Jul 14, 2008 11:32 pm US/Eastern
Firefighter On Disability Also A Bodybuilder
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
-
-
Albert Arroyo, 46, reported that he fell down some stairs in the Jamaica Plain firehouse on March 21 and reinjured an old back problem.
WBZ
Boston's fire commissioner is urging the city's retirement board to deny the disability claim of a firefighter who competed in a bodybuilding contest even though he claims he can't work because of a back injury.
Albert Arroyo, 46, reported that he fell down some stairs in the Jamaica Plain firehouse on March 21 and reinjured an old back problem. According to retirement board documents, no one was there when Arroyo fell. His doctor wrote that Arroyo should be granted an accidental disability retirement because he is "permanently disabled."
Yet on May 3 after collecting his full $68,000 annual salary tax free for six weeks, Arroyo finished eighth in a bodybuilding competition. Video of the competition surfaced and shows the supposedly injured Arroyo flexing his muscles for the judges in a black Speedo. "If you can do that, you can work here," said Boston Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser. "If you look at Mr. Arroyo, he's in better shape than most guys on the Boston Fire Department."
Arroyo is a regular client of Body Engineers in Dorchester, where he slimmed down and buffed up.
In his disability retirement application, Arroyo says he has to be able to handle the physical demands of firefighting duties, but Arroyo isn't fighting any fires. He inspects buildings as a member of the Fire Prevention Division.
The fire department now does not believe Arroyo was injured on the job. Arroyo has since been shifted from injured leave to regular sick leave, which is taxable, after a doctor determined that any injury was not work-related.
A lawyer for Arroyo says bodybuilding helps the firefighter cope with the "rigors" of the job.
Fraser said Arroyo should be back working for the fire department. "If you can lift weights everyday and work out and be in a competition.... you can be an inspector for the Boston Fire Department."
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments