A current St. Louis County Fire Academy recruit is speaking only about what he calls a hostile work environment for future first responders.
ST. LOUIS (KMOV/Gray News) - A current St. Louis County Fire Academy recruit is speaking out about what he calls a hostile work environment for future first responders.
“I’m certainly confident that I will probably be blackballed in St. Louis County,” said fire recruit Deontay Johnson.
According to Johnson, the academy turns a blind eye to discrimination, racism and bullying during training.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, I know that they are other people who feel uncomfortable going through St. Louis County Academy,” Johnson said.
Past and present recruits agreed it’s a problem but were too worried about retaliation from leadership to go on camera.
“A student, a fellow recruit, made a comment and said just randomly, ‘Do you have HIV because I wouldn’t want a mosquito to bite you and then to land on me,’ said Johnson.
The 29-year-old works for the Kinloch Fire Protection District, but all prospective firefighters in St. Louis County must go through the county’s academy.
“There’s like the undertone of how people maneuver, how they do things, preferential treatment for certain groups of people,” he said.
Johnson sent an email to his supervisor in October listing his concerns and said he had not received a response.
In the email, Johnson states, “a recruit made a comment to me that was highly inappropriate and could be perceived as a...
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