A Colorado firefighter has filed suit against the Platteville-Gilcrest Fire Protection District, Fire Chief Daniel J. Durkee, the Town of Platteville, and the Town of Gilcrest, alleging that he was terminated after repeatedly raising concerns about firefighter training, public safety, nepotism, discrimination, and payroll practices. The case was originally filed in Weld County District Court and was later removed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado after the plaintiff amended his complaint to include federal claims.
According to the First Amended Complaint, Lieutenant Christopher M. Kennison was hired by the Platteville-Gilcrest Fire Protection District in February, 2019. He alleges he brought 26 years of fire service experience to the department, including 18 years as a career firefighter with the Brighton Fire Department. During his tenure with the district, he received the Chief’s Merit Award, a Company Citation for a carbon monoxide rescue, and promotions to Engineer and later to Lieutenant.
Kennison alleges that throughout his employment he repeatedly raised concerns about issues affecting firefighter and public safety. Among the concerns identified in the complaint were inadequate firefighter training, the placement of unqualified personnel into operational positions, mandatory overtime holdovers following 48-hour shifts to conduct training, unsafe evaluation practices, alleged nepotism involving promotional decisions, disparate treatment of the district’s only African American firefighter, compensation issues affecting recruitment and retention, and concerns over the district’s billing practices for federally funded wildland deployments…