Could burned DC firefighter be forced to retire? Sgt. Michael LaCore is worried law won’t give him a chance to get back to work.
Joe Morgan
Almost anyone who works in a city government, or other large bureaucracy, has had their share of frustrations about things that don’t work quite the way they are supposed to. We have all heard about good intentions having disastrous results. If you ask many District of Columbia firefighters to talk about this topic, they will likely tell you about what they believe is one of the great injustices they have seen in their careers —- the forced retirement of Joe Morgan.
Early on Sunday morning, May 30th, 1999, Joe Morgan crawled out of a burning Northeast home, with burns so severe, doctors weren’t sure he was going to survive. But despite his own injuries, Morgan immediately told his fellow firefighters that Louis Matthews and Anthony Phillips were still inside. Firefighters Matthews and Phillips died. Joe Morgan lived, and while his injuries would never allow him to fight fires again, he eventually went back to work training other firefighters.
That changed when Joe Morgan was forced to take a disability retirement. The DC City Council had altered the rules in an effort to crack down on police officers and firefighters who were on limited duty for an extended period. News accounts and council testimony at the time chronicled what many thought were abuses of the system.
But you didn’t hear anyone say that Joe Morgan abused the system. Just the opposite. From the mayor, to council members, to the fire chief, to his fellow firefighters, everyone called Joe Morgan a hero. This hero ended up with a disability retirement salary less than what he could have earned if he had stayed on with the department.
Now the focus is on another DC firefighter in a very similar situation. When STATter 911 interviewed Joe Morgan, two days after four firefighters were burned in a row house fire on October 29th, Morgan expressed concern that Sgt. Michael LaCore, the most seriously injured of the crew from Engine 4, could find himself facing the same problem that he did.
Sgt. Michael LaCore with son
Two days after he drove a fire engine home from the Burn Unit of the Washington Hospital Center, Michael LaCore says he is very worried he won’t be allowed to go back to work. LaCore and others believe, a requirement that he must get back on the job within 64 days could mean the end of the veteran firefighter’s career.
Sgt. LaCore said Friday night, “There’s no way I’m going to get back to work in 63 days. It’s impossible with the injuries i got.”
Lacore’s mother, Madeline, recently a sent an email to DC City Council members, and other city officials, alerting them to this issue. Madeline LaCore and members of IAFF Local 36 also met this week with Judiciary Committe Chairman Phil Mendelson.
Another council member, Jim Graham, said, “I think Michael LaCore’s case demonstrates the need for having a close look at this”. Graham said it is possible that people like Michael LaCore, if given more time, could come back to full duty.
Contacted earlier in the week, a spokesman for DC Fire & EMS Chief Dennis Rubin said the chief is aware of the situation and is working hard to address this issue.
Michael LaCore said Friday about Joe Morgan, “Everybody knows what they did to him was just totally wrong”.
When STATter 911 talked to Joe Morgan on October 31st, he was hoping something would change, so Morgan wouldn’t have to say, what happened to Michael LaCore was wrong.
Disclosure: Madeline LaCore, Michael LaCore’s mother, has worked with me at Channel 9 in Washington for many years.
Email Madeline LaCore sent to city officials:
Vincent C. Gray
DC Council Chair
Dear Council Chair Gray,
I am the mother of Sargeant Michael LaCore, who was critically injured on October 29th, 2007. He received 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 50% of his body. His doctors tell me had he received these injuries ten years ago, they would not have been able to save him. I am now writing to request a meeting with you to discuss some serious issues regarding his case and the DC retirement law.
Thanks be to God, a very confident Dr. Jim Jeng and the prayers of many, he is with us today and progressing well. Sgt. LaCore has been with the DC Fire Department for twenty years and loves what he does. He is a husband and father of three biological children.
While Lt. Morgan’s case is the most glaring, he is not the only one. Several firefighters have been forced into early retirement, after suffering on the job injuries. The testimony given on October 31st, 2007 by the wife of Firefighter Floyd Aldridge is another recent example of a bill that needs to be revised.
Our family has been informed that a firefighter has been in a full duty status with a salary of nearly 70 thousand dollars. He has not rode a fire truck, ambulance or performed firefighting duties for 22 years, even though he did not receive on the job injuries. However, he was assigned to the audio visual department, and in October 2007 was assigned to DC Public Schools to guard the fire exits. This is an example of duties that can be performed by injured members.
Hopefully, Michael will be home by Christmas of this year. His doctors are very optimistic and tell us that, after a long journey, Michael’s health will be restored 98%. He will have had about 63 days off the job this year. I doubt seriously, that he will return to work by March of 2008. This means he will be out on disability for more than 128 days for 2007 and 2008 combined.
heeks, Michael has said to me, “Ma, please don’t let them retire me”. I cannot change the law for him but I can plead his case and will continue to do so until this law is changed.
I know your schedule is loaded with things you may deem more important. But this issue is important to Michael and all firefighters, who put their lives on the line for you and all the citizens of this city, daily.
I’m happy to schedule a meeting with you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Madeline LaCore
