Firefighter Reinstated

By Alison Walkley
Article Last Updated: 06/18/2008 10:11:48 AM EDT

[Fairfield] Firefighter Todd Erickson has been reinstated to his position after being fired for failing to maintain his emergency medical technician certification on March 20.

A 17-year veteran, Erickson's job was terminated when it became clear that he had not kept his EMT or paramedic certification up-to-date, a condition of employment for the Fairfield Fire Department.

"FF Erickson was dismissed because he failed to maintain his EMS certification," Town Attorney Richard Saxl explained in an e-mail to the Fairfield Citizen-News last week. "He grieved the termination. The grievant and his counsel met with the Fire Commission last March and he was reinstated mainly because he had completed his EMS recertification. He was also suspended without pay for a certain number of days...As I recall it he also lost vacation days to make up for the fact that his absence was covered by other [firefighters] who received overtime pay (time and a half) to cover his time slot."

At the time of the termination, Douglas Chavenello, the president for Local 1426, attested to Erickson's negligence, but believed the punishment was "too severe for the infraction," he told the Fairfield Citizen~News.

Chavenello yesterday confirmed Saxl's account, saying that Erickson has "been reinstated at least a month."

"He received a 15-day suspension. He had hired his own attorney and we took a back seat, more of an advisory role," Chavenello said. The vacation days Saxl said he lost were actually holiday pay, according to Chavenello. He also has a disciplinary letter in his file.

"It was too severe," Chavenello said, echoing his earlier statement. "He had the certification within days of [the department] taking action. [Erickson] let it go until it became a problem, but he had it within a week. He was making an effort, a delayed effort, but still an effort."

Chavenello assured that Erickson is back fighting fires for Fairfield. "Considering the alternatives unemployment yeah, he's happy. He's got his job."

Neither Erickson nor his attorney, Jonathan Orleans of the Bridgeport firm Pullman & Comley, LLC, could be contacted before press time yesterday.