Five firefighters are suing the Unified Fire Authority and two of its former top administrators for allegedly hiring less-qualified family members of command staff instead of them in 2011.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City, says the men were experienced firefighters seeking full-time positions with the agency that spring. They scored well on their written and oral examinations, the lawsuit states, but were passed over to fill any of the 12 open positions in favor of nine applicants who were related to former Chief Michael Jensen, ex-Deputy Chief Gaylord Scott, an assistant chief, a battalion chief or a captain in the department.