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Other news coverage from Thursday
Columnist puts spotlight on Deputy Mayor Paul Quander over fire & EMS issues
We have been following the news coverage in recent weeks of the various problems surrounding the DC Fire & EMS Department. There has been so much news this week that we missed an important one last night when we put our summary together. It’s someone we rarely overlook, Alan Suderman, who writes the Loose Lips column at Washington City Paper.
Suderman dissects Chief Ellerbe’s statement (below) following WTTG-TV/Fox 5 reporter Paul Wagner’s story on Wednesday about the terribly inaccurate list of reserve apparatus the department provided the City Council and the retirement of Deputy Chief Wayne Branch, who had been in charge of apparatus maintenance:
No. 2: When did Ellerbe find out that his department had submitted faulty information?
This one is a little tougher to answer, as it turns out that Branch announced his retirement “a couple of weeks ago,” according to Walls, not after the Fox5 story ran.
In his statement, Ellerbe says he directed Branch “to conduct an audit of his submission of fleet readiness to ensure the accuracy of his report” in the wake of “recent reports” on the city’s reserve numbers, which only came out yesterday. Ellerbe’s statement continues by saying that Branch’s “research revealed” that he had submitted faulty data, which you’ll remember is part of the reason why Ellerbe says Branch is retiring.
Union boss Ed Smith, whose organization Ellerbe thanked for bringing this issue to light, says he did not talk to Ellerbe about the faulty data submitted to the Council before the Fox5 story aired yesterday.
So when did Ellerbe find out he’d given the Council inaccurate info? A couple weeks ago when Branch announced his retirement or following yesterday’s reports?
“I really don’t know,” says Walls. “I can’t answer that.”
Read Alan Suderman’s entire post
Chief Ellerbe’s statement from Wednesday evening:
Following recent reports on the District’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services reserve fleet status, I instructed the Deputy Chief of our Fleet Maintenance Division to conduct an audit of his submission of fleet readiness to ensure the accuracy of his report.
The result of the Deputy Chief’s research revealed that he had, in fact, used an old fleet schedule that had not properly excluded apparatus that had been removed from our inventory. As a result of his oversight, inaccurate information was reported and included apparatus that were no longer in the department’s fleet.
As a result of this oversight and inaccurate communication, coupled with an increase in his division’s overtime expenditures, the Deputy Chief has informed me of his decision to retire, which I have accepted. He will remain with us long enough to transfer any pertinent historical knowledge. His replacement has already been selected and notified.
I personally called union president Ed Smith about this matter and I want to thank the firefighters’ union for bringing this inaccurate information to our attention.
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Also on STATter911 …
- Your nightly DC reader: New deputy chief in charge of apparatus faces cameras in absence of chief & deputy mayor. – March 14, 2013
- UPDATE – DC fire chief admits bad information about fleet given to city council. Ellerbe says maintenance chief at fault will retire. Thanks union for bringing it to light despite mayor’s aide saying IAFF is ‘fabricating’ apparatus stories. – March 13, 2013
- Latest from DC: Like Detroit, ladder trucks in Nation’s Capital not inspected. Chief says lack of reserves last year is the reason. – March 16, 2013
- UPDATE – IG report on reserve fleet has columnist again asking what did the fire chief know & when did he know it? – March 22, 2013
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Everyone, in the Department, knows, after the last month City Council meeting, that DFC Branch was thrown under the bus by LRB. Branch gave the universal sign for “we’re number one” towards LRB and Quander ( does anyone knows if he is related to the Honorable BFC Quander….?). Soon after, like any smart dude with enough time to retire, announced his retirement. Now, it takes a few weeks for the retirement process. So LRB maybe slightly correct if Branch officially retired yesterday but it was last month, after the Council meeting, when he made it perfectly clear that he was leaving the department.
Ellerbe, Walls and Quander all knew about it!!!! Ellerbe is going put so many BFC’s, DFC’s and AFC”s under the bus at the next Council hearing , they are going to need the Mass Casualty Unit to respond to the Wilson Building for the carnage.
Let’s hope the news media really keeps the pressure on in these issues. It would appear that some on the City Council have had enough. Let’s hope it’s not just a show. This could be the beginning of the end for Ellerbe if the heat is kept on them and their mistruths. I’m curious what the DCFD guys have to say about the Deputy Chief’s involved.
