Sidney Roda

Introduction

Sidney Roda was a firefighter-paramedic with the Plymouth Fire Department in Plymouth, Indiana, for roughly three and a half years, until the city’s Board of Public Works and Safety voted unanimously on the evening of Tuesday, August 25, 2026, to dismiss her from the department effective immediately. The vote capped a disciplinary hearing that had lasted hours, and it came two months after Plymouth Fire Chief Steve Holm first recommended that Roda be fired. Because firefighters in Indiana hold statutory protections, the case moved through a formal process under Indiana Code 36-8-3-4, with the board finding Roda “guilty as charged” on four disciplinary allegations before approving her termination by unanimous roll-call vote.

Background Information

Roda served as a firefighter-paramedic in Plymouth, a small city in Marshall County, Indiana, and had been with the Plymouth Fire Department for three and a half years at the time of her dismissal. The proceeding that ended her employment was set in motion by Fire Chief Steve Holm, whose recommendation that Roda be dismissed prompted the board to act — and, per WSBT’s reporting, that recommendation had first been made roughly two months before the August 25 ruling. Local attorney Sean Surrisi served as counsel to the Board of Public Works and Safety for the proceedings.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Administrative findings, not criminal charges. Roda faced a departmental disciplinary hearing before a city board, not any criminal proceeding. The formal findings state only the categories of rule violations she was found to have committed — not the underlying conduct — and Roda contested the allegations throughout the process.

At 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, the Board of Public Works and Safety convened an executive session to receive information concerning alleged misconduct by Roda, during which the board considered witness testimony, exhibits and arguments related to Chief Holm’s recommendation that she be dismissed. State statute allows such a disciplinary hearing to be conducted in executive session, but requires the final decision to be made in a public meeting, so a special meeting of the board was held that evening at approximately 7:10 p.m. Records showed that Roda contested the allegations during the hearing, and her attorneys asked to delay it — but the board unanimously voted to move forward.

Near the end of the executive session, board members deliberated on the evidence and arguments presented and reached a consensus on a decision. “During, but near the end of the executive session, the board members had an opportunity to deliberate on the evidence and argument presented,” Surrisi said, adding that he believed the board had come to a consensus. At the public meeting, Surrisi read the findings of fact, which found Roda guilty as charged on four disciplinary allegations under Indiana Code 36-8-3-4: violation of the rules, under IC 36-8-3-4(b)2(b); neglecting or disobeying orders, under IC 36-8-3-4(b)2(c); conduct unbecoming of an officer, under IC 36-8-3-4(b)2(h); and another breach of discipline, under IC 36-8-3-4(b)2(i). The findings did not detail the conduct behind the allegations.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Based on the four findings, the board dismissed Roda from her employment with the Plymouth Fire Department effective immediately. A motion was made and seconded to approve the findings as presented, and the board approved the decision by unanimous roll-call vote — with the motion to approve the Findings of Fact and terminate Roda’s employment with the City of Plymouth passing unanimously. Attorney Surrisi prepared the Findings of Fact, as required under state statute, and the board’s ruling upheld every allegation against Roda. WSBT reporter Asher Bookspan noted that the station was still working to learn more about what led to the chief’s recommendation, since the public findings stopped short of describing the conduct involved.

Current Status

Roda’s dismissal took effect immediately upon the board’s August 25, 2026 ruling, and as of the last available reporting she was no longer employed by the Plymouth Fire Department. The four findings stand as the board’s final administrative determination, though she contested the allegations at the hearing and her attempt to delay the proceeding was denied. No appeal, litigation, or subsequent employment has been reported in the available sources.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Roda lost a firefighting career of roughly three and a half years not to a single incident but to a formal statutory process — a chief’s recommendation, an executive-session hearing, and a unanimous public vote that sustained four separate disciplinary findings against her. The case shows how Indiana’s firefighter-discipline statute cuts both ways: it guaranteed her a hearing with counsel, testimony and exhibits, and a public decision — the same statute under which she was found “guilty as charged” and removed the same evening. Because the findings do not detail the conduct behind the allegations, the public record leaves a two-month gap — from the chief’s first recommendation to the dismissal — that no cited source has yet filled.