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Fire dept. on lawsuit: Pregnant firefighter insisted on working

Former Tampa firefighter Tanja Vidovic is suing the city in federal court, alleging sex discrimination

By FireRescue1 Staff

TAMPA, Fla. — In response to a lawsuit, a fire department claims a pregnant firefighter insisted on working in the field much longer than others.

Tampa Bay Times reported that former Tampa Fire Rescue Personnel Chief Jace Kohan testified that Tanja Vidovic worked in the field much longer than other pregnant firefighters before her.

“There were many people who had concerns about the safety of her, her crew and her unborn child at eight months pregnant going into burning buildings,” Kohan said. “We’ve never had that in the history of Tampa Fire Rescue.”

Vidovic, according to Kohan, requested to be allowed to maintain her regular work schedule of 24 hours on and 48 hours off while pregnant.

Vidovic’s attorney claims that she was treated differently than men in the department, according to the report. Her attorney said she was reprimanded for communicating outside the chain of command.

Kohan was questioned over requiring Vidovic to complete a fit-for-duty test. He said the test was ordered because there were complaints from co-workers of her not being able to do her job and that she couldn’t walk 25 feet from the lobby to his office without being out of breath.

The trial will resume Monday.

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