THE ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, FIRE DEPARTMENT’S FIRST FEMALE FIREFIGHTER, Mary Wolski, came to work in 1997 amid much publicity.
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Erie Fire Dept. Central Station
But when she was terminated ten years later in 2007, the event and the details were kept quiet. She had admitted to starting a fire in her father’s house on December 28, 2006, in a suicide attempt.
On April 11 of last year Fire Chief Tony Pol wrote her a letter of termination and detailed what Pol said was her attempt to set her father’s house on fire.
Pol wrote that Wolski disconnected the smoke detectors in the house, located in the 1800 block of East 34th Street. He said she took an overdose of medication before starting a fire.
He wrote that firefighters were dispatched to the home but that Wolski’s family members managed to extinguish the fire before they arrived. He said Wolski had to be transported to a Pittsburgh hospital by helicopter for emergency medical treatment.
“This incident renders you presumptively unsuited to be a firefighter, as you pose an ongoing threat to the safety of the public, other firefighters and yourself,” Pol wrote.
After appealing the termination, the Civil Service Commission upheld the firing with the admonishment, “(S)etting a fire … is the single most significant act a fire fighter may not commit. The act of establishing a fire in a residence is wholly incompatible with the role of the fire fighter….”
All of these confidential communications were released to the public last week when her lawyer appealed her termination to the Erie County Court. He claims the Civil Service Commission violated Wolski’s constitutional rights and the case “lacks substantial evidence” to support its decision.
Read the full story in the Erie Times-News HERE.
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