CITY WON’T PURSUE FIRE SUSPENSION
Chicago Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago on Wednesday defended his 60- day suspension of a lieutenant who refused to send underlings into an area where they might be exposed to Ebola but said the city will accept an arbitrator’s ruling overturning the suspension.
Santiago said the decision not to appeal the arbitrator’s ruling had nothing to do with the no- confidence vote taken Sept. 21 by the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2. Nor was it a response to the 2,300 people who signed union- circulated petitions expressing disappointment when the union thought the department would challenge the arbitrator’s ruling.
“I made my decision based on the facts. . . . We gave it our best shot. [ But] if you look at all of the facts, I did not feel confident that the city would win. . . . I did not want the city to lose,” the commissioner said.
On July 12, arbitrator Jacalyn Zimmerman overturned Lt. Steven Spallina’s suspension. She ruled that Spallina was “not guilty of insubordination” because he had an “entirely reasonable fear that detailing one of his members . . . would pose a grievous risk of harm to that member, one which went well beyond anything inherent in the profession.”
“Risking exposure to Ebola is not a routine detail, and it is not a normal risk,” the arbitrator wrote.
Still, Santiago defended the suspension.
“Too many people depend on us when we make deci- sions. We have to respond. That’s what we do. If you don’t go out the door when people call for help, that would be a problem for fire service,” Santiago said.
He added, “We as senior members of the Chicago Fire Department will not send you to someplace we know is dangerous. . . . An officer will get on the scene and they will assess it because they’re trained in everything. We spend a tremendous amount to make sure our people make the right decisions and are safe.”
Local 2 President Tom Ryan said he’s “obviously pleased that the city will not pursue any action towards vacating the arbitrator’s ruling.”
“We will now concentrate our efforts in making sure Brother Spallina is made whole as was mandated,” Ryan wrote in a text message.