State Journal Register
Copyright 2008 State Journal Register
ROCHESTER, Ill. — Another Rochester Fire Department volunteer has resigned, saying the board of the Rochester Fire Protection District mishandled a controversy that originated with a sexual harassment charge against another member of the department.
Gary McBride, who had been a captain, paramedic and firefighter, announced his resignation in a letter to the fire chief and trustees that also was published in the Rochester Times newspaper last week. “I have been hoping that the decisions of the board would be made right, but have realized this will not happen,” he wrote.
“Since all of this happened, there has not been a meeting of the volunteers to attempt to bring everyone back together, to discuss the situation and figure out how to move ahead,” McBride added.
According to McBride’s letter, his resignation brings the total number of resignations over the incident to seven. McBride did not return phone calls seeking additional comment.
Firefighter Rob Young was suspended last spring for an incident involving allegations of sexual harassment. The fire protection board later reinstated Young after he participated in sensitivity training and read a letter of apology to the department.
Two former Rochester firefighters have filed complaints with the Illinois Department of Human Rights against the fire district. One of the firefighters also has filed a complaint against Young. The complaints stem from how the district handled their initi al complaints against Young, the former firefighters said.
Dealing with the sexual harassment allegations was complicated by the fact that the district had no formal policies in place regarding harassment, work environment, job descriptions and other matters, fire board president Terry Day said. The board expects to begin reviewing such policies in March, he said.