FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — A former fire and EMS captain is suing the Franklin County Public Safety Department for discrimination, harassment and retaliation, claiming that sexism is a major problem within the department.
Rena Jennings filed suit in federal court on February 13, following an investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which issued her a Notice of Right to Sue in November of 2025.
In the complaint, Jennings, who was hired in 2003 as a firefighter and paramedic, alleged she had faced years of discrimination as the department’s only female captain. She also claimed that her promotion process in 2020 was unusually delayed, and that then-Chief Ferguson indicated county leadership did not want a woman in the role…