UPDATE: Florida firefighters disciplined over doctored ‘terrorist’ image on computer
Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department Director Kurt Wilson has taken action over an image found on the computer at Station 18. The doctored picture showed a newly hired firefighter with an “Arabic-sounding name” dressed as a terrorist and had the word “Jingle Bombs.” Also in the picture, comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham’s character “Achmed, the Dead Terrorist”. “Jingle Bombs” is a song by Dunham/Achmed.
While the new firefighter didn’t complain about the image, others did. Today (Friday) Director Wilson held a press conference to say the firefighter responsible for the image has been reprimanded and the leadership at that station has been transferred.
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The investigation found that the incident was a joke between two friends and was not a case of discrimination. Director Wilson said if it had been discrimination the punishment would have been much worse.
The firefighter violated JFRD’s electronics policy and received a letter of reprimand. A captain and lieutenant have been transferred out of the station for failing to have the image removed when they saw it.
“It’s brought the fire department in a negative light,” JFRD Director Kurt Wilson said. “It opened us up to claims on how we treat certain races and certain religions, and we’re going to defend against that, and we’re going to take corrective action immediately.”
“Where this took a wrong turn is when they brought it into a workplace, a city workplace, and put it up there,” Wilson said. “Being that this was intended as a joke, it stays a joke until somebody feels like it’s not. And at some point somebody felt like it was no longer a joke. It did not belong on city computers in no way, shape or form, and that’s why we’re taking it seriously.”
“They should have known that it was there. They should have taken actions to take that down immediately. Instead, it was left up for seven days,” Wilson said. “The officers on that crew had the opportunity to take it down the day that it was put up and instead they left it up.”
