Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Jeremy Finney was, by all accounts, a model firefighter — until he lost his cool. The outburst cost him two ranks.
Finney has served nearly 16 years in the department and was a member of the Tactical Medical Response Team, which accompanies SWAT teams on dangerous missions. He helped kids learn about firefighting through the department’s Explorer program. He was a counselor at a union camp for burned children.
But he lost his temper with a homeless man in 2017, daring him to fight. He was demoted last month past the lower rank of lieutenant to paramedic.