MERIDIAN, Idaho — Several Meridian City departments, and employees, are named in a new civil lawsuit – accused of intentionally falsifying data.
That lawsuit was filed in February, by an Ada County woman who says she was hired last year to compile data on response times for the city's fire departments.
The lawsuit claims a Meridian Fire Deputy Chief was "dissatisfied with the data” and instructed her and her colleagues to "modify the data by omitting unfavorable data, emphasizing other data, and manipulating both the data and the presentation of the data to ensure favorable outcomes."
I've talked with multiple fire chiefs in the department in the last year, who pointed directly at long response times for reasons they needed new and improved facilities.
I reached out to the city for comment and they told me the fire department did not falsify any data and that they "firmly disagree with the complaint and allegations made and will be addressing those issues in court."
The former employee is demanding a jury trial, citing emotional damage and wrongful termination.
I've reached out to the parties involved to talk more about the claims and we'll keep you updated as we learn more.
The following is a statement from the Plaintiff's counsel on the lawsuit —
[Plaintiff] lost her job for putting the health and safety of Meridian residents above her own job. She exemplifies the character we all expect, and hope to see, among employees within fire departments in our community.
Arbitrary manipulation of fire response data undermines decision-makers’ ability to make informed, accurate decisions about the provision of public facilities and emergency response resources that are absolutely critical to the health, welfare, and safety of Meridian residents.
[Plaintiff]’s remarkable integrity ought be an inspiration to public servants across the state. It would have been much easier to ignore. Instead, [Plaintiff] reported the likely illegal and wasteful manipulation of data she observed first to the deputy chief responsible directly, and then up the chain of command, and gave Meridian Fire Department and the City of Meridian every opportunity to do the right thing. Unfortunately, her employers at Meridian responded by circling the wagons to ignore her reports, opting instead to protect the image of the political brass within the department over the safety of Meridian residents by punishing [Plaintiff] professionally.
We are optimistic that where the City of Meridian failed to properly investigate reports of illegality and waste, the court and a jury of [Plaintiff]’s peers will appreciate the importance of accurate fire response data - and public servants willing to insist on it.
The following is a statement from the City of Meridian on the lawsuit —
The Meridian Fire Department did not submit manipulated or false data and officially received Accredited Agency status through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) and the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. This accreditation represents the hard work and dedication of the Meridian Fire Department, and we firmly disagree with the complaint and allegations made and will be addressing those issues in court. Accreditation was received for meeting the extensive criteria established through CFAI’s program, which is validated through assessments and technical reviews by their organization. Meridian Fire Department is the first in Idaho to achieve this status with CFAI. We are proud of the Department’s efforts representing government transparency at its finest and providing premier services to our community.
