Firefighter claims termination over ‘provocative’ Insta posts

“Town Crier” newsletter – Briefs from the Region (2) – 2/4/20

Presley Pritchard, 27, a former part-time paramedic and firefighter with Evergreen Fire Rescue, was fired last August over a decidedly modern conundrum: Pritchard was leading a double life as an Instagram model and public figure with nearly 145,000 followers, a platform on which she posts pictures and videos of herself working out, shooting her gun and snowboarding, reports The Daily Interlake. All was well until July 2018, when an Evergreen Fire District board member cited complaints from a “concerned citizen” regarding her social media activity—critics of Pritchard claimed the nature of the photographs and videos were overly provocative and risqué. Afterward, superiors chastised her for her dress, even issuing her a pair of men’s pants when someone complained her standard-issue women’s pants were too provocative. “So I was like wow, fine, I’ll wear men’s pants!” Pritchard told VICE. “Are you serious? Am I supposed to leave my butt at home?” There were also complaints regarding a breast augmentation Pritchard underwent just before here Aug. 15, 2019 termination. On Jan. 2, she filed a wrongful termination claim with the Montana Human Rights Bureau, additionally citing instances of sexual harassment over her nearly three-year employment. Now, roughly a month later, her story is getting international media attention.