Section 5.2 – Discrimination and Harassment Prohibited

A.           The District is committed to treating all individuals with respect and dignity. No Member, Officer, or Director shall discriminate in the delivery of District services or in the treatment of Members based on race, color, religion, veteran status, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, the existence of a physical or mental disability, or any other classification protected by law.

(1)          This District policy applies to all areas of the District’s service and jurisdiction, including but not limited to recruitment, appointment, job assignments, training, promotions, privileges, conditions of Membership; fire sites, fire stations, and the District as a whole; and the delivery of all District services.

(2)          Harassment on the basis of any protected characteristic is also prohibited. This means that verbal or physical conduct that singles-out, denigrates, or shows hostility or aversion toward someone because of race, color, religion, veteran status, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, the existence of a physical or mental disability, or any other classification protected by law is also prohibited.

(3)          Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to: epithets, slurs and negative stereotyping; threatening, intimidating or hostile conduct; denigrating jokes and comments; and writings or pictures that single out, denigrate or show hostility or aversion toward someone on the basis of a protected characteristic. Conduct, comments or innuendoes that may be perceived by others as offensive are wholly inappropriate and are strictly prohibited. This policy also prohibits sending, showing, sharing or distributing in any form, inappropriate jokes, pictures, comics, stories, etc., including, but not limited to via facsimile, e -mail and/or the Internet. Harassment of any nature, when based on race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age or disability, will not be tolerated

B.           Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, the display of sexual objects, photographs, pictures, or other depictions, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when:

(1)          Submission to or requiring tolerance of such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a part of a Member’s working conditions or of the delivery of District services to any constituent, or

(2)          Submission  to  or  rejection  of  such  conduct  by  a Member  or other individual is  used as  a  basis  for decisions pertaining to the Member’s working conditions or the delivery of service to a constituent, or

(3)          Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with a Member’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or service delivery environment.

Sexual harassment may include a range of subtle and not so subtle behaviors and may involve individuals of the same or different sex. Conduct prohibited by this policy includes, but is not limited to: sexual advances; requests for sexual favors; sexual jokes and innuendo; verbal abuse of a sexual nature; commentary about an individual’s body, sexual prowess, sexual preference, or sexual deficiencies; leering, whistling or touching; insulting or obscene comments or gestures; display in the workplace of sexually suggestive objects, photographs, depictions, or pictures; and other physical, verbal, or visual conduct of a sexual nature.