N.H. man seeks his job, lost wages
The Associated Press
LOUDON, N.H. — An emergency medical technician has filed a complaint contending he was fired for reporting safety violations involving other Fire Department members.
Alerts Robert Phillips is asking the Department of Labor to reinstate him and reimburse him for wages lost since he was fired Sept. 7. The town argues that his complaint should be dismissed because his claim — that his employer’s internal policies are being violated — is not covered by the state’s Whistleblowers Protection Act.
The town’s lawyer also says that Phillips’s poor attitude and insubordination were legitimate reasons for dismissal.
According to state Labor Department documents, Phillips said he spoke with Fire Chief Jeffrey Burr several times last summer about department members responding to emergencies wearing inappropriate clothing such as shorts or baseball jerseys and without necessary gear. Phillips said Burr addressed some of the concerns at a staff meeting but denied his request for a new rule requiring that ambulance crews bring all appropriate gear on calls.
“The fact that the fire chief was satisfied with the existing policies [which are in compliance with the law] and did not choose to adopt Mr. Phillips’s suggestions for new policies does not support a valid whistleblower’s complaint,” the town’s lawyer, Lauren Irwin, wrote to the Labor Department.
The Whistleblower s Protection Act states that an employer may not fire, threaten, or discriminate against any employee who reports “what the employee has reasonable cause to believe is a violation of any law or rule adopted under the laws of this state, or the United States.”