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Inspector General’s report says DC deputy fire chief violated city rules in controversial fire engine & ambulance donation. Read entire report.

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Above is Part 1 of the April 1, 2009  hearing. Click for Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

 Read just released OIG report

Read previous report by the Committee for Public Safety & the Judiciary

Read previous report by the Committee for Government Operations & the Environment

Click here and scroll down for earlier coverage of the Sosua controversy

Above is the video from what I believe was one of the strangest DC City Council hearings I had covered in my 25 years as a TV reporter. The contentious April 1, 2009 hearing before Phil Mendelson's Committee for Public Safety and the Judiciary had then DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Dennis Rubin and his staff on the hot seat about a used city fire engine and ambulance that had been donated to the city of Sosua in the Dominican Republic. Trying to get to the bottom of this supposed good deed by the administration of Mayor Adrian Fenty was not an easy task. A series of reports were issued. Links for some of those reports are above.

Now the latest report is out. It is from the DC Office of the Inspector General. Here's how the Washington Examiner's Freeman Klopott described the findings:

Top members of the Adrian Fenty administration violated District regulations when they developed plans to donate a used D.C.-owned fire truck to a Dominican Republic city, a D.C. inspector general investigation has concluded.

"The lack of proper oversight allowed private parties … inappropriately to influence the activities of District government employees," the inspector general wrote. "This further resulted in a waste of District government resources."  

One of those cited for violating city rules is a deputy fire chief. Here's a summary from the report:

B. The Deputy Fire Chiefs Conduct

Fire truck #S-104 and ambulance #S-671, which ultimately were designated for donation to Sosua, were not identified for decommissioning and disposal until after the Nonprofit 2 Founder rejected fire truck #S-194 and the first ambulance. The Deputy Fire Chief, without regard to District decommission and disposal procedures, selected vehicles that had not yet been identified for decommission and disposal and expedited the process so that the vehicles were available for donation in less than 1 month, instead ofwithin 60-75 days as he initially indicated. 19

Accordingly, the OIG finds that he used his position as a FEMS employee to benefit a private interest and expedited the decommissioning and disposal of the vehicles without following proper procedure.

After being invited by the former DMPED DOD to a Super Bowl party in Sosua, the Deputy Fire: Chief informed FEMS that he had scheduled training for SosUa fire officials. This resulted in the • Deputy Fire Chief obtaining authorized paid leave from FEMS for his time in Sosua. He then traveled to Sosua, at District government expense (costing more than $800 for his airfare and per ' diem), accepted a free meal and transportation from Sosua officials, and accepted a plaque from Dajabon officials. Therefore, he violated the DPM by accepting gifts from prohibited sources because Sosa and Dajabon were attempting to obtain property from the District, specifically FEMS.

Accordingly, the issues of whether the Deputy Fire Chief violated DPM § 1803.1 (a)(1) (Using public office for private gain); § 1803.1 (a)(2) (Giving preferential treatment to any person); § 1803.1 (a)(3) (Impeding government efficiency or economy); § 1803.1 (a)(4) (Losing complete independence or impartiality); § 1803.1 (a)(5) (Making a government decision outside official . channels); § 1803.1 (a)(6) (Affecting adversely the confidence ofthe public in the integrity of government); § 1803.2 (A District government employee shall not solicit or accept, either directly or through the intercession ofothers, any gift from a prohibited source); and § 1803.6 (An employee shall not accept a gift, present, or decoration from a foreign government), are SUBSTANTIATED.  

Posted by on April 26, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Chief Dennis Rubin, Command & Leadership, DC Fire & EMS Department, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, News, Reports • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What did the fire chief know and when did he know it? Dennis Rubin’s answers on the fire engine/ambulance giveaway scrutinized by two reporters.

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Above is Part 1 of the April 1, 2009  hearing. Click for Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

Report by the Committee for Public Safety & the Judiciary

Report by the Committee for Government Operations & the Environment

Click here and scroll down for our previous coverage of the Sosua controversy

The two District of Columbia City Council reports released late last week looking into a controversial, aborted deal to donate a fire engine and ambulance to a resort town in the Dominican Republic have reporters taking a second look at the April 1, 2009 testimony of Chief Dennis Rubin. While the testimony thrust Chief Rubin into the limelight early on, making him the face of the growing controversy (not that anyone else was taking responsibility for the mess), in the end, the role of the DC Fire & EMS Department was almost secondary and not the main issue for those critical of the arrangement to use a non-profit group as a middle-man to broker the deal.

But, that doesn’t mean the role of Chief Rubin didn’t raise a few eyebrows once the reports were released. The reports include emails and other information showing that Rubin was aware and involved in the various forms of the planned donation going back to November, 2007. Eighteen months later, the chief told Committee for Public Safety and the Judiciary Chairman Phil Mendelson that he knew very little about the deal and was “clueless”. 

