MFD fires 5 cadets after sexual harassment investigation
Probe came after several women filed complaints
Five male fire cadets have lost their jobs with the Milwaukee Fire Department after a sexual harassment investigation, the department said Friday.
The announcement comes weeks after a Milwaukee Fire Department acting lieutenant was criminally charged with sexual assault and harassment of a female co-worker.
The department’s administrators launched an internal investigation into the cadets’ conduct after receiving complaints Monday from several female fire cadets, according to a department statement.
The five cadets were fired Thursday based on the findings from the investigation.
Milwaukee fire cadets are recent high school graduates who have been selected for a 2-year apprentice-style program to become firefighters. The annual starting salary for cadets is $23,437.
Those who successfully complete the cadet program earn a spot in the next Fire Department recruit class. The Fire Department and the city’s Fire and Police Commission, which is responsible for hiring, have tried to attract women and minority cadets to boost diversity in the heavily male department.
In the statement, the Fire Department reiterated that it takes harassment claims “very seriously” and has several policies addressing it. Department officials were not available for an interview on Friday.
Fire Department employees who know of discrimination or harassment are required to report it to a supervisor or face discipline themselves.
Those found to have engaged in discrimination or harassment are subject to discipline, including firing.
Earlier this month, a Fire Department heavy equipment operator, Michael Peden, 35, was charged with second-degree sexual assault.
Prosecutors say Peden was serving as an acting lieutenant when he repeatedly groped a co-worker and gave her low marks on her work evaluation after she complained.
Peden has pleaded not guilty and is due back in court in January. His attorney, Rebecca Coffee, has said he denies the accusations and maintains his innocence. Peden is the subject of an ongoing internal investigation at the Fire Department.