By Nathan Clark
mlive.com
JACKSON, Mich. — Two years after her resignation, Jackson’s first female firefighter is suing the city for workplace and gender discrimination.
Attorneys representing former City of Jackson firefighter Annie Wallen filed a discrimination lawsuit Thursday, Nov. 21, in U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan claiming the city and her supervisors failed to adequately equip her with safety gear, provide accommodations for a woman in the firehouse and did nothing to stop harassment from her coworkers.
There were stashes of pornography in the dorm, the men slept in various states of undress, there were penis measuring contests in the showers and, in one incident, a firefighter arranged the department’s resuscitation dummies in a position making it look like they were having sex, the lawsuit states.
“The frat-boy-like atmosphere which defendants permitted to exist made it impossible for Wallen, or any other woman, to ever feel comfortable and accepted at the department,” the lawsuit states.
Named alongside the city as defendants in the lawsuit are Director of Police and Fire Services Elmer Hitt, fire Chief Tim Gonzales and former fire chief David Wooden, who retired in 2023.
Wallen’s attorney, Sarah Riley Howard, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
“Consistent with longstanding policy, the City Attorney’s Office does not comment on pending litigation,” Jackson City Attorney Matthew Hagerty said when asked for comment on the lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, Wallen said the fire department failed to provide her with standard and fitted firefighting gear in women’s sizes despite knowing for months of her hiring.
Wallen was hired into the department in 2019 using money from the federal SAFER grant, which expired a year later. She was laid off after the grant ended, but returned fulltime in 2021. She contends the department did not want to waste time or money buying gear specific to fit her unless or until she was able to prove her abilities, and the department hired her on permanently, according to the lawsuit.
Wallen said she was forced to scavenge for her own equipment from other departments, noting a colleague from the Summit Township Fire Department noticed her boots were far too big and offered her some that were smaller, but still did not fit.
She obtained gloves from the Columbia Township Fire Department and a smaller facemask from the Spring Arbor Township Fire Department, the lawsuit claims.
Additionally, for two years, she was not provided a ceremonial uniform for formal events, as male firefighter are, and had to instead attend events in an evening gown, the lawsuit states.
Wallen claims the fire department failed to provide a safe area for showering and changing clothes away from her male colleagues who engaged in group showers. For a time, she had to change in a janitor’s closet and had to wait extended times to take a shower, exposing her to cancerous substances for prolonged periods, the lawsuit states.
Outside of equipment and showering issues, the sleeping quarters for her were inadequate and created a “frat-like” atmosphere, the lawsuit claims.
In the lawsuit, Wallen contends she was told someone recorded themselves urinating on her bed. She reported the issue and nothing was done beyond an admission that there was a rumor about it going around the firehouse.
In prior interview with MLive/The Jackson Citizen Patriot Wallen said she felt welcomed by her fellow firefighters.
“The guys on my shift knew and they took me in, and they’ve been nothing but big brothers,” Wallen said. “I’ve had no issues with the guys. All the guys have been very accepting and then some. They’ve been nothing but good to me.”
Wallen wanted to fit in, according to the lawsuit. “She wanted her colleagues to be like her brothers, and sometimes she reported it as such because she so desperately wanted it to be true. And with a handful of them, it was,” the lawsuit states.
“A handful of respectful, inclusive, mature firefighters who treated her like an equal wasn’t enough to overcome the consistent, perpetual discrimination and harassment she received from the rest — including leadership,” the lawsuit states.
In October 2022, Wallen followed the chain of command to report incidents of harassment and discrimination, but nothing changed. On Oct. 31, 2022, Wallen left work early from a shift, feeling sick and overwhelmed with the discrimination and harassment she’d been receiving, according to the lawsuit.
Wallen put in her resignation notice Nov. 18, 2022, after the complaints she raised were characterized as struggles she faced due to her mental health problems.
No future court dates have yet been set.
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