City officials have revealed that an Elgin Fire Department lieutenant was demoted, and two other firefighters were also disciplined after an internal investigation found they had taken explicit photos and videos of themselves while on duty and shared them among each other. The incident, which came to light through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, involved three employees who were eventually placed under disciplinary action.

Lt. Amanda Bruce was downgraded from her position as a lieutenant to a firefighter, while firefighters John Sardina and Eric McMahon lost their special roles as driver and mechanic, respectively. These decisions were made following agreements between the city, the International Association of Firefighters Local 439, and the affected employees. All three received 20-day suspensions, with the city reserving the right to terminate them if similar misconduct occurs within the next three years.

According to an investigative report released by the city’s professional standards officer in February 2017, the three individuals took sexually explicit photos and videos while on duty at fire stations. The materials, which spanned from 2009 to 2013, depicted the firefighters alone. Sardina and McMahon sent their own images to Bruce, and she shared hers with Sardina and an unnamed boyfriend, according to the report.

Fire Chief John Fahy stated that the employees accepted full responsibility for their actions. “They never denied it and wanted to make amends for what happened,” he said. The disciplinary process was not influenced by a FOIA request submitted by the Daily Herald, though the city did ask for a five-day extension on the release of documents, which was set to expire shortly after the report was made public.

The investigation began nearly two years ago when Battalion Chief Terrence Bruce reported his then-wife, Amanda Bruce, for engaging in inappropriate behavior with Sardina and McMahon. However, the city later returned the evidence to him because he could not be legally compelled to provide it. A few months later, Amanda Bruce filed a police report claiming her ex-husband had accessed personal information, including photos and videos. This led to a criminal investigation by Elgin police, which concluded in April 2015 without any charges being filed.

An administrative review followed in May 2015 to determine whether the misconduct occurred during work hours. The process included hiring a company to extract time and date stamps from the media and cross-referencing them with staffing records. “We weren’t in a rush. We wanted to get this right,” Fahy explained.

Initially, Fahy considered firing the three employees, but he ultimately decided on disciplinary action instead. “They are good people with strong records, and they had a bad day,” he said. “I believe the decision to discipline rather than terminate them is appropriate.”

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