Orlando Sentinel
FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. — Fruitland Park Fire Chief George Fernandez was fired by city officials after fellow firefighters handed in a letter to the city, detailing a list of complaints, officials said Tuesday.
A letter sent from Fruitland Park firefighters, a volunteer fire department, on Aug. 20 to City Manager Gary La Venia details a list of complaints and a plea to dismiss Fire Chief George Fernandez.
The firefighters allege Fernandez is responsible for the department deteriorating and a hostile work environment. Fifteen out of the 20 firefighters at Fruitland Park signed the five-page letter as a vote of no confidence.
“It’s a volunteer fire department and you have to have a leader in that type of department,” La Venia said to the Orlando Sentinel. “That just wasn’t the case here.”
La Venia sent a short, one-page letter to Fernandez on Sept. 2 relieving him of his duties.
“Your actions over the last few days have completely eroded any confidence or credibility I have in your ability to lead this department,” La Venia said in the letter. “This feeling is clearly shared, as evidenced by the Vote of NO Confidence, by all or at least a clear majority of the members, to include all of the ranking officers, in the department.”
Firefighters allege that since Fernandez was appointed the head of the department, it “has steadily deteriorated in terms of morale, performance, direction, vision, and mostly damaging the perception of the department’s integrity and firefighters by the public.”
The firefighters said in the letter he had a lack of leadership that has lead to a “non-existent moral” and a hostile work environment in the department.
“Firefighters have left or been forced to resign from the department and staffing has been at its lowest levels missing calls for the citizens,” the letter said.
The letter also says Fernandez is unprofessional and has “bad on scene command decisions,” which the letter says is a liability to the city and employee.
In February, Fernandez was appointed by La Venia to be the fire chief and he said at the time Fernandez had the “knowledge, experience, education and professionalism necessary” to lead the department.
Michael Laming, who was the first signature on the letter, has been named interim fire chief for the department. He didn’t want to comment on the list of grievances or Fernandez’s departure.
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