That testimony had some very heated and pointed exchanges between Mendelson and Rubin. You may also recall during that hearing Chief Rubin said a number of times “I take full responsibility”, but Mendelson was skeptical and ultimately correct that the responsibility for the deal actually belonged elsewhere in the administration of Mayor Adrian Fenty.

DC Rubin fireworks nationals parkTwo reporters who have covered this controversy from the start,  have taken a closer look at the fire chief’s testimony in light of the council reports and wondered if the chief failed to tell the truth under oath. Each article was published Friday.

The Examiner’s Michael Neibauer, who uncovered the donation and originally brought the story to light, starts his article this way:

Fire Chief Dennis Rubin was directly involved in the District’s donation of emergency vehicles to the Dominican Republic, newly released e-mails show, but the chief claimed under oath to know very little days after the deal fell apart. 

Later in the day, Washington City Paper’s Mike DeBonis followed-up on what Neibauer started with a column titled Did Fire Chief Dennis Rubin Perjure Himself? Nope.

DeBonis, who writes the column Loose Lips (LL),  further dissects the exchanges during the April 1 testimony and how they relate to the emails provided in the report. His conclusion:

…  from what LL sees, there’s nothing that would indicate the Rubin ever intentionally lied to Phil Mendelson’s public safety and judiciary committee.

As for Phil Mendelson’s take, he tells DeBonis, it’s not clear cut:

The at-large councilmember passed on the question of whether Rubin lied under oath, calling it “not clear-cut.” Mendelson said he’d reviewed the tape in the course of his committee’s investigation but did so some time ago.

“I’ve thought about this quite a bit, and I don’t have an answer,” he says. “It is a good question.” 

Posted by on January 31, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Chief Dennis Rubin, Command & Leadership, DC Fire & EMS Department, fire, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Quick Takes

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Fireground audio from mayday during fatal Randolph, NJ house fire: An elderly woman died and a firefighter was injured trying to get to her on the second floor in the fire late yesterday morning. According to DailyRecord.com’s Rob Jennings, “Randolph Fire Chief William Wagner said one firefighter suffered minor injuries after escaping a flashover on the second floor by tumbling head-first down a ladder to the ground.” Click here for the fireground audio (courtesy FireSceneAudio.com). There is more video here and here.

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Firing of top PGFD official has union president coming out swinging in message to members: If you are one of those who follows the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department closely you will want to read this. The ouster of Lt. Col. Victor Stagnaro (our sources say he was flat out fired, while Chief Eugene Jones says Stagnaro announced his intent to retire) has inspired a very direct message from Local 1619′s Andrew Pantelis to his members. It outlines rather complete dissatisfaction with the current department leadership. Here’s one quote: “… we now find it difficult to work in ‘good faith’ with an administration that clearly has no interest in respecting and upholding the rights that are guaranteed to the members that we serve”. The union president said it wasn’t meant as a press release when we asked him about it last night, but members and others sent a number of copies  our way. Click here to read the whole message.

That's Rebecca Knerr between Michelle Obama and Jill Biden. Her husband Joe returns from Haiti today with Virginia Task Force 1. An AP photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais.

That's Rebecca Knerr between Michelle Obama and Jill Biden. Her husband Joe returns from Haiti today with Virginia Task Force 1. An AP photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais.

Virginia Task Force 1 home today: Two weeks to the day after making their first of  16 rescues in Haiti, members of the first USAR team on the ground in Port-au-Prince after the earthquake are scheduled to return home. They should be back at the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department Training Academy late this afternoon. Last night, the wife of Capt. Joe Knerr, Rebecca (who is a former firefighter/paramedic in Fairfax County), was invited to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama during the State of the Union address. Click here for our interview with Joe Knerr last week from Haiti.

Also, click here for the latest rescue from Haiti. A 16-year-old girl pulled from the rubble 15 days after the earthquake

Washington City Paper's Darrow Montgomery's photo of ambulance and fire engine that caused so much controversy in the Nation's Capital.

Washington City Paper's Darrow Montgomery's photo of ambulance and fire engine that caused so much controversy in the Nation's Capital.

Not one, but two reports on DC’s ill-fated fire engine & ambulance donation to the Dominican Republic: Remember that contentious DC City Council hearing we showed you back in March of last year (I know, which one?) where Council member Phil Mendelson was trying to get to the bottom of a surplus fire engine and ambulance donation to the resort town of Sosua as he grilled Chief Dennis Rubin? (Click here, if you forgot.) The City Council has now issued two reports on the subject. Click here for the report by the Committe for Public Safety & the Judiciary and here for the report by the Committee for Government Operations & the Environment. Also, check out summaries by Mike DeBonis in the Washington City Paper and  Tim Craig in The Washington Post. And if that is not enough reading, just click here and scroll down to see all of our previous coverage on this one.

Truly a sad, sad, story: This is as tragic a set of circumstances that I have seen in a while. A New Jersey ambulance crew member returning from the hospital hears a fire call dispatched for his own home. His elderly father is inside the house. Even though Joseph Sims Jr.  isn’t apparently authorized to respond to that call, he does (how many of you wouldn’t?). While on the way, the ambulance collides with a car sending a woman to a trauma center. Sims’ father died in the house fire. Click here for more.

Another tragic story: Teenaged members of a volunteer fire department in Pennsylvania were apparently on the way to a department meeting and didn’t make it. Three bodies were found in the icy lake where their vehicle crashed. The Zelienople VFD is in mourning. Click here and here for coverage.

Must see video from the gas explosion in Belgium: The collapse of an apartment building hours after a gas explosion was caught on video. Click here to see it. But there is a lot more to the story, including the rescue of a young girl from the rubble. Firegeezer has the update.

Fireground audio from Buffalo third-alarm: Four buildings were destroyed in the fire yesterday morning. Click here for our coverage.

More from Singapore: Anyone who was intrigued by our video from a commercial fire in Singapore that we posted yesterday, will want to check this out. A long time reader, Deputy Chief P.J. Norwood from East Haven, Connecticut, spent some time teaching at the Singapore Civil Defense Force training academy and has some pictures on his Fire Engineering page.

Posted by on January 28, 2010 • Filed under: Chief Dennis Rubin, Command & Leadership, DC Fire & EMS Department, EMS Topics, Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fireground Audio, Fires, Haiti Earthquake, Patient Management, Quick takes, Reports, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Quick takes

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The 911 call seen around the world: To go with our picture yesterday of the current most famous ambulance in the world (and Mike Ward’s motherly comment) is the mobile data display of that response as shown in The Sun. LAFD reports it sent an ambulance with two paramedics, a four-person engine company with one paramedic and an EMS captain to 100 block of N. Carolwood Drive for a 50-year-old male who was not breathing. The call, according to Capt. Steve Ruda, came in at 12:21:04 on Thursday afternoon and took 42 seconds to process. The first unit was on the scene in 3 minutes, 17 seconds. The crews were at the house working on the patient for 42-minutes and arrived at UCLA Medical Center at 1:14 PM. In case you somehow haven’t seen the video of the ambulance heading to the hospital, I have added it above. The shot of the day is the chop top Hollywood tourist van pulling up next to Engine 71. Does it get any more bizarre than that? If you don’t know by now whose home this was, just go back to sleep and forget about it.

Public wants head of dog-killing firefighter: The president of the IAFF in Columbus, Ohio says he has received hundreds of emails and calls from people who want David Santuomo fired. We told you yesterday about the firefighter getting jail time for shooting his two dogs in order to avoid paying a kennel charge while on vacation and then left the bodies in the trash behind the firehouse. Read the latest.

Firefighters want head of dog-snatching chief: Firefighters in Brownsville, Texas called police after their chief took Chief. Chief is the 3-month-old puppy found dehydrated and malnourished two-months-ago by the firefighters from Station 6 while on a diving drill. They rescued the dog. Chief Lenny Perez came by the station on Tuesday and took the dog to the pound. The firefighters are accusing their chief of theft. Chief Perez says the firefighters didn’t follow his orders to get rid of the dog. Read the story. Watch video of Chief.

The trail of the donated fire engine & ambulance: Mike Debonis, AKA Loose Lips in Washington City Paper, attended yesterday’s hearing on the aborted donation from DC to Sosua in the Dominican Republic. As you may recall, DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Dennis Rubin was taking all of the heat when reporters uncovered this issue. The mayor’s office was quiet on the matter as Chief Rubin was left to answer the tough questions. At the time, even though he says he knew little or nothing about it, Rubin took responsibility as the chief of the fire department. Now the fingers are being pointed at one of the mayor’s friends and a top aide. Read the story.

In case you missed it: Listen to the fireground audio from Monday’s Metro collision in Washington, DC.

Watch video as mayor abruptly ends meeting when asked about fire department layoffs: The meeting with citizens didn’t go exactly how Muncie, Indiana Mayor Sharon McShurley had planned. The questioning about the layoffs of 32 firefighters and the closing of two stations is apparently what prompted the mayor to end the meeting 90-minutes early. Click here to watch story. Read the story.

Despite chief’s warning of brownouts budget is cut: San Francisco Chief Joanne Hayes-White says she will work with the Board of Supervisors to avoid closing stations, but she isn’t confident it can be done after losing $6 million from the budget. Read the latest.

Judge rules for volunteers: We have told you before about the funding dispute between Stamford, CT and the volunteers from Turn of River FD. The volunteers won the latest round in court with the judge ordering the city to pay almost $300,000 by next Tuesday. Read the details.

