A Brooklyn firefighter is being investigated after a city EMT filed a complaint alleging the firefighter called her a ‘Black b*tch’ while responding to an emergency call.
via NYDN:
The EMT, an African-American woman, said the firefighter from Engine Co. 290 in Brooklyn shouted the epithet at her Sunday as FDNY teams scrambled to Starrett City, where thousands were left without power following a blackout.
A tense discussion broke out between an EMS crew and some firefighters during one call. As tempers flared, a white firefighter allegedly yelled at the EMT, “Just do your job, you black b—-,” according to sources with knowledge of the case.
The EMT filed a complaint with the department’s EEO office a day later, a source with knowledge of the case said
The FDNY was looking into the allegations, a department spokeswoman said Friday.
“A complaint has been filed with the EEO office and an investigation has been opened,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.
The firefighter remained on active duty Friday.
Engine Company 290 is located on Sheffield Ave. in East New York and was one of the units who responded to the Starrett City blackout on Sunday morning.
A woman who relied on a respirator died when the power went off, officials said. Five people suffered minor injuries and six people were pulled from stalled elevators during the blackout, officials said.
Workplace frustrations happen, but calling someone a ‘Black B*tch’ is never acceptable.
