Firefighter gets another last chance

A Spokane firefighter who was caught skipping work in 2007 to teach high school will get another “last chance” and has served a second 60-day suspension after violating sick leave policy earlier this year.

The Spokane Civil Service Commission this week voted unanimously to uphold the new disciplinary action for Firefighter James Frederick who appealed the new punishment, arguing that mental impairment led him to violate sick leave policy earlier this year.

“The current medical research shows that chronic back pain, diabetes and steroid treatment all cause cognitive problems,” Frederick wrote in a letter to the commission. “I have had all three of these conditions this past year.”

Read Jon Brunt’s story here.