PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Tim Heaton, Former Lieutenant of New York City Fire Department (FDNY)
1:11:08
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3 min
Tim Heaton, a former FDNY lieutenant, testified against the nomination of Muriel Goode-Trufant for Corporation Counsel. He shared his experience of being terminated due to not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and argued for the reinstatement of city employees dismissed under the vaccine mandate.
- Heaton questioned the scientific basis for the vaccine mandate and other COVID-19 measures.
- He criticized the city's continued legal efforts to prevent terminated employees from returning to work.
- Heaton urged the Corporation Counsel to allow former employees to return to their jobs, citing recent court rulings in favor of workers in other cities.
Tim Heaton
1:11:08
K.
1:11:09
My name is Tim Heaton.
1:11:09
I was a lieutenant in the FDNY in FDNY until 3 years ago when I was placed on leave without pay for not getting the COVID vaccine.
1:11:17
I was summarily terminated on July 6, 2022 after 22 years of service.
1:11:22
That I'm here today still testifying, try to trying to return to work is patently absurd.
1:11:28
Four and a half years ago, while most of the city in America were shut down and working from home, myself and my FDNY coworkers were out on the streets of New York City going to emergencies of all kinds, from fires to gas leaks to auto accidents and assisting EMS on calls, many of which were CPR.
1:11:45
These close interactions with civilians made it obvious to me that there was no way I had not been exposed to the COVID virus.
1:11:51
And therefore, there was no logical reason to get a vaccine, especially when a blood test confirmed I had the COVID antibodies.
1:11:58
Now if you remember back then, the scientists were all saying natural immunity didn't exist or wasn't as good as immunity from the vaccine.
1:12:05
They have since retracted that assessment.
1:12:07
They also said to wear masks, but last year when Canadian wildfires were causing smoke to fill the air in New York, the scientists said the mask didn't work because the smoke particles were too small to be blocked.
1:12:18
I'm pretty sure the virus is even smaller.
1:12:21
They also told us to keep 6 feet apart, but I've since admitted they just made that up.
1:12:25
They told us the vaccine would keep you from getting COVID and keep you from passing on to others.
1:12:30
We now know that is untrue to the point that the scientists and politicians are claiming they never said those things even though we have it on video.
1:12:38
With all that being said, can we finally admit that those of us who didn't get the vaccine are not and were not a danger to our fellow citizens?
1:12:47
And that after 4 years, we have learned many of the things they claimed as science in 2020 and 2021 have been shown to be false.
1:12:56
So I ask, why am I not still not return to the career I had?
1:13:00
Why did the mayor lift a mandate but refused to be us to be allowed to go back to work?
1:13:05
And if the mayor and others did nothing wrong, why do they insist I sign a waiver of my rights before even being considered eligible to return to work?
1:13:14
Mayor Adams, when asked about us returning to work, likes to say it's up to the courts, But the courts have spoken numerous times and have ruled that we were wronged and entitled to return to work.
1:13:24
It is the mayor and the corporation council that continue to defy those judges orders and appeal those ruling rulings.
1:13:31
Last year alone, the city spent $5,000,000 on lawyers to fight us being returned to work.
1:13:36
And while $5,000,000 may not be a lot of money in the overall budget, I am positive that money could be better spent on more important items.
1:13:43
In fact, returning all of us to work with back pay and back time would have cost a lot less than $5,000,000 and would have made a lot more sense.
1:13:52
The course courts across the country are ruling for the workers.
1:13:55
In fact, last month in Super Liberal San Francisco, workers were returned to work and granted damages.
1:14:00
It is time no.
1:14:02
It's past time for the corporation council to see the damage they continue to inflict and stop delaying the inevitable and end its blockade of the good employees of this city being allowed to return to the jobs they love and have done for years, in many cases like mine, decades.
1:14:19
Thank you.
