News : Ambulance-driving EMT fired after three off-duty drunken driving arrests

By Clark Kauffman

An Iowa emergency medical technician who drove ambulances, fired for a history of drunken driving arrests, is not entitled to unemployment benefits, a state fact-finder has ruled.

Despite two drunken-driving convictions and one recent drunken driving arrest, Derek Ealy's state license as an emergency medical services provider remains in good standing with no history of any public disciplinary action, according to the Iowa Bureau of Emergency and Trauma Services.

State records show that Ealy, 39, of Keystone, was working as a full-time EMT for North Benton Ambulance Service from August 2022 until his firing in November 2022.

State unemployment records indicate that as part of his EMT duties, Ealy was required to drive an ambulance. At the time he was hired, Ealy had at least two drunken driving convictions on his record, with the most recent case dating back to 2006.

On Nov. 19, 2022, Ealy was involved in a serious, off-duty car accident and was unable to report for work the next day as scheduled because he was hospitalized and awaiting surgery. The accident eventually resulted in charges of drunken driving, with police alleging his blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit for driving. A plea hearing in that case is scheduled for March 23.

A few days after the accident, Ealy posted a message on his public Facebook page, indicating he was an alcoholic and was facing serious financial issues related to his medical care.  As part of that post, Ealy made note of his EMS duties and solicited donations to assist with his expenses.

On Nov. 26, the ambulance service fired Ealy, citing the recent accident and the Facebook post as violations of work rules. The service also cited Ealy's past OWI convictions.

A state fact-finder subsequently denied Ealy's application for unemployment benefits, stating that he had been discharged for knowingly violating the employer's rules. An administrative law judge recently affirmed that decision, finding that Ealy hadn't filed his appeal in a timely fashion.

Ealy said Wednesday that while his employer claimed he hadn't reported his previous drunken driving convictions when he was hired, he had applied for the job through Facebook and had never been asked to fill out a formal application that asked about any past arrests.

The Iowa Bureau of Emergency and Trauma Services' database of disciplinary actions indicates Ealy's license is currently active with no history of any public disciplinary action. Ealy said the bureau is aware of his most recent arrest and he remains authorized to work as an EMS provider although his driving privileges are restricted by the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Ealy is the former president of the Benton County EMS Association and has served as the director of the Keystone First Responders.

"I intend to continue with EMS," he told the Iowa Capital Dispatch. "I have molded my wife and my best friend into EMTs and firefighters and so this is my family legacy."