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Lehigh Acres Fire Commissioners decided to interview one and only one candidate for the job of Fire Chief.<\/p>\n
Currently Battalion Chief John Wayne has been serving as interim Fire Chief. But during the last fire board meeting Tuesday night something changed the board\u2019s paid consultant Dr. Mary Ellen Dorsett (Chairperson of the Fire Commission at Iona- McGregor Fire district) had only one applicant. Dorsett said this is the only one with the qualifications the board requested that applied. And I\u2019ve known this man for 15 years. Then she announced his name, Bernard W. Becker III of North Royalton, Ohio.<\/p>\n
Currently Becker has no Florida Fire Fighter or EMS certifications but according to a letter from the Florida Department of Financial Services, he would have to pass the fire fighter written and practical exams.<\/p>\n
Currently Becker is the Director for the Center for Emergency Preparedness at Cleveland State University.\u00a0 In 1997-2008 he served the community of Clearcreek Fire District, Warren County, Ohio as Fire Chief.<\/p>\n
But during a quick Google search after the meeting this was found out about Bernard W. Becker III.<\/p>\n
The Twelfth District Court of Appeals (in Ohio) on July 26, 2010 affirmed the decision of the Warren County Court of Common Pleas to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Bernard Becker III, the former Fire Chief of Clearcreek Township, against Local 4207 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. Local 4207 is the union representing firefighters employed by Clearcreek Township.<\/p>\n
Becker claimed in his lawsuit that the Local committed defamation against him when it submitted a letter to a Township official in February, 2008, alleging that Chief Becker had inappropriately touched employees, peeped at employees while they were in a state of undress, made inappropriate sexual comments, and otherwise abused his authority. The letter was supplied to a Township official after that official, having been told of some of the allegations, requested that those allegations be placed in writing. The letter requested that the Township conduct an investigation into the incidents.<\/p>\n
Becker could have requested a hearing on any charges that might have resulted from an investigation if the Township wanted to take disciplinary action against him. Instead, he voluntarily resigned his position as fire chief, but then filed the lawsuit against the Local for defamation.<\/p>\n
On February 24, 2010, the Court of Common Pleas entered summary judgment in favor of the Local and against Becker. The Court noted that the letter was prepared by a Local official with the assistance of several other individuals, and that the letter was based upon incidents recalled by those individuals, or set forth incidents that were witnessed and recalled by other individuals and which were brought to the Local\u2019s attention by the witnesses to those incidents.<\/p>\n
The Court also noted that the Local had supported its motion for summary judgment with affidavits from witnesses swearing to the truth of the incidents set forth in the February, 2008, letter. In fact, 17 people had supplied affidavits stating that they had been the victim of Becker\u2019s inappropriate conduct or had witnessed the incidents recounted in the Local\u2019s letter. While Becker contended that each of the witnesses was lying, the Court indicated this contention was not enough to support a claim for defamation against the Local. The Court stated the following: “Plaintiff must refer the Court to some circumstance appearing in the record that would show that the Union entertained serious doubts about the truth of the allegations when the letter was written. He has failed to do this.” Accordingly, the Court entered summary judgment for the Local, and the lawsuit brought by Mr. Becker was dismissed.<\/p>\n
Former Chief Becker filed an appeal to the Court of Appeals. He fared no better with the Court of Appeals. On July 26, 2010, the Court of Appeals ruled that he could not as a matter of law prevail in his case against the Local and upheld the dismissal of his lawsuit.<\/p>\n
Currently Becker is attending online College at Columbia Southern University finishing his Doctor of Business Administration. You should know that Lehigh Acres Former Chief Don Adams has been teaching at Columbia Southern University since February of 2008.<\/p>\n
Becker has applied to Indian Beach Fire EMS, Manassas Fire EMS, Fond Du Lac Fire EMS, Los Alamos Fire EMS, Richmond Hts Fire EMS, Ft Myers Beach Fire EMS, Bald Head Island Fire EMS, and Cape Coral Fire EMS and was rejected as an applicant. Now he has applications at Hardee County Fire EMS, Iona McGregor Fire EMS and Lehigh Acres Fire EMS.<\/p>\n
The following links are two interesting articles on Bernard W, Becker III.<\/p>\n