Celina Paramedic Said He Was Fired By City For Voicing Opposition To New Medical Director Hiring

A Celina paramedic said he was fired by the city for voicing opposition to the proposed hiring of a new medical director.

The city will have a meeting on Monday, May 22nd to vote on an EMS Medical Director to re-open the Hospital.

Kyle Haney said that he had openly disagreed with Mayor Luke Collins about the hiring. Haney said Collins fired him on Thursday morning as a result, claiming Haney was against the reopening of the hospital.

“Changing that would probably derail a service if you don’t trust your medical director, that’s my personal opinion and thought and I expressed that to him,” Haney said. “So essentially me voicing my opinion on changing the medical director is the reason for me firing.”

Haney said Collins told him that he had found a potential buyer for Cumberland River Hospital, but the buyer would only move forward with a medical director from its team.

“We build camaraderie with our medical directors and essentially their licenses are on the line and they allow us to work under them,” Haney said. “And you kind of build that trust with your medical director. And I currently trust and feel like we’re going to be taken care of with the medical director we have now.”

Collins told News Talk 94.1 his efforts are simply to try and get the hospital opened.

Haney said he requested a termination letter from the City of Celina and Collins and that he had not yet received the letter. He said he was just verbally told he was fired at city hall in front of witnesses.

“At the time of me being fired, I was also currently working an ambulance and I was only one of three paramedics working inside Clay County at the time,” Haney said. “So Clay County is down to two paramedics for the whole entire service, and we’re supposed to have six. So then I proceeded to tell Mayor Collins I’m not against the hospital, but I am against replacing the current medical director.”

Haney also acts as the county Emergency Management Agency Director. He said the termination will not affect his duties in that role.