When Los Angeles Firefighter Edward Brockschmidt made his first appearance on the job, he believed his issues with the area and the flames section were over.
Brockschmidt was placed on paid leave by the Los Angeles Fire Department for refusing the Covid vaccination in 2021, he told The Federalist. He was placed on paid leave by authorities for more than two decades. Finally, after giving him a religious exemption and sending him back to work, they fired him in August 2024 for breaking the vaccination mandate, which was no longer in effect.
” Proper procedures were not followed because their goal was to get as many people vaccinated as possible” , , Brockschmidt told The Federalist. ” There’s a few of us that dug our feet in the ground and said,’ You can’t do this to us, we’re following the law and the rules”.
Since therefore, Brockschmidt had to get jobs elsewhere. More than 100 rescuers were placed on paid left, and the office fired 12 in 2022 for breaking the vaccine mandate. As fire ravage the place, the LAFD continues to be severely understaffed.  ,
Forcing Conformity
Brockschmidt has been with the LAFD since 2014, he said. By October of that year, the city government required all provincial employees to report their immunization status and receive a Covid vaccine or deduction.
” The office kept putting out these threatening notices — information notices — in our stations like,’ If you don’t accomplish this, you will obtain penalty upwards and to termination,'” Brockschmidt said. ” We’re like,’ You didn’t do that. A coalition represents us. You can’t simply pass them.'”
A fire who wanted to remain unnamed for fear of reprisals shared a “direct purchase” and compliance notice with The Federalist.
strong order to fulfill the vaccination authority, page 1.
direct order to fulfill the vaccination authority, section 2.
A notice requiring firefighters to record their vaccination standing
A notice that the LAFD sent to its users regarding the Covid vaccine mandate
The timeframe for city people to get their Covid vaccinations was eventually extended to December 18, 2021. Brockschmidt also hadn’t complied by Dec. 7, but a captain came by the stop. He said he asked to report their talk, but the captain refused.
” They get this captain to come by saying,’ How’s a 48-hour see so that you know that you’re in infraction,'” Brockschmidt said. It was consistently threatened against me and others that if you were to file this may spark further punitive actions.
Everything happened after the 48-hour notice, he said. But on Dec. 15, the LAFD Valley Bureau sent him a observe on dark letter.” ‘ As of December 15, at 0800 time ‘ — or whatever it is,’ you’re relieved of duty without give,'” the text read, according to Brockschmidt.
” It was that day in 2021 that they removed my spend and put me on control.” And I spent more than two centuries on leave without getting paid,” Brockschmidt claimed. I was not given the opportunity to support my case during my more than two-year absence.
Avoiding According Method
An arbitrator ruled in the firefighters ‘ favor in November 2023 after the city’s firefighters ‘ union sued the city. ” The decision was that we be made circle, generally, so full backpay and all kinds of stuff”, Brockschmidt said. He claimed that the LAFD also owes him hundreds of thousands of dollars in returning pay.
He claimed that some firefighters were working without pay at the time, and the main immediately let a select few who requested exemptions return to their jobs. Since there were so few firefighters on the force, Brockschmidt claimed the LAFD may have recalled them to the field.
” Why not take all of us again”? Brockschmidt said. ” Naturally speaking, good-faith talking, that’s what would happen. Clearly, that’s not the case”.
Brockschmidt and many other firefighters were kept off-duty by fire department leaders, he claimed, though the LAFD did start paying him suddenly from December 2023 to February 2024.  ,
But in February, officers began his reading with the “board of privileges”, an internal evaluation panel. During the hear, they took away his pay afterwards. According to Brockschmidt, committee hearings typically only last a few days because board members designate it as their “priority.”
They are not permitted to do anything other than appear on this table and be present for this, Brockschmidt claimed. ” That wasn’t the situation”.
He pled” no innocent” with the table, and his next hearing was set for April. Nevertheless, he says he was still not being paid — stuck in “limbo”. Brockschmidt completed a religious exemption shape in April.
” I talked to my reverend at church and all. I was like,’ Everything about this is bad, registering my perception,'” he said. ” I filled it out. I didn’t stop out everything, I filled it to the T, submitted it”.
Weeks afterwards, he said, the LAFD’s Covid-19 Exemption Review Committee denied the request.  ,
” You may give it a great trust, interactive process before denying one’s spiritual ideas”, he said. ” Clearly they didn’t treatment”.
Therefore, Brockschmidt and a colleague created an charm. ” All we did was express how they can’t refuse it”, he said.  , Within 24 time, he said, it was approved — but not by the provision commission. ” We got an endorsement internet signed by ‘ Fire,'” Brockschmidt said. ” No title, no committee, only’ fire.'”
Before the committee of right hearing, Brockschmidt claimed that staff could file a spiritual exemption up until their dismissal. He secured this provision in April.
To obtain a spiritual deduction, Brockschmidt requested a notarized letter and Los Angeles’ lodging form. The fine print on the official form states that “employees who hold a honestly held spiritual belief may be engaged in an interactive approach and accommodated, inadequate an undue hardship to the City.”
Ex Post Facto
Brockschmidt was scheduled for additional committee hearings the summer, even after the area rescinded its vaccination mandate in June, despite getting his exemption. He claimed that he repeatedly requested to return to work, which authorities rejected.  ,
” It’s not in consequence again. You don’t discipline on this point again”, he said. ” I’m like,’ Well, what the devil? Why are they never putting me again?'”
” Chief can do whatever she wants, whenever she wants to. If she wants the committee to halt, she may prevent it”.
Chief Kristin Crowley has been active subverting the office with DEI, according to the Federalist.  ,
After Brockschmidt’s repeated attempts, authorities let him start working afterwards. Brockschmidt returned to his task for the first time since 2021 in late July 2024, and he had been able to work for almost a month. However, he was scheduled for his final table of right hearing in late August.  ,
” They came to a decision to terminate me”, he said.” ‘ This choice would have been made prior to the renegotiation and I would have been terminated if it had taken place in a timely manner. They even viewed me submitting a religious provision as rude and affecting, and I think dishonest, not only to the town of L. A., but to the people we serve”.
Board of freedom ‘ decision in Brockschmidt’s situation, p. 1. Courtesy | Edward Brockschmidt’s lawyer
Ruling, p. 2. Courtesy | Edward Brockschmidt’s counsel
Ruling, p. 3. Courtesy | Edward Brockschmidt’s lawyer
Brockschmidt’s see of elimination. Courtesy | Edward Brockschmidt’s counsel
Brockschmidt was fired on Aug. 29, 2024. He claimed that some sheets of right actually reviewed circumstances, but he “made the decision to use that as a tool.”
” There was this enmity toward me”, he said. ” The decision to terminate seemed to be motivated by my acceptance of the provision and my declaration of spiritual ideas.”
Logan Washburn is a staff writer who writes about the dignity of elections. He is a The College Fix flower 2025 brother. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo’s journal assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan grew up in rural Michigan but is originally from Central Oregon.
