'Disgustingly Bigoted Comments' Investigated By Fairfield Fire Union

FAIRFIELD, CT — A former Fairfield firefighter is under investigation by the local firefighters' union, which says the former member is accused of "making disgustingly bigoted comments on social media."

Fairfield Fire Fighters Association IAFF 1426 announced on its Facebook page this week that the group was conducting an "internal review" of the matter. The former union member was not named by the union.

The union did not release specific information on what the comments were, but union President Bill Tuttle told Patch that the comments were racist in nature.

"The comments were made [Wednesday], screenshots were forwarded to me in the late afternoon," Tuttle said in an email. "The comments were racist in reference to Juneteenth."

Whether the comments have been deleted is not known, Tuttle said, in part, because he is not "friends" with the former member on social media. The former member retired from the department about 15 years ago, Tuttle said, and he was eligible for retirement benefits.

"We find the post vile, and these are in opposition to everything we stand for," Tuttle said. "These comments cause serious harm to members of our community, and they are in direct opposition to our core values and the oath we take as firefighters. We are here to help, not hurt, and we will not stand for anything that causes the latter."

The union's Facebook post offered similar sentiments. "We condemn this behavior and want to state they in no way reflect the feelings or values of the membership. The matter is being taken very seriously."

Through a spokesperson, First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick declined to comment, due to a lack of knowledge on the matter.

The union was scheduled to meet this week to discuss next steps.