Fire Fighters File Suit Against Hualapai Valley Fire District

January 24, 2007 -- Six members of Kingman, AZ Local 4191 has filed a lawsuit against the Hualapai Valley Fire District in Kingman, Arizona, charging that the Fire District violated their constitutional rights. The suit in federal court arises from the terminations of Local 4191 members James Schnabel, Kamrin Dooley, Mike Carlson, Randall Nyberg, Jeff Campbell and Oscar Lopez – all of whom were employed in good standing with the Fire District before being discharged.

“It’s hard to believe that this kind of intimidation and violation of individual rights and freedoms can take place in this day and age,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “I want to put the Hualapai Valley Fire District, its Fire Chief and its Board of Directors on notice that we will use the full force of the 280,000 members of the IAFF to bear on this matter. We will protect our members’ First Amendment rights, no matter how long it takes to correct this injustice.”

Beginning in 2006, Schnabel, Dooley, Carlson, Nyberg, Campbell and Lopez, who are employed by the Kingman Fire Department and the Hualapai Valley Fire District’s fire department, were subjected to a systematic campaign by the Fire District of coercion, interrogations and, eventually, terminations.

The purge of union members began with the firings of Chapter Vice President James Schnabel and Kamrin Dooley following their efforts to raise numerous issues of public concern with Fire District Fire Chief Wayne Eder. Following the terminations of these Local 4191 leaders, Chief Eder and members of the Hualapai Valley Fire District Board of Directors began an investigation other Local 4191 members which resulted in the termination of Carlson, Nyberg, Campbell and Lopez.

“Fire Chief Eder has shown no interest in working with Local 4191 to improve the Fire District’s ability to protect the citizens it serves,” says Kingman Local 4191 President Robert Borker. “Unlike many fire departments, Chief Eder and the Hualapai Valley Fire District Board have taken the position that you are either with us or against us. Unfortunately, this approach negatively affects the ability of the Fire District’s fire fighters to do their jobs as effectively as possible.”

“This is clearly a heavy-handed attempt to break the fire-fighters’ association and prevent it from speaking out on matters of legitimate public concern, such as the ability of Hualapai Valley Fire District to adequately protect its citizens,” Schaitberger says. “The IAFF will remain involved in this matter until justice is done, and these and all other Hualapai Valley fire fighters are treated with the respect, dignity and legal protections they deserve.”