By The Tribune-Review
Copyright 2007 The Tribune-Review
NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. — The former operations manager of a North Huntingdon ambulance company filed a lawsuit Wednesday in which he claimed he was fired for alerting board members that the company’s chief did not have proper medical certifications.
William R. Blair filed the two-count lawsuit under Pennsylvania’s whistleblower law, claiming his Sept. 10 firing came as retaliation by board members of Rescue 8.
Blair, who was initially hired as the company’s operations manager in 2005, contends he learned in August that Chief Nicholas Janosek did not have a valid emergency medical services license, a certification required for ambulance workers.
According to the lawsuit, Janosek challenged that finding and later provided proof to Rescue 8 officials of a valid license. Officials of the Emergency Medical Services Institute, through e-mails sent to Blair, affirmed that Janosek’s license had been invalid and later reinstated after the Blair inquiries, according to the suit.
“The defendants unlawfully retaliated against the plaintiff by discharging him because ... the plaintiff had lawfully and properly fulfilled his duty of investigating the current EMS licenses of Rescue 8 personnel, including Janosek, and then reporting to EMSI and to the employer that Janosek did not possess a current EMS certification as required for proper licensure,” said the lawsuit filed by attorney Lawrence Kerr.
Chris Price, new operations manager for Rescue 8, declined to comment on the lawsuit. Janosek could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Blair wants a county judge to reinstate him in his job and for Rescue 8 to pay him an unspecified amount in compensatory damages. Blair is asking for a jury to award him an undesignated amount in punitive damages.