Firefighters without high school diploma fired

Some time ago, men who wanted to be firefighters did not have to have a high school diploma, which is associated with the passing of a complex leaving examination. Due to some recent changes the qualification requirements have changed as well, so any prospective firefighter must have a high school diploma. The problem is that the conditions were changed retroactively to apply to all active men in the force. They were granted a grace period of ten years, during which they were obliged to “go back to school” to complete their secondary education. Many schools offer “evening” or “weekend” classes for this purpose because there are many adults who realize that they need to have the diploma. However, the firefighters who have failed to do so were fired on December 31, the Liberecky denik daily writes.

No school teaches split-second decisions. There are no classes in willingness to risk one’s life to save other people’s lives. There are men in the force who had been firemen for decades when they were laid off and the absence of their high school diploma has never been a problem. Yes, they saw it coming and they knew they had ten years to do something about it, so the fact that they had to leave did not come as a surprise. However, professional website Pozary.cz (Fires) tells a story of a firefighter who could not enroll and complete his secondary education because of family-related issues. Even though he wanted to. He had to leave the force after twenty years of service!

There are specific cases where retroactivity in law should apply (and it often does) and there are other cases where it is strictly forbidden and/or unconstitutional. The latter shall apply to professions like firemen. (Photo: Hasici Liberec)