A former Washington state fire lieutenant who says he lost his career rather than violate his religious beliefs is seeking to revive a lawsuit accusing his former employer of religious discrimination over its COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
Scott Carlson and seven other former Redmond Fire Department members are appealing a December 2025 federal district court ruling that rejected their claims against the city, Fox News Digital reported.
Carlson described firefighting as both a career and a calling, making his dismissal especially painful.
“This is how I serve. This is how I love on the community,” Carlson told Fox News Digital. “So, that was a very hard emotion to say that I’m no longer going to be able to do this.”
Carlson said he sought a religious exemption in 2021 after spending 18 months responding to the pandemic. First Liberty Institute, which represents the firefighters, says religious exemptions were initially granted but accommodations were later revoked after Mayor Angela Birney signed an executive order.
Carlson sued the city in December 2022, alleging it failed to accommodate his religious beliefs and retaliated against him for requesting an exemption, according to Fox’s account of court filings. Other firefighters subsequently joined the lawsuit.
Order Jonathan Cahn’s New Book, “The Altar of Pergamon” on Amazon.com!
Their attorney, Cliff Martin, alleges the city had positions available that could have accommodated the employees without requiring vaccination.
“Instead, they hid those available positions from the plaintiffs and then filled them with vaccinated firefighters so that there was nowhere to transfer these unvaccinated firefighters who had a religious objection to the COVID vaccine,” Martin told Fox News Digital.
The allegations have not been established as fact. The district court ruled for Redmond, and the firefighters are asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse that decision.
The city declined to discuss the case.
“The City will continue to address this matter through the appropriate legal channels,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Carlson said the consequences of the mandate remain unresolved even as public attention has moved beyond the pandemic. Losing his position meant losing a central way he served his neighbors.
He described the struggle in terms of his commitment to Jesus.
“I love Jesus so much that I was like, ‘Hey, I’m going to follow you no matter what. I’m on team Jesus. But dang it, this is hard.’”
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
