'No Beards' Policy Lands DC Fire And EMS Back In Court: Reports

WASHINGTON, DC —Several firefighters and paramedics with DC Fire and EMS are asking a judge to throw out the city's policy restricting facial hair, claiming the policy restricts their right to wear it for religious reasons, according to multiple reports.

The motion was filed by DC Fire and EMS employees Steven Chasin, Calvert Potter, Jasper Sterling, and Hassan Umrani, WTOP reported. According to the court filing, all four men wear a beard due to their Muslim or Jewish faith.

The motion is asking a judge to hold the District in contempt based off a 2007 ruling that previously allowed them to wear facial hair.

According to a report by Fox 5, the city enforced a new policy after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, DC Fire and EMS said there was an increased need for protective face masks and "the presence of facial hair interferes with the mask’s seal."

According to court documents obtained by Fox 5, the four men claim they were forced to work in office positions. They also claimed they earned less money during their reassignment period and had fewer opportunities for overtime and holiday pay.

According to the men, the District's revised policy violates the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, passed by Congress and signed into law in 1993.