Firefighter claims city fired him over immigration post, let others slide

Nine days later, on March 15, the worker entered the IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery. He completed residential treatment on April 22, 2026, and during that program received a PTSD diagnosis. According to the complaint, his symptoms – disrupted sleep, impaired concentration and memory, heightened stress responses, and difficulty regulating emotions – predated the social media post but went undiagnosed until residential treatment.

The city’s human resources department acknowledged his medical leave, requested FMLA paperwork, and received completed certification from the treatment facility. A treating physician cleared the worker for unrestricted duty effective May 6, 2026.

The hearing

The merit commission hearing took place on May 26, 2026. The worker, represented by counsel, testified about his PTSD diagnosis, his residential treatment, and his continuing care plan. He described the social media post as a lapse during a mental health crisis and said it did not reflect his willingness or ability to serve all community members, according to the complaint.

He told the commission he had stopped using social media, completed four cultural-competency classes totaling nine hours, and was in ongoing therapy and peer support. He accepted the five-day suspension and asked for a two-year period of continued employment to demonstrate his rehabilitation. The complaint frames this as a request for reasonable accommodation under the ADA – essentially, let him keep working under structured conditions including ongoing treatment, social media restrictions, and compliance monitoring rather than firing him outright.

The commission voted four to one to terminate his employment that day.