Ex-Natick Firefighter Suing Town, Claims Wrongful Termination

NATICK, MA — A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a fired Natick firefighter alleging that he was let go from the department after refusing to falsify medical records.

Skylar Sarkisian began his one-year probationary employment in February of 2022, and the lawsuit said his time with the department featured no critiques until a few weeks before he was fired.

The one critique he received came on Jan. 18, according to the lawsuit.

On that date, Sarkisian was ordered by the department's EMS Coordinator to "certify that a Paramedic had performed an Advanced Life Support assessment on a patient when no such assessment was performed."

The lawsuit said that this was a "common practice" at the department and describe it as a "revenue raiser by the NFD as it caused insurers to pay Natick for assessment services that were never rendered."

Less than two weeks later, the lawsuit said, Natick tried to terminate Sarkisian.

Not only that, but on Jan. 31, the lawsuit said, a deputy chief "refused to dispatch Mr. Sarkisian's Engine 4 to two different medical emergency calls — despite the fact that Engine 4 was the nearest available company — apparently in order to keep Mr. Sarkisian in the West Natick Fire Station to allow Chief Ferschke to hand him a termination letter at the Chief's convenience."

It is also stated in the lawsuit that Sarkisian wasn't terminated for unsatisfactory performance or other shortcomings, but because it was the department's "absolute right" to fire him during the probationary period.

Natick has denied the allegations in an additional court filing, stating that the town "strongly disagrees with the allegations in the lawsuit, and intends to vigorously defend itself and Chief Ferschke."