D. Wayne Usher didn't think his employer would mind. In fact, Usher, a paramedic for Spotsylvania County, Va., thought county officials would be pleased he was letting the public know when the eight emergency service stations were staffed and what kind of equipment each of them had. \n So he listed all of that information on his Web site under the heading, "Are YOU being PROTECTED right now? Are You Comfortable Knowing That Your Family may or may not get an ambulance?" \n Turns out the county, north of Richmond, Va., wasn't happy with Usher posting the information, though it was accurate. \n The county especially didn't like that Usher, a seven-year veteran, went to the media with the information. A local newspaper printed several stories that criticized the county fire and rescue system and an editorial cartoon that showed a fire and rescue station with no staff. \n What's a county to do when something like this happens? Fire the paramedic, that's what. \n In a letter to Usher, the county said his conduct had "an adverse effect on the county's interests...and on the confidence of the public in county government." \n County Administrator L. Kimball Payne said Usher's Web site might have been mistaken for an official government site. In any case, it made the public less confident about the services being provided by the county. Some who visited the Web site thought no services were provided at certain locations, causing a lot of criticism, Payne said. \n He is all for free speech, the county administrator added, but that doesn't allow you to go to a crowded theater and yell, "Fire." \n "We didn't take the action that we took lightly," Payne told a reporter. \n For his part, Usher has filed suit in federal district court to get his job back. He asked for a preliminary injunction and a restraining order against the county. \n "Government officials do not lose their First Amendment rights simply because they work for the government," said Thomas H. Roberts, a lawyer for the fired paramedic.
All models were at least 18 years old at the time of their performance. 18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement.
