Rio Vista Fire Department Battalion Chief Brandon Vaccaro joined the unemployment line Monday, with Fire Chief Jeff Armstrong telling The Reporter a social media post was the cause.
Armstrong explained that he investigated a social media post attributed to Vaccaro, his online reaction to George Floyd’s death and subsequent riots. Without naming names, he said, “He no longer works for the department.”
In a brief telephone interview Tuesday, Armstrong declined to be more specific or confirm that Vaccaro, who, as a battalion chief, assisted Armstrong in the leadership and management of the department, was fired.
“It’s a personnel matter but I will say it’s a high-level employee of the department,” he said. Vaccaro’s social media post, he said, “was investigated and it’s not an ongoing investigation. It’s closed.”
Vaccaro’s post on a public social media page concerned shooting looters and others who destroyed property as the county, state and nation remain convulsed with rage, riots and protests over the May 25 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, a death captured on a cellphone recording.
The post read: “Start blasting!!!! They will go home. Once they see their dead friends on the freeway things will calm quick.”
On Monday, Armstrong wrote a note on the department’s Facebook page to the “Rio Vista Community and Facebook followers.”
After becoming aware of the post, he added, “The statements/posts shared with me do not reflect our beliefs or core values and fall below the City’s standards for a public servant and a member of RVFD.”
Armstrong also referred to the department’s “core values” of community, honor, integrity, professionalism and service.
“We hold these at the highest level and they should guide our behavior,” he wrote on his post, adding, “RVFD remains committed to serving the Community, the pursuit of continuous improvement and holding ourselves accountable, to you our customers.”
For any concerned about Vaccaro’s post, he offered his email address, at Jarmstrong@ci.rio-vista.ca.us, with Armstrong closing out his own post, a late afternoon update, by writing, “This individual is no longer employed by the City or affiliated with RVFD.”
At his LinkedIn page, Vaccaro indicated that, during his career, he had served as a fire captain and paramedic, as an acting battalion chief and fire chief. He also served as a public information officer on a Type 1 incident management team and was the Central Association of Public Information Officials director-at-large for Central California.
