(ran PC edition of PASCO TIMES)
After receiving criticism from Spring Hill residents, fire Chief J.J. Morrison on Monday suspended three firefighters accused of raping a 32-year-old woman.
Morrison’s decision came almost two months after he learned that Lt. John Ferriero, 39, Edward Falk, 39, and Tom White, 38, were being investigated for the assault of a woman at an Altamonte Springs firefighters’ convention.
No action was taken against the firefighters until local newspapers reported about the investigation last week.
The firefighters are suspended with pay until the State Attorney’s Office in Seminole County decides whether to press charges. Prosecutors could decide this week.
The firefighters admitted to having sex with the woman but said it was consensual, authorities said.
In a written statement, Morrison said that he suspended the firefighters because he feared a “negative perception” among residents who have long supported the Spring Hill Fire Rescue District.
“In order to prevent the potential erosion of this hard-fought public confidence, I am taking this administrative action,” Morrison said.
He wouldn’t comment further.
Morrison first learned of the investigation in June, when a detective with the Altamonte Springs Police Department told him that a woman had filed a report saying she was raped at a firefighters’ convention on June 2.
The woman, who lives in Spring Hill, told police that she had been invited to the convention by Falk, a married man she had been dating. She said she became “extremely intoxicated,” and that the three men had sex with her in a hotel room north of Orlando.
The Times is withholding the woman’s name because of the nature of the allegations.
The woman filed a police report 24 days after the incident and told authorities that she waited because she was intimidated by Lt. Ferriero’s position in the department. He is president of the union and Falk is vice president.
Morrison helped detectives find the firefighters for interviews about June 27. He did not publicly reveal any information about the investigation until last week.
He did not suspend the firefighters and said the Altamonte Springs detectives assured him early on that they had no evidence to substantiate the woman’s claims.
However, when the investigation was revealed, Sheriff Richard Nugent and other public safety officials in Hernando County said that they would have suspended the men until they were charged or cleared.
The woman at the center of the controversy said on Monday that the suspensions came too late.
“Why now, because the secret is out?” she said during a phone interview with the Times.
Bob Kanner, the chairman of the fire commission who is also running for County Commission, said many residents asked him about the investigation while he put up campaign signs in Spring Hill this weekend.
Kanner said he sensed “discomfort” in their voices.
“Never do I want someone to hesitate when they call 911,” Kanner said.
He said he “strongly recommended” to Morrison on Monday that the chief suspend the firefighters.
Kanner plans to ask that the district hire an outside agency to perform an internal affairs investigation into the incident.
Kanner said he learned about the investigation in July from the woman who filed the report.
Last week, Kanner said he felt suspensions were unnecessary because the police assured him that they had no evidence.
On Thursday, Kanner doubted the woman’s story, saying: “I mean, what was she doing in a hotel with all those firefighters?”
On Monday, he said: “I sincerely regret the fact that the victim has to live through this. It’s a very, very embarrassing situation. The fire district has received a tremendous black eye.”
Commissioner Richard Martin said on Monday that he wants the district to revise its policy on employee conduct. He wants the policy, currently vague, to specifically address behavior expected from employees, on and off the job.
“We need to let other members of the district know that such actions will not be tolerated,” he said. “We certainly don’t want to have this problem repeat itself.”
Commissioner Jeffrey Hollander said that he does not know whether he wants the three firefighters to continue working for Spring Hill.
He said he would evaluate the situation after hearing whether the men are charged.
“What bothers me is that these three firefighters are exceptional at their jobs,” he said. “I think public perception is going to matter a lot. We’ll have to listen and take action appropriately.”
