Former Fla. Firefighter To Get $10,000 Over Hazing

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.- A former firefighter who was bound with plastic handcuffs last year during an apparent hazing incident will receive a $10,000 settlement. Krystyna Krakowski resigned from the Coral Springs Fire Department in January. She was notified of the settlement with the city of Coral Springs earlier this month, records show. At the time of the February 2003 incident, Krakowski was a probationary firefighter. She told investigators she was roused from her sleep at a station by five male co-workers. A blanket was thrown over her head, and her ankles were bound with plastic handcuffs. The firefighters involved in the prank fled when she struggled, investigators said. According to a city memo, Krakowski was treated for post traumatic stress disorder. She also said she was ostracized by some of her fellow firefighters, prohibiting the teamwork required to safely do her job, an Oct. 5 memo from Deputy City Attorney John Hearn said. Coral Spring's insurer settled the case in the "best interest" of the city, although it found "no wrongdoing" on the part of the city, Hearn's memo said. An investigation into the incident resulted in the firing of two firefighters. However, the two firefighters were later reinstated after an arbitrator decided termination was too severe a punishment. Coral Springs is about 13 miles north of Fort Lauderdale.

(AP article here)