Charlie Thomason
The Chattanooga Fire Department has terminated one of its longtime firefighters, Lt. Charlie Thomason, who had also served for several years as president of the Fire and Police Pension Board.
Thomason was placed on administrative leave on Dec. 20, 2019 over inappropriate Facebook posts on his personal page. An internal investigation was launched. It lasted several months and the decision was made to end his employment. He was fired on June 11.
Based on the facts of the investigation, Thomason’s Internet posts were found to be threatening which goes against the city of Chattanooga’s ethics policy and code of conduct, fire officials said.
“That kind of behavior is not what the Chattanooga Fire Department stands for and that kind of language on social media will not be tolerated,” Fire Chief Phil Hyman said.
Thomason does not face any criminal charges in connection with the posts. He had been with the fire department for nearly 19 years.
Thomason had stepped down as president of the Chattanooga Fire and Pension Board in early January.
Officials said at the time, "Charlie Thomason requested to resign from his role as board president to address medical issues. However, Mr. Thomason remains on the board."
Thomason was first elected president of the Pension Board in the fall of 2015.