Firefighter Claims He Was Fired For Helping Out With Superstorm Sandy

Riverside, NJ – A volunteer firefighter claims he was canned from his job for lending a helping hand to those who suffered through Superstorm Sandy.

According to My Fox NY, Robert Campolongo was fired by his boss after deciding that people in the surrounding areas needed his assistance in the wake of the devastating storm. Although he failed to tell his boss that he was going to help after previously stating he would be available for work, Campolongo doesn’t feel he should have been terminated.

“I don’t know what to expect from this. I just don’t want to see any first responders lose their jobs because they’re saving lives,” Campolongo told The Burlington County Times.

Since he never phoned his boss at L&C Specialized Carriers to let him know what was going on, co-owner Cliff Cini had no choice but to let him go.

“I’m a former cop, so I respect what [volunteers] do, I appreciate what they do. And if I was notified ahead of time or [if he] even called me, I wouldn’t have had a problem with it,” Cini explained. “But he left me high and dry.

Although Campolongo said that he just doing his part to help those who need a little assistance. However, Cini said that, had he decided to show up for work that day, he could have been doing his part by delivering emergency generators, boilers, and equipment to storm victims.

“As soon as it stopped raining, my phone didn’t stop ringing,” Cini explained. “We brought generators and furnaces all the way to New York, Long Island and Sea Isle. Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg called me personally to thank us for our work.”

Campolongo explained that he was the only volunteer available that could pilot a special needs boat in shallow water. As such, he essentially had no choice but to turn his back on his job.

Do you think the volunteer firefighter should have been terminated from his job?