FL Battalion chief follows fire chief out door after sexism charges that include ‘no bitch Tuesdays’
The news is pretty ugly these days at the Hallandale Beach (FL) Department of Fire Rescue. Two weeks ago, Fire Chief Dan Sullivan was fired after an investigation discovered that Sullivan allowed a “culture of fear, intimidation and hostile management.” Sullivan had been on paid leave for six months. The investigation began because of Sullivan’s involvement in a dispute over a deputy chief’s concerns about a female administrative analyst being able to do her job while pregnant.
Susannah Bryan of the Sun Sentinel now reports Battalion Chief Jeff Lyon has been fired over harassment charges that included his reference to shifts without female firefighters as “no bitch Tuesdays.” Other allegations include that Lyon asked female firefighters about their sexual orientation and made comments about women not belonging in the fire service because they can’t do the job.
Lyon, through his attorney Randy Fleischer, denies these allegations, but admits that a racial incident did occur.
“The stuff they’re saying is really ridiculous,” Fleischer said. “Most of the things happened years ago. One of the most damaging things said about him was [that he referred to a black] firefighter as a token. Lyon [didn’t know the firefighter was in the room and] apologized to him twice. That’s the only thing he admitted to.”
Lyon denied making derogatory comments or berating his female subordinates, but the city manager noted that the incidents were corroborated by several witnesses.
