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Home / Lifestyle

Firefighter claims she was fired over 'racy' Instagram photos

NZ Herald
2 Feb, 2020 09:43 PM5 mins to read

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A US female firefighter is suing her former department after claiming she was fired over "racy" photos she posted on social media. Photos / Instagram

A US female firefighter is suing her former department after claiming she was fired over "racy" photos she posted on social media. Photos / Instagram

A US female firefighter is suing her former department after claiming she was fired over "racy" photos she posted on social media.

Presley Pritchard, a former firefighter paramedic with the Evergreen Fire Rescue in Montana, has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit that accuses her superiors of gender discrimination after she was fired in August, the Daily Inter Lake reports.

The 27-year-old, who is also a fitness influencer, believes she "directly targeted due to how I looked in my gym attire" as she shared photos and videos of her workout routine to her 100,000 fan base on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

Everything happens on a mental level before it manifests on a physical level. This is why it’s so important to get your mindset right. You have to believe in yourself no matter what the external circumstances are; No matter who tells you that you can’t, No matter who laughs at you or tells you pretty girls aren’t meant for this job. . Fear is a waste of creative energy. Each time you let lies in & doubt yourself, you block yourself from opportunities that could change your life. Let them talk. Let them laugh. Let them doubt. We give too many people the power to lower our vibrations. Stand true to your own frequency. Your mind is a weapon. KEEP IT LOADED. - Shirt @ninelineapparel || code: Presleykp Hair @tcstyling 📷 @jmkphotomt . . . . . . . #thinredline #firefighter #femalefirefighter #medic #paramedic #womeninuniform #relentlesslypatriotic #ninelineapparel #instadaily #2020 #newyear #blessed #tbt #2020 #photooftheday #instagoodmyphoto

A post shared by Presley Pritchard (@presleykp.fit) on Jan 2, 2020 at 3:36pm PST

Her lawsuit states that she was unfairly singled out for her status as a fitness influencer.

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Unfortunately, her online presence caused a rift at her firefighter department in 2018, when Jack Fallon, a member of the Evergreen Fire District Board, began raising concerns about the account.

READ MORE:
• Expert warns workers to check their employer's social media policy to avoid awkward blunders
• Five dumb ways people get fired
• Indiscreet social media posts put jobs on the line
• Beware of what you share online

Pritchard told Vice the complaints continued throughout the following year.

"It was just ongoing — they would call me in for everything," she said. "It was just always like walking on eggshells there."

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She added that she was out 20 times for issues involving her account, including what she wore to the gym and in other photos on the page.

Most of Pritchard's photos feature her dressed in workout clothes, but others show her in bathing suits, posing with friends or shooting guns.

"I actually got issued men's uniform pants. So I was like wow, fine, I'll wear men's pants! Are you serious? Am I supposed to leave my butt at home?"

Pritchard also told Vice that despite facing harassment, her male colleagues posted similar photos of themselves posing shirtless on their feeds.

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"It's just really, really hypocritical," she told Vice. "It just sucks, because you see firefighters out here with these sexy firefighter calendars, and if females did that, they would literally be like, beaten to death."

According to Pritchard's lawsuit, she was ultimately fired after being asked to remove several photos of herself wearing her firefighter uniform, as her managers said it blurred the line between her work and her personal brand.

View this post on Instagram

“They say don’t look back, but sometimes it’s important to see how far you’ve come.” 👀 #flashbackfriday 🚓 {{ @ninelineapparel hat & thin blue line shirt || code: Presleykp to save 20% ) . . . . . . . #shooting #pewpew #america #secondamendment #ninelineapparel #relentlesslypatriotic #womeninuniform #fbf #friday #shoot #weapons #pewpewlife #guns #ammo

A post shared by Presley Pritchard (@presleykp.fit) on Jan 24, 2020 at 10:11am PST

However, Pritchard said her lawyers advised her she didn't need to remove the photos, as her department did not have any sort of standard social media policy.

Pritchard was still fired for not removing the photos.

She filed her lawsuit in December, claiming she was ultimately let go due to sexism and a double standard favouring men.

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