Erie’s first female firefighter seeks job back after setting fire

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — Erie’s first female firefighter is fighting to get her job back, even though officials say she admitted setting her father’s house on fire in a suicide attempt.

Details of Mary Wolski’s firing had been confidential. They were made public after she appealed her firing in Erie County Court last week.

Fire Chief Tony Pol wrote in Wolski’s April 2007 termination letter that setting the December 2006 fire made her unsuited to be a firefighter because she posed a danger to others and herself. She had been hired in 1997.

Her lawyer, Paul Susko, says officials violated her constitutional rights and lacked evidence to uphold the firing.

Erie District Attorney Brad Foulk says based on the law and circumstances of the fire, no charges were filed.