Fury over payout for child porn ex-fire chief Frank Sheehan
When the figures were put to him he said: “I’m not making any comment. No, no, no, go away.”
But Chris Downes, of the West Midlands Fire Brigades Union said: “Members feel very let down and angry that he has been allowed to receive his pension in full.”
And today firefighters reacted with disgust to their disgraced ex-chief’s pension pay day.
They claim his generous pay-out is typical of the “them and us” culture in the brigade where senior officers get preferential treatment to rank and file firefighters.
One watch commander with 15 years in the job said: “We thought he’d get a lump sum of between £70,000 and £90,000 but were staggered when we heard what it was.
“Everyone’s furious and I’m personally really disappointed with the fire authority for giving him such a good deal.
“In the past Sheehan has sacked people for much lesser offences and they’ve had their pensions frozen until they’re 65.”
A station commander, who retired last year, said he was incredulous when he heard how much his former boss was getting.
“It’s an absolute disgrace - if it was one of us we would have been treated differently and had to wait till he was 65 for his pension but he gets his straight away,” he said.
“Although he escaped with just a caution it’s still a recordable criminal matter and that should affect his pension.
“This has all been done politically because he’s such a high profile figure.”
A firefighter with 20 years experience said: “It’s obscene and has left everyone feeling resentful.
“Most firefighters still have to take a second job to make ends meet yet he was caught with child porn and walks away with a fortune.”
