During his time at the fire department, Kraemer had also served as a deputy chief, battalion chief, captain, lieutenant, firefighter and paramedic. According to Kraemer, his termination was the result of taking a leave of absence to receive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
“We are still doing everything I can to get me mentally healthy,” Kraemer said. “I've come a long way.”
Kraemer spoke against his May 1 dismissal during the citizen input portion of a May 2 Frisco City Council meeting, statements that doubled as a plea for city officials to take better care of their employees.
“This city has abandoned me,” Kraemer said.
City Manager Wes Pierson stated the city had done nothing wrong.
“The information shared this evening is incomplete and unfortunately misrepresents the city's actions,” Pierson said.
The city had policies, regulations and laws, state and federal, that ensured employees who had work-related illnesses or injuries were given every opportunity to receive benefits.
“It is important to note for work-related injuries, employees are required to provide specific medical documentation and evidence that meets the legal requirements that they qualify for particularly human only benefits,” Pierson said.
If the employee did not provide all documentation, the claim could be denied, Pierson said.
“Additionally, the city utilizes an independent third party administrator to ensure a neutral and unbiased level of review occurs, eliminating any room for subjectivity and or partiality in these decisions,” Pierson said.
Kraemer’s complaint, at the end of the day, was not a city matter but instead a personnel matter, Pierson said.
“As of today, Mr. Kramer has not chosen to exhaust all of his options available,” Pierson said.
Alongside Kraemer was Frisco Firefighters Association President Matthew Sapp, who urged council members to use the beginning of May’s Mental Health Awareness month to reflect on Kraemer’s years of service.
“The city has always placed the safety, the safety and well-being of our employees, including first responders, as a top priority,” Pierson said.
