The Fire Commission Tuesday demoted the firefighters' union president from lieutenant to firefighter and suspended him five days without pay for his actions at a Jan. 1 fire after a hearing that lasted over five hours at Fire Department headquarters.
Chad Cunningham, a 10-year veteran, also must undergo 40 hours of training if he wants to be restored as a lieutenant, the commission said.
The commission of Chairman Jon D. Lumbra and Joshua Garcia said Cunningham failed to oversee properly the actions of Ladder Truck 2, the aerial ladder of which malfunctioned, disobeyed an order related to moving the truck and falsified details in reports. Cunningham was commander of Truck 2 at the 106 North East St. fire on New Year's Day.