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Kelvin J. Cochran

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Kelvin J. Cochran
U.S. Fire Administrator
In office
January 1, 2009 – May 8, 2010
Preceded byGregory B. Cade
Succeeded byGlenn A. Gaines
Fire Chief, Atlanta Fire Department, Atlanta, Georgia
In office
August 16, 2010 – January 6, 2015
Preceded byJoel G. Baker
Succeeded byJoel G. Baker
(Named Interim Chief)
Personal details
Born (1960-01-23) January 23, 1960 (age 64)
Shreveport, Louisiana
Parent(s)George and Jane Houston Cochran
Residence(s)Atlanta, Georgia
OccupationFire Chief; Author

Kelvin J. Cochran (born January 23, 1960) is an author, public speaker, former Administrator of the United States Fire Administration, and former Fire Chief of Atlanta Fire Department.

Early life

Cochran was first hired by Shreveport Fire Department in 1981 serving as a trainer and assistant fire chief. Mayor Keith Hightower later appointed him the first African-American fire chief of Shreveport, Louisiana August 26, 1999.[1] He helped the New Orleans Fire Department in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina[2] and went on to serve positions in the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) from 2006 to 2007.

He worked under mayor Kasim Reed starting January 2, 2008 for Atlanta Fire Department, prior to being appointed US Fire Administrator in July 2009 by President Barack Obama where he worked extensively with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Department of Homeland Security to prevent fires and improve fire response. He maintained this role until returning to Atlanta on May 8, 2010 and being re-appointed as Fire Chief of Atlanta Fire Department August 16, 2010.[3]

Suspension and firing

Cochran made national headlines when he was suspended 30 days without pay starting November 24, 2014 because he distributed a book he had written to employees in which he discusses the Bible's views on sexuality, adultery and (briefly) homosexuality among other topics. Cochran's book is entitled Who Told You That You Were Naked?[4] On January 6, 2015, after returning from the suspension, he was informed that he would have to resign or be terminated.[5][6]

A rally was held in Atlanta on January 13 in support of Cochran, with various leaders of faith attending including Bishop Wellington Boone, president of the Fellowship of International Churches.[7]

Various traditionalist groups including the National Organization for Marriage,[8] the American Family Association,[9] and the Family Research Council[10] have started petitions asking for his reinstatement as Fire Chief. Deputy Chief Joel Baker has replaced Cochran as the active fire chief of Atlanta Fire Department.[11]

On February 18, 2015, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of Cochran by the public interest law organization Alliance Defending Freedom and over 2,500 private attorneys on grounds of religious discrimination against the City of Atlanta. The case, Cochran v. City of Atlanta, is in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division.[12][13] On March 25 the City of Atlanta filed a brief to U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May asking for the case to be dismissed; however, Cochran's lawyers say that their response fell short.[14] On October 14, May said she would soon issue her ruling.[15] On December 16, 2015, Judge May ruled that the lawsuit could proceed.[16]

Firing ruled unconstitutional

On December 20th, 2017, United States District Court Judge Leigh Martin May ruled that the City of Atlanta's termination of Mr. Cochran was unconstitutional. The court found the the city's policies restrict non-work speech, and that “the government can’t force its employees to get its permission before engaging in free speech”.[17]

Bibliography

  • Who Told You That You Were Naked? Paperback, ISBN 978-0985496852

See also

References

  1. ^ "Oral History Project - Civil Rights; Kelvin J. Cochran". Archived from the original on 2015-02-06. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Meet the Chief: Kelvin Cochran, Atlanta Fire Department". FireRescue1. Retrieved February 5, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ "Fire Department Members". Atlanta.gov. Archived from the original on 2013-08-29.
  4. ^ "Atlanta fire chief suspended after distributing his religious book to employees". Washington Post. November 26, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  5. ^ "Fire chief defends his stance on homosexuality". Times-Herald. January 7, 2015. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Fire chief fired after gay comments in book". USA Today. January 7, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  7. ^ "Rally backs fired Atlanta fire chief whose book has anti-gay comments". CNN. January 13, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  8. ^ "Urge Mayor to Reinstate Fire Chief Ousted for Expressing Faith". NOM. January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  9. ^ "Stand with Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran". AFA. January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  10. ^ "Stand with the Christian Fire Chief fired for his faith". FRC. January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  11. ^ "Atlanta Chief Cochran Suspended After Penning Book Condemning Homosexuality". Firehouse. November 24, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  12. ^ "Former Atlanta fire chief sues over his firing". Times-Herald. February 20, 2015. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Memo to Atlanta's Mayor: Reinstate Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran". Fox News. February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  14. ^ Wetzstein, Cheryl (March 26, 2015). "Ex-Atlanta Fire Chief Cochran didn't get written permission to write religious book: City lawyers - Attorneys seek dismissal of his wrongful-firing lawsuit". Washington Times. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  15. ^ Wetzstein, Cheryl (October 14, 2015). "Attorneys for Kelvin Cochran tell court he was wrongfully terminated". Washington Times. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  16. ^ Beasley, David (December 17, 2015). "Lawsuit by ex-Atlanta fire chief critical of homosexuality to proceed". Reuters. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  17. ^ "Court says Atlanta policies violate First Amendment freedoms of former fire chief, others". Alliance Defending Freedom. December 20, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
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