Report: Two Firefighters Accept Punishment in Sex Scandal

Two employees of the Philadelphia Fire Department have accepted punishment for their roles in a departmental sex scandal, NBC 10 reports.

The two were part of a group of seven members of the department — including two battalion chiefs, a captain, a lieutenant, two firefighters and a paramedic — scheduled to face disciplinary hearings this week. The pair waived their right to a hearing; what punishment they face is still unknown.

The hearings stemmed from allegations that became public in January, that a “female paramedic engaged in sexual acts with multiple co-workers in firehouses throughout the city while they were both on-and-off-duty,” NBC 10 says.

The firefighters union, led by president Joe Schulle, has been angered by the process. Schulle says the union has been provided with incomplete and sometimes contradictory reports about the nature of events.

Philly’s Fire Department currently has no policy about fraternization and several sets of spouses work within the department — some in supervisory roles, he said.

No allegations were made by the female employee at the center of the scandal against the battalion chiefs, said Schulle, who added she was coerced by department officials into making the complaint.

“She was told if she did not file a complaint, she would be required to sign a document stating nothing inappropriate had occurred,” he said.

No word, yet, on the outcome of hearings against the remaining five departmental employees.

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