“He was left with no other options,” Triad man with disability sues state of North Carolina to become full-time firefighter

By Bill O’Neil

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    DAVIE COUNTY, North Carolina (WXII) — A man is fighting to overcome a disability and pursue his lifelong dream in Davie County.

Austin Freidt says he’s had to battle the state for years just for a shot at becoming a full-time firefighter.

Freidt said he had to get a lawyer and wage a four-year legal fight, but now he’s one step away from achieving his dream.

“When I was 5 years old, I wanted to be a firefighter,” Freidt said.

Now the 25-year-old, working as a part-time firefighter, faces one last roadblock to achieving his dream. North Carolina wouldn’t make an accommodation for his reading disability, allowing someone to read him the questions to the EMT exam, which is required of all full-time firefighters.

“He was left with no other option but to pursue court action,” North Carolina Disability Attorney Holly Stiles said. “Or long give up on being an EMT, which he wasn’t about to do.”

Stiles works for Disability Rights North Carolina, which is a federally mandated program part of what’s known as the protection and advocacy system.

“Regrettably, it can be typical that people are not unwilling to provide the accommodation someone is entitled to,” Stiles said. “We want people to stand up for themselves that their way that they should do that.”

Freidt won his day in court, albeit four years later, in what Stiles calls a unique victory. He’s the first in North Carolina to get an accommodation for the EMT exam.

“I’m trying to help everybody. Do not give up. Keep doing what you’re doing,” Freidt said. “If you want to be a firefighter, don’t give up. Keep trying and fight for it.”

“A lot of people assumed he couldn’t be a firefighter, but Mr. Freidt had just put one foot in front of the other and has done every single step that he needs to become a full-time firefighter. This was one of the last missing pieces.” Holly said.

“If I pass my EMT, I’ll be like, ‘yes, now I can work anywhere I can go,'” Freidt said.

The state hasn’t announced a date for Austin Freidt’s EMT test, but he expects it will be sometime in August or September. He said he already has a full-time firefighter job lined up– all he needs is that EMT certification.

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