20% OF THE ENTIRE CAPE CORAL, FLORIDA, FIRE DEPARTMENT have been served with varying levels of disciplinary actions arising from an event following a FF funeral.
After fellow firefighter Gene Griffith was laid to rest in late September, a contingent of his fellow FF’s went to the Diamond Billiards tavern to unwind. While nothing untowards was reported at the time and the barkeep noted that “They were the most well-respecting group of people I have seen in a very long time,” the next day an email was sent to various city officials complaining about the firefighters’ conduct.
The complainant Ralf Vidal sent a detailed description saying he witnessed a “disgusting display of public indecency.” Vidal says he saw a fireman expose himself and urinate on another man’s shoes. During an interview however, Vidal admitted that he wasn’t even in the bar at that time but had heard about it from someone else.
The city continued to investigate anyway and concluded that some “inappropriate” behavior had taken place and the fire chief handed down disciplinary actions against all 42 department members who were in the bar. He issued 12 hours of suspension for 13 supervisory personnel, written reprimands for 11 engineers, and documented counseling for 18 other firefighters.
