Former Kernersville Fire Fighter To Present Case In Court On Monday
KERNERSVILLE — Former Kernersville Fire Fighter Kevin Bray will get his day in court on Monday, May 16, to present his case regarding a violation of his right to receive and review all of his personnel files and documents that was denied to him by the Kernersville Town Manager.
Bray and the Kernersville Professional Fire Fighters Association filed a lawsuit on Bray’s behalf regarding the town of Kernersville’s violation of North Carolina General Statute 160A-168(c1). Under that statue, an employee is entitled to receive all of their personnel files and documents from municipalities upon request. When an employee has been disciplined, as was the case with Bray, the employee is entitled under that statute to the entire investigative file relied upon to justify the discipline, as well as drafts of the disciplinary documents and communications among municipal officials concerning the investigation and the decision to impose discipline.
Following his discharge from the Kernersville Fire Department, Bray made a written request for all his personnel documents, records and investigation files. The town manager, in return, only provided Bray with copies from the investigation file that had large portions of the information redacted or blacked out. Also, the town manager did not provide Bray with any of the drafts of disciplinary documents or the communications among town officials. The town manager’s actions are a clear violation of North Carolina law.
Because Bray was never given all of his personnel documents, he was deprived of a fair opportunity to present his case in the grievance procedure. Now, Bray is asking the Superior Court, not only to order the Manager to produce his complete and unredacted personnel documents, but also to direct that after he receives all of those documents, to have another grievance hearing where he can make use of the information in those documents. He will be represented by Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics Association Attorney Travis Payne of Edelstein Payne & Lucas out of Raleigh.
We invite all media outlets to attend this court hearing scheduled for the morning of Monday, May 16, in courtroom 6-A of the Forsyth County Courthouse. The session begins at 10 a.m., with Bray’s case expected later in the morning after shorter cases are handled.
Lincolnton Professional Fire Fighters Association Donates Nearly 70 Coats To Area Children
Nearly 70 students at Battleground Elementary School received a special surprise from the Lincolnton Professional Fire Fighters’ Association in mid-November. 
Jeffrey Hurt, president of Local 4866, along with other members of the association, came to the school with boxes of brand new winter coats to hand out to students as ambassadors of Operation Warm.
Operation Warm is a nation-wide project that provides new coats to children in need. These high-quality coats are Union-made in America. The project not only serves to provide coats to children but also to create American jobs.
“These coats don’t just provide warmth to children,” said Battleground’s school counselor Kennan Eaddy. “They give them a sense of community, confidence and belonging. Many of the students haven’t taken their coats off since they got them. They call them their ‘firefighter coats!’”
To date, Operation Warm has given new winter coats to over 1.7 million children throughout America and beyond.
“The coats are purchased with the money we collect throughout the year through our fundraising concert ticket sales,” said Hurt. “Working with operation Warm and the International Association of Firefighters gives us a chance to give back to the community that we serve and protect.”
A brand new Operation Warm coat gives a child new found freedom and confidence to play more, learn more and do more.
To donate or learn more about the Lincolnton Professional Fire Fighters Association’s partnership with Operation Warm visit www.operationwarm.org/lincolnton.