Excerpts from the ChicagoSun-Times.com:
Chicago Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago on Wednesday defended his 60-day suspension of a lieutenant who refused to send underlings into an area where they might be exposed to Ebola but said the city will accept an arbitrator’s ruling overturning the suspension.
Santiago said the decision not to appeal the arbitrator’s ruling had nothing to do with the no-confidence vote taken Sept. 21 by the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2. Nor was it a response to the 2,300 people who signed union-circulated petitions expressing disappointment when the union thought the department would challenge the arbitrator’s ruling.
On July 12, arbitrator Jacalyn Zimmerman overturned Lt. Steven Spallina’s suspension. She ruled that Spallina was not guilty of insubordination because he had an entirely reasonable fear that detailing one of his members . . . would pose a grievous risk of harm to that member, one which went well beyond anything inherent in the profession.
“Risking exposure to Ebola is not a routine detail, and it is not a normal risk,” the arbitrator wrote.
Still, Santiago defended the suspension.
“Too many people depend on us when we make decisions. We have to respond. That’s what we do. If you don’t go out the door when people call for help, that would be a problem for fire service,” Santiago said.
“So many people have been hurt, given their lives for this job because we always respond. And we always help those who need us. If you do something opposite of that, I’d have to seriously look at that.”
But what about the fear of Ebola?
“It’s not saying, `I’m afraid’ or `I’m gonna do something for my guys.’ You have to take a look at all the facts. I thought the facts were not there to support” Spallina’s fear, Santiago said.
“We as senior members of the Chicago Fire Department will not send you to someplace we know is dangerous. . . . An officer will get on the scene and they will assess it because they’re trained in everything. We spend a tremendous amount to make sure our people make the right decisions and are safe.”
