Former firefighter sues Fountain Fire Department, Fire Chief

A former Fountain firefighter claims his first and 14th amendment rights were violated in a federal lawsuit he has filed against the department, the city and his former boss.

The suit was filed by Richard Villanueva. He worked as a firefighter in Fountain from January 2002 until he was fired in June 2015.

The suit names The City of Fountain, the Fountain Fire Department and Fire Chief Darin Anstine.

In the suit, Villanueva alleges he was treated unfairly because of his involvement with a firefighters union.

The suit says Villanueva served as vice president of the union, IAFF Local 4369, and was a vocal supporter of the union.

The suit claims Chief Anstine was a vocal opponent of IAFF Local 4369 and unions in general. It says Anstine repeatedly said that the City of Fountain does not recognize unions.

The suit alleges that Villanueva was treated unfairly and ultimately fired because of his involvement with the union.

According to the suit, Villanueva was fired after responding to a medical call during which he assessed a woman who thought she might be having a heart attack. The suit says Villanueva determined that the woman most likely was not having a heart attack. She was taken to the hospital where doctors determined that she was having a heart attack.

The suit goes on to allege that the defendants used that incident to get rid of Villanueva. It says that during the process that led to his eventual termination, a co-worker was ordered by a superior to provide a false statement saying that Villanueva mishandled the call, that Villanueva was required to take an EMS training scenario test alone and without any time to prepare, and that Villanueva’s requests for union representation during the process were denied.

The City of Fountain says it cannot comment on the lawsuit because of the pending litigation.

Click here to read the suit in its entirety.