By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
A former employee of Carter County Emergency Ambulance Service is alleging that she was dismissed from part time duty with the service because of complaints she made about sexual harassment from a co-worker. Kim Knipp is an EMT with more than 20 years of experience. She alleges that after she reported the harassment – which included unwanted touching as well as suggestive comments – and didn’t see any action taken, she approached her supervisor about putting in her two weeks notice because she didn’t feel safe. Instead, she worked out an agreement to work part time hours, so she wouldn’t have to be in the firehouse at the same time as the person she said was harassing her. But, she says, after working just a couple of those part time shifts she received a letter in the mail telling her she was no longer employed with the service.
Knipp, who would have been with Carter County for four years in June, said the saga began after she reported the harassment.
“I think it all started when I turned (someone) in for sexual harassment,” Knipp said. “Then, I didn’t feel like they were doing anything about it. And I’m not ever really sure if they did. I know he isn’t there any longer, but I’m not sure if he stepped down or they’ve let him go.”
Backing up, however, she said that after making the report, and not seeing any action, on April 28 she approached her supervisor to put in her two weeks notice.
“I told them I didn’t want to stay somewhere where I’d be a victim, and not have anyone believe me,” she said.
After talking, she said, they agreed on May 12 as her last day as a full time employee, with the transition to part-time to help the ambulance service fill their needs while maintaining Knipp’s safety and giving her a partial income stream.
“Then I worked one part time shift, which was on the 19th,” she said. “And I worked a 24 hour shift. And then on June 9, I got a letter in the mail saying I was terminated because they were restructuring.”
Knipp said she never had any negative comments or reports, and that there were others working part-time shifts, because the help was needed, so she doesn’t understand why she was let go. She said she can only assume it was in retaliation for making the report. This makes Knipp at least the second individual to allege retaliatory firings from the ambulance service in recent months, including an anonymous individual who says they were targeted because of a belief they sent letters to the judge executive, each of the county magistrates, the mayors of Grayson and Olive Hill, and local media.
Knipp said she isn’t sure who’s responsible for the firing, though she said she never had any problems with any supervisors or co-workers other than the one she reported for harassment.
When she reported the harassment, she said, she met in director Tim Wood’s office with ambulance board president Kara Johnson and the board’s attorney, Jason Greer. She said she asked to have Lisa Hensley in the room with her, because she was the compliance officer at the time, but the request was denied.
After making the report, she said, she didn’t speak to director Tim Woods for nearly two weeks. When she did speak to him, she claims he told her, “I’m going to do it right this time, and not do what I did last time.”
She said she believes that was in reference to complaints about the same individual from other female co-workers, though she isn’t sure if anyone was explicitly named in those other reports.
“He (Tim) was made aware from another co-worker that (this individual) was doing something, but no names were mentioned,” Knipp said.
Ambulance board president Kara Johnson directed all questions related to Knipp’s allegations to their attorney, Jason Greer. Greer said he was unable to comment on most aspects of the accusations, or the recent firings, as they included both protected employee information and were part of an ongoing investigation. While Greer was able to confirm that the individual accused of the harassment was no longer an employee of the ambulance service, he could not say whether he stepped down voluntarily or was dismissed.
He also could not confirm if recent moves by the board to approve the installation of new security cameras, or to provide sleeping quarters with locks, were related to the harassment allegations.
“I will say this, as counsel for EMS, we are committed to a zero tolerance policy for any sort of sexual harassment, any form of misconduct, and any form of retaliation against any sort of protected activity,” Greer said.
For her part Knipp says she has no hard feelings towards anyone at the service other than the individual she reported. She also said she would like to have her job back. But, she said, “I don’t want to stay somewhere where my word can’t be trusted.”
“I’ve been a good employee,” Knipp said. “I’ve done what I’ve been told. And, like I said, I just don’t understand why I was terminated for standing up for what was the truth.”
She said that dedication to the truth is also why she reported her harasser in the first place, and why she was speaking out under her own name, instead of anonymously.
“I just do whatever I can to help someone else,” she said, “and that’s why I stood up.”
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