When one does not tell the truth or submits false information under oath that’s called perjury. Lying, right? All my fellow District Government employees and I had to sign an ethics pledge, courtesy of mayor vinnie, that said, among other things, we are not allowed to cheat, LIE, or steal. It’s humorous how NONE of the city politicians or their hand puppet appointees had to participate, I’m just happy that I can appreciate the irony.
Seems to be a rather simple question.
What did he know? Absolutely nothing. At least he has done his best to prove it over and over and over again.
When did he know it? Apparently he has been ignorant since birth.
Don’t live there, so I don’t have a horse in the race. It would seem, however, that folks holding the same level of position in other city governments have been fired for less.
I’d say it’s time for him to go.
Statter911 has a lot to be thnakful for with the free entertainment,(to him anyways) If it wasn’t for DCFD fire chiefs being the douche bags they have been over the past, say twenty years, Dave would have to work harder to find interesting stories. Sad indeed!!!
Kudos to Local 36 for continuing to expose this fraud who calls himself a leader…….Just looking at Branch’s body language sitting next to Chief Fraud at the oversight hearing, you can obviously see the anxiety and tension that he better say what Chief Fraud wants said or else…like I said before, I’d bet all the hay Lt. Kellene Davis stole, that Branch was given the choice to retire or be demoted…he chose to retire.
Now comes the next sellout to stroke the undercarriage of Chief Fraud..DFC “PHANTOM” Donnelly….oh were fine…if we need a ladder truck we’ll get one together…what a crock of s**t and what a show of having no kahonnies to tell the truth, but rather be untruthfull to please Chief Fraud…..well what do you expect from a guy who’s been promoted his entire career by sitting behind a desk….
X-RAY I would like to see your defense of this one. Blaming to DFC just doesn’t add up. Even if he gave him false #’s, you think it’s ok to not accept some responsibility? Is the Chief that far out of touch with the daily operations that he doesn’t know we have very few reserve apparatus? Sooner or later he will have to admit that he can’t run a multi-million dollar agency!
The BS continues to flow out of the mouth of this idiot.One excuse after another and still no action taken against this poor excuse for a fire chief.He makes Rayfield look like a Rhodes Scholar.
He is not accountable for anything and Vinnie covers for him.
Just another example of LRB blaming someone else for his lack of oversight
Chief Branch was told, be demoted, or retire, after the overtime number came out. Lumping it onto the current apparatus list scandal is 100% a lie.
Dave this might be alot to ask, but is there any way we could get an official accurate count on just how many stories LRB has been involved in since he was sworn in as Chief. Just so we can put this whole thing into perspective?
Just like Dennis Rubin before him, Kenneth Ellerbe is listed in the categories on STATter911.com. Scroll down the right hand column or just use this link http://statter911.com/category/chief-kenneth-ellerbe/
It shows he has been mentioned 93 times and, for comparison, Rubin 128. I believe Rubin was chief for a little less than 4 years and Ellerbe now for a little more than two years (but he was first mentioned on the blog during the Sarasota issue over his employment).
That’s the best I can do for you. Hope that helps.
Statter
From here on out…if under oath and the testimony Chief Fraud is about to give, turns out to be untruthfull…just intimidate the individual in charge of that section of the department who supplied the information to you, then force them to retire or get demoted….great tactics of a coward…
The vote of no confidence couldn’t come sooner….
Thanks Dave!
It seems that the apparatus division was too busy last year changing door decals, and scraping off D.C.F.D. logos to fix any of the broken rigs. All to the tune of one million in overtime.
But you heard it from the liars own mouth, ” We did improve our uniform appearance, and our shop is open 24-7″ What a joke you have become.
This is what the so called “Fire Chief” wrote on the WATCHDESK before he was brought back from Fla. = = =
I will not respond to, or participate in rumors, slanderous conversations or silliness. I have no intention of being ‘baited’ into any confrontational posts, nor do I take a lot of this stuff too seriously. This is a place where people ‘vent’, cheer or blow off steam, so have at it.
For those who would comfortably and anonymously post, feel free as well.
Regarding vindictiveness, be careful about making assumptions or accepting someone else’s version of the truth. First, let’s define vindictive…”disposed or inclined to revenge.” Revenge would imply that someone was trying to get even with someone else for a previous offense. In order to be vindictive, a person has to be harmed, or perceive that they have been harmed. Only one person that I know of has tried to harm me, and the truth is, they have to live with that, not me. I wasn’t injured and actually came out OK, regardless of the lies that were told, the character assasination that occurred and the mean-spirited actions that were taken. There may be others who may mean to do me harm, but they hide in the shadows and we don’t have time to go peeking around corners and looking over our shoulders, stalking ghosts. We have work to do and there is plenty to go around. WE have a charge to make this department a model for everyone to marvel at with no time to waste. It is my hope that we will all move forward without so much as a backward glance at the minor insults that we might have endured and decide one and all to make the people we represent and serve proud, safe, and comfortable in knowing that if they call, we’ll be there to serve and protect.
I won’t be doing a lot of posting but I am hopeful that we will all get along, reduce the bickering for all the world to see and make the people who know that you work here happy to say that my friend or family member works for DCFEMS.
Just a few thoughts to ponder:
Cousin Vinnie is an empty suit. Why else would the money guys invest so much in stealing the election? They were looking forward to a free reign over their business. Whether he was involved or not; the guilty pleas indicate an illegitimate victory.
Little Kenny is only worried about himself. All those cheese eaters out there who think he will help them need to wake up. There is a pugilistic captain who thought sure he would be a chief by now; instead he is taking it out on his company. You too will get thrown under the bus when he has no more use for you.
Tommy Wells is running for mayor. Don’t get your hopes up. Any action he takes will be measured by the impact on his campaign and his fundraising.
DFC Branch is a good man who deserves better. In past hearings, he showed he would not fall on his sword for the petty tyrant. Hopefully, when his paperwork clears he will let us know his side of the story. It shouldn’t be that hard to figure out. I wish him a long and healthy retirement, he earned it.
The best way to show support for Local36 is to attend every membership meeting and let them know if you are available to help. There is a lot of work still to be done.
Stay strong, it can’t last forever. The next traveling salesman will be along soon enough.
While I agree with the above observation on Councilman Wells to some degree. One cannot underestimate his desire to make a name for himself in the public’s eye. And with the daily news stories he has a golden opportunity.
I hope someone is making sure all this information is being relayed to Councilman Wells’ office. About the lack of Battalion Chief and other command staff at the shop.
About Loserbe’s management decisions and lies etc.
The time is now to focus all efforts on getting this ridiculous clown out of ANY leadership position with the DCFD.
Good luck brothers!!
I hope Branch testifies or allows an interview on the truth. I know I would,at least after my retirement check comes because we all know human resources can’t get anyones pay correct. How funny how you support someone and BOOM, your now thrown under the bus. I WOULD BE PISSED…all the numbers the chief ever provides are knowingly false. Vacancies,medics,moneys,apparatus, we don’t even have a permanent AFCO of OPerations. He hasn’t promoted anyone in a timely fashion, paycheck are screwed up, etc. ACCOUNTABILTY !
Donnelly will do a good job as long as he stands up to the dictator and is allowed to do what’s right. I think it’s funny how he pulls one of the rubes/rose boys to fix the problem because no one else that he has promoted is competent enough to handle the job. With the exception of a few Bfc and Dfc no one from the rank of BFC and above know what their doing. It’s border line dangerous! Especially on foregrounds.
There is not one thing going right with dcfems right now, besides back to basics fire training. Soon the storm will pass and we can begin to pick ourselves up again.
I also noted where he went for help now that he’s in a jam. Doesn’t he know that Donnelly doesnt live in DC and couldnt possibly be part of the LRB FEMS Hitler youth.
And Hook…..I didnt see where Donnelly said anything untruthful. What would you have him say ??? Besides, he’s not old enough to retire. If he was he’d be gone and be a Chief somewhere else by now.
I honestly believe that the end is near if L36 can keep the pressure up and the media attention focused.
The saddest thing about all of the above is the lack of the FD being able to properly provide the decent protection to the visitors and citizens of our Nations Capital. If it can’t handle the regular day to day operations, what happens with a terrorist attack or other major problem?