A Firefighter's Secret

The Ruling

"Hey, you two come on in, sit down." Sarah smiled when she noticed them walk in. Vic and Luke moved to sit across from her in the spare chairs.

"Okay, so we do have lot to talk about. We'll start with the fact that the panel has come to agree that the only official regulation that was broken is that you two are of wildly different ranks and didn't immediately disclose your relationship." Vic nodded as Sarah continued. They had known that they would have to deal with those consequences.

"Now with the incident a few days ago, a few of your crew had some worries about how this would work however, since they have seen you two together and had their questions answered they have contacted me and said those worries had been squashed. We have concluded that nothing that happened then went against the rules. Vic, you did your job and didn't, according to the opinion of your team, captain, or the panel, treat him any differently than you would one of them or a civilian. And of course you cannot control when or where medical emergencies occur." She added. Vic and Luke nodded.

"Okay, so we know a few of the obvious rules that will be put in place, can we go through the whole list while we're here?" Luke asked.

"Of course, I can also slightly alter them whether it be based on safety, efficiency, or wording. So if there are any that you are concerned about, we can definitely figure those out as long as the basic principle is the same." Luke nodded.

"Before we do that can we go back to the decision on the non-disclosure?" Vic asked nervously. Sarah nodded understanding her nerves.

"Because there was no impropriety aside from the non-disclosure, we went with the basics. Both of you have been suspended with half-pay for two weeks, Vic in your case that will start after this week of PTO is up. Chief, if you only take the mandatory two weeks off for your recovery it will began after, however, if you take the full four weeks you have been given then the last two weeks will be written in your file as the suspension." They nodded and Luke looked over to Vic only to see her smirking.

"Eggy, why are you smirking?" Vic laughed.

"Because regardless of what you do, you have at the full four weeks off. So you have no option to argue with the doctors." He chuckled, of course Victoria Hughes of all people would see the silver lining in them both being suspended. Sarah smiled.

"There are some exceptions to this as there are some things that cannot be delegated to the ACO." Sarah added and Luke nodded.

"We'll start with the rule that we all know must be in place. Unless it is absolutely necessary, Vic cannot be inside on a scene that you are running, Chief. If she is inside when you arrive on scene then the next highest-ranking officer will take charge until she can be removed, however, your opinion and decisions must be taken into account regardless of who is in charge. I will make that adamantly known to all Battalion and Deputy Chiefs as well as all Captains and the ACO. If you agree, I need you both to initial on the line next to number one." They both complied and signed their initials on the line.

"Next, Vic your chain of command will end with the ACO as he is the second in the SFD's chain of command. If he is unable to come to a decision, then we will convene a panel much the same as the one who came to these decisions." Vic nodded. They both signed this line as well.

"Third, when you are both on duty and the Chief is at Station 19 you two must not be alone in a room unless the door is open and/or you are both visible from the outside. Even though there has been no impropriety as of yet, me have to avoid any possible situation in the future." Again they both agreed and signed their initials.

"Question, if I am not working, and we've always talked about whether or not we'd be able to do this, would it be okay if I brought lunch or whatever and we ate in his office?"

"As long as the blinds are open. The door doesn't have to be in this scenario. Same with him coming to 19 when he's off but you're on shift." They both nodded.

"Should we add that one at the bottom? Just in case someone questions it in the future if it does happen?" Luke asked.

"Do you agree it should be added Vic?" She nodded.

"Yes. That way no one can argue with it in the future." Sarah wrote it in at the bottom of the page and they went back to the last two rules. They had skipped over them by adding that one.

"Alright, next. Chief if there is a situation in which another firefighter in harassing or has harmed Vic in any way, you must stay out of any and all disciplinary action. If you must intervene in the moment in order to ensure her safety, and this part actually applies to the both of you, then do so, however, you must only defend each other and once the threat has been handled you both must step away. Understood?" They nodded and signed.

"Finally, there must be a Chief's meeting, which I will also be attending, to address this to all of them. I will let you both decide whether Vic is present. I can see her presence being both helpful and distressing. They will all be signing a contract of sorts saying they are aware of the relationship. Secondly, a hard copy of all these rules will be given to the following, ACO Hernandez, Battalion Chief Frankel, Captain Sullivan, and Lieutenants Gibson, Bishop, and Herrera." They both nodded and signed the line. They also signed next to the one they added before.

"Do either of you have any questions, comments or concerns?" They shook their heads.

"The meeting with the Chief's meeting will be scheduled once your mandatory two weeks leave are up, and you have come to a decision about whether or not Vic will be present. Just let me know when you have made up your mind and I will schedule it." They nodded.

"Thank you, Sarah. We'll be in touch." Luke replied as he stood and helped Vic up. They were each given a hard copy of the rules as they walked out. They smiled to each other as they made their way out to the car so they could head home.

Vic texted her crew and Captain about the meeting, explained how it had gone, and told them she was moving in with Lucas. They all responded almost instantly. Vic asked if they would help her pack and move and of course they agreed.