Former Fulton Assistant Fire Chief Sues City Over Alleged Age Discrimination; Fatal Crash Closes U.S. 54 Near Jefferson City

Former Fulton Assistant Fire Chief Todd Gray has filed a lawsuit against the City of Fulton, alleging age discrimination after his termination in April 2025. According to court documents, Gray was fired two years before becoming eligible for full retirement benefits, despite over 23 years of service with the fire department, including eight years as a volunteer firefighter beginning in 1994 and full-time employment starting in April 2002.

The lawsuit claims Gray was subjected to a hostile work environment due to his age, including being referred to by younger firefighters as “old-timer” and “old man.” It further alleges that after raising concerns about younger firefighters refusing to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) in violation of departmental safety protocols, and reporting that Fire Chief Russell Sing also failed to wear PPE during emergency calls, Gray was terminated without an opportunity to respond to allegations made against him in an anonymous survey.

Gray’s legal petition asserts that the city violated both the Missouri Human Rights Act and the Missouri State Employee Whistleblower Statute by terminating him in retaliation for enforcing safety standards. The suit contends that while younger employees who violated PPE policies and engaged in misconduct — including interfering with murder investigations and making racist comments — were subject to the city’s progressive discipline policy, Gray was not afforded the same procedural fairness before his dismissal.

At the time of his termination, Gray, aged 53, was the oldest member of the Fulton Fire Department. The lawsuit highlights a pattern of age-based disparities, asserting that the city has recently engaged in age discrimination against multiple former employees in their 50s and 60s.

The case was filed in Callaway County and remains pending. Neither the City of Fulton nor Fire Chief Russell Sing have issued public statements in response to the allegations as of the latest available reports.