High court rules fire captain should get job back

Associated Press

The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling that a former DeKalb County fire captain should be reinstated to his job.

Sell Caldwell III was fired after a February 2010 fire in Dunwoody left 74-year-old Ann Bartlett dead.

In the Supreme Court ruling released Monday, justices said Caldwell was fired after authorities said he failed to locate the dispatch address and failed to take command of the scene.

Caldwell appealed to authorities in DeKalb County, where a hearing officer determined the fire department made factual errors in firing Caldwell.

A DeKalb County Superior Court Judge then ordered the county to give Caldwell his old job back. The Supreme Court said in its ruling Monday that Caldwell should be reinstated.