When love ignited, Garfield Fire Company 1 volunteer members Paul Mellor and Danielle Szep were proud to incorporate their fire department turnout coats on their wedding invitations.
They posted on Facebook part of the wedding invitation that showed their names on the back of their fire department coats. Along with the well wishes and Facebook "likes" also came something that surprised them, a threat of suspension from their fire department chief.
Szep, who has served as a volunteer member of Company 1 for the last seven years, said she was so upset with the threat of suspension that she deleted the wedding invitation picture and all other pictures associated with the volunteer fire department including shots of fundraiser events and past fires.
Mellor, who met his future bride at the fire department and has served as a volunteer also in Company 1 for the last six years, addressed his concerns with the city council during the public comment portion of the March 22 council meeting, saying he wanted to file a complaint against Fire Chief James Kovacs Sr. Mellor said at the council meeting that the order to take the posts down came from Kovacs Sr. Mellor said he was informed on March 17 by Fire Company 1 Chief Mike Colon that if Szep didn't take down the wedding invitation from Facebook in an hour she would be suspended.