Rouen: Firefighter dismissed for not being vaccinated against Covid could be reinstated and compensated

The voice trembles a little. The eyes mist over. Even his lawyer struggles to hide his emotion before the administrative court of Rouen. A few minutes earlier, the public rapporteur had just recommended the cancellation of the revocation and the reconstruction of Florent Madelaine’s career.

This professional firefighter, who began his career as a volunteer in 2000 and passed the competitive examination in 2004, was on the staff of the Dieppe fire station at the time of the events. He had first been suspended for not agreeing to submit to the mandatory vaccination against Covid-19; he then submitted a false vaccination certificate obtained via a website to return to service in Rouen.

Not opposed to vaccines but to this vaccine

But the deception did not last long and the sapper with the previously unblemished record was given the most severe sanction: dismissal.

For his lawyer, Me Diane Protat, “We are not in civil disobedience, but in conscientious objection. Besides, my client is not anti-vaccine: in the same period, he followed the vaccination schedule for the booster against polio! But he was against this vaccine against Covid.”

What the person concerned confirms: “We were forced to be vaccinated after a year even though we had already been in contact with the disease. I explained that it was against my beliefs, but that it was not an act of rebellion. I was suspended at first. I didn’t understand, I fell into depression. And it was after a year that I decided to use this fake in July 2022.”

“It will set a precedent”

This is the only regret he has. But the man who at the time held the rank of sergeant-major and had a faultless service record still does not understand why he was sidelined without further ado. “They could have, and this has been seen in other structures, offered him a position without contact with the public during the crisis. Here, he had no other offer.”specifies his lawyer, recalling in passing that the criminal complaint for the use of the false pass was dismissed.

The decision of the administrative court has been put under advisement. And Me Protat remains cautious about the final decision, but the direction of the public rapporteur already gives her reasons to be satisfied: “The report upholds conscientious objection. If the court’s decision goes in this direction, it will set a precedent.”she greets. Florent, for his part, is quite ready to return to service: “I suffered psychologically and financially. But I’m a firefighter.”