Trending Topics

Pa. EMT fired over private Facebook post about orphan choir

The Ford City Ambulance director said the employee was fired immediately and resigned from his position as a fire chief

By Bill Carey
FireRescue1

FORD CITY, Pa. — A Ford City EMT has been fired after allegedly sharing a Facebook post with an inappropriate comment about a visiting orphan choir from Liberia.

Ford City Ambulance Service Executive Director David Dunmire confirmed to WPXI that a longtime EMT shared a photo on the private Ford City Ambulance Employees Facebook page, showing a group of kids from the Matsiko World Orphan Choir entering the First Church of Ford City. The post was captioned, “Please make sure all doors are closed and locked. This is what we have next to the station.”


While it can be useful and effective, social media is not always simple

“They are an amazing group of kids. They are orphans from Liberia, Africa, and they come over and put on a wonderful concert,” Pastor Rany Herbe told WPXI. “They needed a place to stay for two days. We opened our church up for them to sleep in the basement of our church.”

Dunmire said the EMT removed the post and was immediately fired. He also mentioned that the employee, also a volunteer fire chief for Manor Township, has since stepped down from that role.

Trending
Firefighters, dispatchers and other first responders are speaking more openly about PTSD, burnout and stigma as more agencies expand mental health programs
Manchester fire officials marked the end of an era as the city’s last Gamewell master box transmitted its final alarm, closing the chapter on a telegraph-based system dating back to 1872
Lake Valley Fire Engineer Neil Schnaible died after suffering an on-duty medical emergency, but his decision to be an organ donor is expected to help save lives across the country
More than half of the Danielson Fire Department stepped down after borough officials opened the fire chief search to outside candidates