A Horsham Township firefighter is out of a job after being heard using a racial slur over the county radio while responding to a vehicle rescue on County Line Road. The member was pulled from duty after returning to the firehouse on Tuesday and was immediately fired, according to the fire company. The on-air remark has rattled some neighbors and fellow first responders who heard about the incident.
Scanner audio reviewed by CBS Philadelphia captured the firefighter saying "You dumb f***ing n*****" while units were en route to the scene around 4 p.m., the outlet reported. Horsham Fire Company Chief Lee Greenberg told CBS the comment was made in frustration over traffic and called it "a lapse in judgment." Greenberg said the firefighter, who had been working as both a firefighter and an EMT with the company for about a year, was "very upset" and apologetic after being fired.
This is not the first time the department has found itself under scrutiny over a member's conduct. Last year a fire police officer with Horsham Fire Company No. 1 was terminated after authorities said he allegedly impersonated a law-enforcement officer during a road rage confrontation, according to reporting by WPVI/6abc. That earlier case prompted similar questions about oversight and where the line is drawn on off-duty behavior for fire company members.
Fire company response
Horsham Fire Company No. 1 said it "maintains a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is inconsistent with our organizational values and professional standards" and announced that "all personnel will undergo sensitivity and workplace professionalism training," per CBS Philadelphia. The company apologized to anyone offended by the comment and stressed that the words of one member do not reflect the character of its volunteers and career staff. Chief Greenberg said leadership is committed to making sure members conduct themselves professionally at all times.
Why it matters
Horsham Fire operates as a combination department with both career staff and volunteer members, according to Horsham Fire Company No. 1, which fields staffed ambulances and volunteer crews around the clock. Department leaders say firing the member and rolling out additional training are meant to protect public trust and uphold professional standards in emergency response.
