Out of Providence, Rhode Island, a longtime firefighter was terminated for his unethical response to an African-American woman’s medical call.
According to WPRI-TV, Andre Ferro arrived at the elderly woman’s apartment, who said she was enduring a “nosebleed that would not stop.” Ferro then said to the unidentified woman, “stop eating fried chicken.” The revelation was confirmed by Ferro to the city’s Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare, but Ferro stressed that the comment was made “in the context of other types of foods to avoid such as cheese, bacon, and burritos.”
Per a statement written by the board, “After considering his previous disciplinary history, Ferro’s conduct of March 15, 2017 and the context in which it arose and the potential damage to the reputation of the Providence Fire Department as a result of firefighter Ferro’s conduct, the board finds the only appropriate penalty to be imposed is termination.”
This isn’t the first time Ferro has come under the scrutiny of the city’s fire department. He was found guilty of breaching the company’s sexual harassment policy and was fired in 2008. However, he was later “reinstated as a result of an arbitration award and a last chance agreement.”