Lauderdale, Florida Fire Chief Demotes EMS Veteran

On Tuesday, City Manager Floyd Johnson announced on a live radio show that four paramedics were being fired before the men had been notified.

The next day, more than 50 firefighters descended on the fire-rescue administration office to protest the firings.

On Friday, Fire Chief Otis Latin demoted a popular, 18-year veteran based on accusations that he was bad-mouthing the chief and the department's medical director, union officials said.

Keith Earle, who technically held the rank of lieutenant but who had been acting as an EMS captain for the past five years, got no advanced warning or hearing. Latin simply called him to his office Friday afternoon and told him he was being demoted, said union president Ian Kemp.

Earle, 52, will lose 5 percent of his pay and will go from driving an SUV as a supervisor to working on a fire engine.

Latin did not return several calls seeking comment Friday afternoon. Neither of his deputy chiefs could be reached, and Latin's assistant, Jeff Justinak, declined to comment.

Earle "is an EMS guru," union representative Mike Salzano said. "He's one of the most senior guys when it comes to EMS and training, and we're going through all these problems with EMS and training.

"This has been a rough week," he said. "It puts us down even more."

Latin this week fired four paramedics who did not try to resuscitate a young man who died in police custody after being pepper sprayed. One of those paramedics, Keith Webster, could not pass an exam that tested his paramedic skills, but Latin hired him anyway and then allowed him to become the lead medic on a rescue truck.

The fired medics said they did not try to resuscitate the man, Raymond Sterling Jr., because he was dead by the time they got to him.

Department rank-and-file are standing by them. They had a fund-raiser for the men Wednesday.

Union officials reviewed their contract Friday to see what they can do to get Earle's position back.

"The sad part of this story is he's not being removed for his qualifications or lack of performing his duties," said union president Kemp. "He's being removed from his duties because the information the chief has -- and it's not substantiated -- is [Earle] has concerns on the way things are being done, as a large majority of our members do."