Atlanta Fire Chief Suspended for Publishing Book Without Permission

Atlanta Fire Rescue Department Chief Kelvin Cochran. Credit: City of Atlanta

The chief of the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department has been suspended without pay for a month after it was discovered that he had published a book and distributed it to his men without prior authorization.

WSB-TV reports that in the book, Kelvin Cochran described his first priority is to create a culture that glorifies God. He allegedly compared homosexuality to bestiality in the faith-based book, which was published without any notification or approval from city officials.

Now the City of Atlanta wants to know how many Atlanta firefighters received a copy of the book, and whether or not the views Cochran expressed in the book could have influenced his official decisions with respect to management of the department.

A city spokeswoman told WSB-TV that Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration does not tolerate any discrimination of city employees, including firefighters.

According to his official biography, Cochran has been the fire chief for Atlanta since 2008. He previously served as the fire chief in Shreveport, LA and has spent a total of 33 years as a firefighter.