Lawrence ousts 2 in parties at fire center

LAWRENCE -- A local firefighter and civilian dispatcher were fired yesterday for hosting parties at the city's fire dispatch center, which allegedly included cocaine, beer, and sex, officials said.

On Thursday, during the overnight shift, firefighter Ysidro "Junior" Cordero and dispatcher Judy Brito were caught on videotape drinking Bud Light and snorting what appeared to be cocaine in the center's radio room, Mayor Michael Sullivan said in an interview.

The video captured several unidentified others, who were not city employees, walking in and out of the center. At least one of them also took part in the drinking and alleged drug use, officials said.

"The actions I took today are because we had two individuals who were clearly violating the city's employment regulations against engaging in illegal activities on the job and in general shirking their duties," Sullivan said, adding that he is considering criminal charges against them. "We are continuing our investigation and are very interested in trying to identify the [other] people."

Neither Cordero nor Brito could be reached yesterday. An official with the Firefighters Union Local 146 could not be reached for comment.

City officials installed a surveillance camera in the old city firehouse on Bodwell Street after receiving a tip this month about overnight parties there. Cordero and Brito had worked together on several occasions in the past two or three months, Sullivan said.

Cordero and Brito allegedly had sex while working, but officials had no evidence and fired the two based on the evidence from the videos, Sullivan said. By law, he added, the city cannot install cameras in changing rooms or sleeping areas.

The fire dispatcher's job is to notify the correct firehouse about emergency calls. All 911 calls initially go to the Lawrence Police Dispatch Center before they are routed to the Fire Department's dispatch center. Police would have been alerted if calls to the fire dispatch center went unanswered, Sullivan said.

Cordero, a civil service employee who earned $46,562 a year, has five days to request a termination hearing, Sullivan said. Brito, who made $33,357 a year, can request an appeal through the firefighters union. Cordero was hired as a traffic control officer by the Police Department in 1988. He moved to fire dispatch in 1994 and became a firefighter in 1998, city personnel records show.

Brito had worked for the city since 2000. She was hired as a Police Department secretary and then was promoted to dispatcher in May 2001, according to city records.

"We are very saddened the action of a couple of individuals who have not taken their sworn oath and duty to the city seriously have left us to defend a department that by all other standards of measure is doing a superb job protecting the city and keeping our citizens safe," Sullivan said.

Caroline Louise Cole can be reached at cole@globe.com.