A pension board has voted for a Grayslake firefighter to return to work three years after he suffered a traumatic brain injury, despite him telling the board he cannot do his job safely without putting the community at risk.
Grayslake Fire Protection District Firefighter-Paramedic Josh Cokefair suffered serious injuries in September 2022.
A hose ruptured during firehose testing at the fire station, according to Cokefair’s sister, Ashley Young.
Cokefair suffered broken bones, a skull fracture, a ruptured eardrum and a traumatic brain injury.
His mother, Lisa Cokefair, said that her son’s life has “completely changed” since the accident.
“On the outside, Josh looks fine, you can talk to him for a bit, and he sounds fine. But the truth is he has a traumatic brain injury,” she said.
“His critical thinking is impaired. He loses balance in the dark. Loud noises and flashing lights trigger debilitating headaches,” Cokefair said.
Lisa Cokefair said her son’s own doctors have been clear for nearly three years that he cannot safely perform the job of a firefighter-paramedic.
She said the Grayslake Fire Protection District chose to send Josh to doctors to do an independent medical exam and each of them saw him for 20-30 minutes before declaring him fit for duty.
Josh Cokefair testified before the Board of Trustees for the Grayslake Fire Protection District Firefighters’ Pension Fund on Wednesday.
Cokefair told the board — which consists of five people, several of whom are fire district employees — that he wants to do the job but cannot.
Cokefair said he is a liability to himself, his brothers and sisters in the fire service and the community.
All members of the board, except for one, voted for Cokefair to return to work.
“Let me be perfectly clear: This is not leadership. Leaders protect their people. Leaders do what is right, not what is easy. What happened today proves that the so-called ‘brotherhood’ at Grayslake Fire Department is broken,” Lisa Cokefair said.
“They have shown they do not care about their own members, and worse—they have shown they do not care about the safety of the community. Let that sink in. This is not leadership. This is not brotherhood. This is betrayal,” she said.
Lisa Cokefair said she is outraged, heartbroken and deeply worried for her son and for “every person who counts on Grayslake Fire to send someone truly capable of saving their life.”