DETROIT – A Detroit Fire EMS supervisor who was fired in June after making racially offensive Facebook posts has been reinstated.
A Detroit Fire employee and the Council on American-Islamic Relations found the posts on Capt. Tim Goodman's Facebook page offensive.
The department wrote the posts contained "discriminatory/salacious portrayals directed at Asians, Jews, Mexicans and people of the Islamic faith."
Goodman was promoted to captain in 2015 after urging an EMT who was refusing to help a baby to respond to the call.
Through arbitration he fought for his job and won, but his boss, Fire Commissioner Eric Jones, doesn't want Goodman back.
Jones said the posts were "insulting and racist."
Goodman's side argued that the department doesn't have a social media policy.
The union argued that the department is being sued by a former EMT who felt threatened by a firefighter's politically and racially charged posts, which the department deemed free speech.
To keep from losing the cases, Jones said the department will establish a social media policy for all employees.
"At the end of the day, even if there is or was a social media policy, when these things go to arbitration, the arbitrator has the final decision making authority," Jones said.
Goodman said he cannot comment. He can earn his rank back in about a year.
He was ordered to apologize to the department and the community for the posts.