Outspoken fire official ends career William Kaempffer, Register Staff January 10, 2003 NEW HAVEN — An outspoken member of the fire service, who was terminated and later regained her job, has retired after 19 years in the department. Sheryl Broadnax became the first woman in the department’s history to hold an officer’s rank when she made lieutenant in 1996 and continued through the ranks to become the drillmaster at the city fire academy. She also was among a group of minority firefighters who successfully sued the city in a series of lawsuits over promotional practices in the department. One of the successful suits forced demotions in the 1990s, creating a deep divide in the department. Broadnax retired with an annual pension of $42,136. She did not return a call for comment. A former president of the New Haven Firebird Society, a fraternity representing minority firefighters, Broadnax served on the front line of bitter battles for racial equality in the department’s promotional process. But in February 2002, the New Haven native and another minority firefighter were ousted by the Board of Fire Commissioners for their roles in copying a personnel file from a computer in fire headquarters. Supporters say the terminations were retribution for successfully fighting illegal practices in the city. Detractors say the firings were long overdue and claim that both Broadnax and Lt. John Brantley, the other fired officer, flagrantly flouted department rules for years without discipline. In a decision that criticized both Broadnax and the department, the state Board of Mediation and Arbitration overturned her firing last November and ordered her reinstated to the department. The panel did not award full back pay, however, effectively transforming the firing to a six-month, unpaid suspension. As president of the Firebirds from 1989-1992, Broadnax was instrumental in getting the practice of "stacking" declared illegal by a judge. The city had previously promoted firefighters to future openings from expired civil service lists. The practice discriminated against minorities, a judge ruled. The Firebirds’ lawsuit left lasting scars in the department. Six lieutenants and two battalion chiefs were demoted after the ruling. And in March 2002, Broadnax was a plaintiff in another successful lawsuit against the city. In that suit, a judge declared a second promotional policy illegal but ordered no demotions. Brantley, another plaintiff in the suit, also appealed his firing and is awaiting a decision. ©New Haven Register 2003