Vernon Fire and Rescue Services
Image Credit: FILE PHOTO
November 30, 2018 - 9:53 AM
VERNON - Surveillance video of a Vernon firefighter engaging in sexual activity with another employee of the fire service — in their fire chief's office — led to their dismissal earlier this year.
According to a decision last month from an arbitration panel, Vernon Fire Chief David Lind installed a hidden video camera in his office when he became suspicious after files went missing from a locked filing cabinet. Instead of capturing video of a thief, two employees were recorded engaging in intimate physical activity. He confronted the employees and they were dismissed.
The arbitration document details the events that led to Lind installing a camera, and they depict a fire hall with severe internal problems. There were allegations of members refusing to talk with each other, accusations of bullying, and suspicions of document theft. In 2017, Lind found his cabinet in his office unlocked on several occasions.
Lind secretly installed a camera in his office to find out who had unlocked his cabinet. After a few months with no activity, Lind contemplated removing the cameras. But in March of 2018, upon reviewing of the previous day's footage, he saw two employees using his office for a sexual rendezvous. Lind interviewed the employees the next day and dismissed them.
The arbitration document details how the employees protested this dismissal, calling it an invasion of privacy. After a review of the footage, it was determined that the video could be used as evidence in the hearing.
— This story was corrected at 1 p.m. Nov. 30, 2018. An earlier version incorrectly identified both fired employees as firefighters.
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