Background — Setting and Issues of the Case
In 2008, 49-year-old Brian Schafer was fired from his job as a battalion chief with the Pompano Beach Fire Department in Florida. Chief Harry Small stated that Schafer’s failure to take charge at the scene of two different firers was the reason for the termination. Small also asserted that, when questioned about the incidents, Schafer had lied when he claimed that two other qualified firefighters were already in charge by the time he arrived at the scene. Supported by his union, the Pompano Beach Professional Fire Fighters Union, Schafer contested his dismissal, noting that in his 27 years ...
