Firefighter appealing decision to fire him

By Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 23, 2000

PINELLAS PARK -- A firefighter who twice slept through alarms and later filed religious discrimination charges against the city has appealed his firing. Barac Wimberly, 28, was dismissed earlier this month. City Manager Jerry Mudd, who fired Wimberly, also will pass judgment on his appeal. Mudd said the idea is to give Wimberly a chance to make points or cite facts that may have been ignored in the city manager's initial evaluation. Even if Mudd upholds the firing, Wimberly still has an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claim against the city. Wimberly has said that officials and firefighters discriminated against him and treated him badly because he is a Jehovah's Witness. City officials deny the charge.

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