New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said that Deputy Fire Chief Paul Coderre Jr. was terminated based on “dishonesty and untruthfulness in connection with alleged work-related injuries.'
He said Coderre, who also previously served as acting fire chief, “betrayed the trust” of firefighters and “took advantage of city taxpayers" who footed the bill for his injured-on-duty benefits.
“New Bedford residents expect and deserve a Fire Department whose every member adheres to the highest professional standards, regardless of rank," Mitchell said in a statement posted on the city website., including one showing Coderre lifting what city officials say was a 176-pound barbeque smoker grill from the back of his personal pickup truck, without assistance.
Last year, the city ordered Coderre to undergo an independent medical examination after an investigation by the city’s personnel office uncovered the video surveillance evidence.