership outlined multiple performance concerns.
Assistant Chief Clark told the board the termination memo cited job abandonment, not reporting to work, failure to follow direct orders from supervisors, refusal to follow department procedures and failure to maintain required communications while on probation. "The Richmond Fire Department requests the termination of [the] firefighter mentioned in the memo for the following issues: job abandonment ... refusal to follow directions ... and failure to remain appropriate communications," Clark said.
Board members confirmed the individual remained in probationary status; with no questions raised, a member moved to approve the recommended termination and the board voted by voice to carry the motion.
Why it matters: Terminations of probationary public safety employees curtail personnel obligations that might apply to permanent employees, but the action removes a firefighter from the department roster. The board's approval formalizes the department recommendation; no appeal or grievance was recorded in the meeting transcript.
Next steps: The transcript records the board's approval; any personnel appeal or further administrative steps were not discussed at the meeting and were "not specified" in the presented memo.
