Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Firefighter sorry for shed tryst
'Horrible indiscretion' no danger to public, union boss says
Incident took place in shed by Osborne station. (KEN GIGLIOTTI WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES)
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WINNIPEG – The president of the local firefighters' union said Tuesday a longtime firefighter was severely punished for a tryst in a shed behind a local fire hall.
However, neither the union nor the firefighter plan to challenge the results of the disciplinary hearing.
United Firefighters of Winnipeg president Alex Forrest said a longtime firefighter has apologized for kissing in a property shed a woman he met outside Osborne Street's Station No. 4.
However, he said the firefighter's six to eight minutes with the woman in the shed July 25 did not put public safety in jeopardy.
He said it was a "horrible indiscretion" that has left the firefighter devastated.
"The public was never put in any jeopardy in any way whatsoever," he said.
A city statement said only the man, and not his crew, was involved in the incident.
Forrest said the WFPS demoted the man from his position as the on-shift water rescue leader and he will be transferred from Station No. 4 to another spot.
"It's a big form of punishment," said Forrest.
He said the man has chosen to accept the discipline because he wants to take responsibility for his actions.
The firefighter has apologized for the incident, which Forrest said has been difficult for the man's wife and young family.
"There wasn't sex that went on in the shed," he said.
"There was kissing and that's all that could have happened... we know the timelines."
Forrest said the firefighter met the woman when she walked on a parking lot near Station No. 4.
She began talking to firefighters after she injured herself on a nearby fence.
Forrest said after the man showed her a nearby shed, the two began kissing until an alarm came in.
The man immediately responded to the call, said Forrest.
"If an alarm would have been missed, he would have probably lost his job. But that didn't happen," he said.
A statement from Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service Chief Jim Brennan said the incident breached the City of Winnipeg's Employee Code of Conduct.
The incident was reported immediately to the platoon chief after the breach was discovered, said a city spokeswoman.
"The incident in question constituted a breach of WFPS operational practice," said the statement. Brennan was not available for comment.
The city did not release the duration of the man's suspension from work, but a source said it was a 28-hour suspension without pay.
"It was established that no criminal behaviour, nor any behaviour which threatened the public safety, took place in relation to this incident," said the city's statement.
gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 26, 2009 A3
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