The firing of Winslow fireman Christopher Jack was upheld by Hearing Officer Jack Parker of Flagstaff.
Jack appealed his dismissal from the Winslow Fire Department and a disciplinary hearing was held Nov. 18. Parker found that the evidence in the hearing supports the city’s decision to terminate the employment of Jack.
Cited were the facts that Jack had received five prior disciplinary notices from January 2007 to the date of his notice of termination on Oct. 17, 2014. These included failure to respond to an emergency call and failure to report for duty in 2011, and an annual performance evaluation in 2012 that said he failed to meet standards in three separate areas. In 2013, he received a suspension for failing to respond to emergency calls and failure to report to duty. In March 2013 he received a letter from the city manager confirming the suspension without pay and with the following additional language: “Any further misconduct, whether of a similar or dissimilar nature being discovered or occurring will result in further disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.”
On Oct. 17, Fire Chief James Hernandez delivered the termination notice to Jack, citing prior incidents and an incident concerning three fires in downtown Winslow which alleged that Jack did not have proper equipment with him to fight the fire and otherwise perform his duties.
Testimony from Hernandez and several firefighters that were weighed into the decision by Parker.
