Waiting for LAFD reforms

Six and a half years ago, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Robert McMaster plucked a 3-year-old boy from the flames of a Palomar Hotel fire in Hollywood and won the Medal of Valor.

But when the 33-year LAFD veteran refused in late 2006 to stop recommending that a rookie firefighter be terminated for being unsafe, the department sent him to a Board of Rights hearing for insubordination and other charges. Beth Barrett in the Daily News.

McMaster, who is due to retire in June, said he was stunned when he was found guilty in January of five of eight charges against him. Now, he has filed for binding arbitration and says he intends to sue.

"I feel betrayed by the LAFD over this," said McMaster, a La Crescenta resident. "I feel my reputation has been tarnished with this department."