DENVER — A former fire captain is suing the Denver Fire Department over allegations of gender discrimination.
Colly Fisher worked for the department for 23 years and became one of its first female engineers and captains.
In the lawsuit, Fisher claims gender discrimination ended her career with the department last year.
Fisher described the department as “an extremely male dominated culture,” where “even women who succeed … are held to a higher standard than their male counterparts.”
“Even as women have made significant strides in other settings, DFD has remained steadfast in its effort to limit the ability of women to succeed in its training program and be accepted as firefighters,” stated the lawsuit. “Even women who succeed within the department are held to a higher standards than their male counterparts and are prevented from obtaining promotions and other advancement opportunities for which they are qualified.”
The suit states that when Fisher complained to supervisors, she was terminated. Fisher was also ordered to participate in an “unauthorized training exercise” that left her injured, causing chronic pain and permanent limitations, reported Denver ABC7.
City Attorney Shaun Sullivan released the following statement to CBS4: “We were recently served with the complaint and will thoroughly evaluate the claims and decide how to proceed in handling the case. Out of respect for the process, we do not comment on pending litigation.”
Fisher and her attorneys declined to interview regarding the suit.