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Ridgewood firefighter Whistle blower Kevin Reilly awarded $3.5 million
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
(RIDGEWOOD-NJ) The jury awarded him $3.5 million on Monday to Ridgewood Firefighter Kevin Reilly . Reilly claimed that he reported two incidents in which firefighter safety was at risk to his supervisors and no corrective action was taken .Reilly claimed the violations were caused by his supervisors themselves . Later the supervisors retaliated by passing him over for promotion to lieutenant and gave him unflattering reviews without his knowledge.
Reilly’s allegations claimed the supervisors actions put him in danger during the 2009 Woodside fire.Reilly claimed the deputy chief at the time ordered him to enter the structure although Reilly had limited air supply, the low-air alarm then went off while he was inside the structure and the deputy chief then took Reilly’s radio and flashlight and ordered him to exit the structure without his basic safety equipment..
The article in the Bergen Record did not name the deputy chief and the fire chief involved ,but sources close to this blog have named Jim Bombace as his superior and Mark Bombace was the other lieutenant.
Though readers are skeptical over the size of the verdict award many support Kevin Reilly’s actions. One reader went on to say ,”I do not know Kevin Reilly, but he has my respect and admiration. Not knowing the particulars in the case, I have to believe that the 6-0 verdict to award him 3.5M must have been warranted. Can you imagine what the judgment would have been had Kevin been critically injured or worse yet killed while on the job … 10M? This is a very expensive lesson for the Ridgewood Fire Department … let’s hope they learned it. God bless you Kevin Reilly for going the distance and keeping your fellow firefighters safe.”