More fires in Hinton: The seemingly never-ending Arson problem continues in Hinton, WV. Read the latest.

Text addicts: Firegeezer devotes his Morning Lineup to the dangers of DWT. Click here.

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Homes come with own water supply: Marine operations in evidence from Thursday at Liberty Dock, Waldo Ponit Harbor in Sausalito, California. Fire involves two houseboats. Read more about Thursday’s fire.

Posted by on June 26, 2009 • Filed under: Uncategorized

Another investigation into surplus DC engine & ambulance donation to the Dominican Republic

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Click here and then scroll down for the latest fire and EMS news from STATter911.com

Surplus Property and Rulemaking Investigation Authorization Resolution

Read press release announcing the City Council investigation

New developments today in the ongoing saga of the surplus DC Fire & EMS Department engine and ambulance that almost made it to Sosua in the Dominican Republic. Two council members have launched a joint investigation into the emergency rule authorized by city officials that allowed the donation to be made through the non-profit organization Peaceoholics.

Council members Mary Cheh and Phil Mendelson have received subpoena authority from the committees they chair and will conduct the investigation jointly. The pair previously requested city travel documents to determine who besides a deputy fire chief traveled to Sosua as part of this deal.

In a press release announcing the investigation Cheh and Mendelson cite a lack of cooperation by witnesses from Mayor Adrian Fenty’s administration, a report from DC Attorney General Peter Nickles they claim has “factual inconsistencies” and “the peculiar lack of candor on the part of the Executive”.

We have contacted a spokesperson for the Fenty administration seeking comment about the action by the two council members.

An inspector general investigation is also underway.

Below is the part of the resolution authorizing the investigation that refers to the testimony by DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Dennis Rubin and Assistant Chief Alfred Jeffery:

On April 1, 2009, Councilmember Phil Mendelson, Chairperson of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, held a hearing in which he questioned FEMS Chief Denis Rubin regarding the agency’s knowledge of and/or role in the disposition of the fire engine and ambulance. Chief Rubin testified at that hearing that hewas only made aware of the disposition of the FEMS property and Deputy Fire Chief Ronald Gill’s travel associated with the disposition within a few days preceding the April 1st hearing. Assistant Fire Chief Alfred Jeffery testified that he signed off on the travel for Deputy Fire Chief Ronald Gill to the Dominican Republic. Assistant Chief Jeffery stated that he was aware of the purpose of Ronald Gill’s travel, but did not ask any questions or request supporting documentation for the trip. Assistant Chief Jeffery testified that he believed the travel and donation was connected with a “program” for the disposition of such property that existed prior to both his and the Chief’s joining FEMS. No other details of this program were known or provided to FEMS, and no further questions were asked by FEMS. FEMS testified that this program was supported by the Mayor. FEMS Chief Rubin further testified that the fire engine had approximately 197,000 miles and that the ambulance had more than 100,000 miles, and that both vehicles were of little to no value. Subsequent to that hearing, Chairperson Mendelson discovered that the actual mileage on the fire engine was only 55,290 miles. The actual mileage on the ambulance was 106,696 miles.

Posted by on April 9, 2009 • Filed under: Chief Dennis Rubin, DC Fire & EMS Department • Tagged:

Fire officials ordered not to testify on engine/ambulance donation. Rigs back in DC with less mileage than reported.

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Mike DeBonis, AKA Loose Lips, and veteran Washington City Paper photographer Darrow Montgomery went hunting today in the Nation’s Capital. It was a successful outing. The pair bagged the first images of the surplus fire engine and ambulance that have sparked controversy and investigations. Click here to read Mike’s story and see more pictures.

Video of fire engine and ambulance at center of the controversy (or here)

Click here to see previous coverage from STATter911.com

A lot of developments on Monday in the ongoing story of a fire engine and ambulance that almost made it to a beach resort in the Dominican Republic. Both are back in the District of Columbia, but as council member Phil Mendelson discovered, one thing isn’t quite as he had been told at a hearing last week.

On Wednesday, DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Dennis Rubin testified the 11-year-old (1998) Seagrave pumper “has more than 197,000 miles” (Click here and go to 9:23 on the video).

Mendelson personally inspected the fire engine and ambulance on Monday at a city lot on Adams Street, NE. According to reporter Michael Neibauer with the DC Examiner, Mendelson found that the odometer on the pumper showed only 55,000 miles. So far there is no explanation for the discrepancy.

As STATter911.com first reported on Friday, testimony by Chief Rubin and Assistant Chief Alfred Jeffery has also come into conflict with the three-page report released by DC Attorney General Peter Nickles. While Jeffery clearly indicated employees from other city government agencies accompanied Deputy Chief Ronald Gill Jr. to Sosua at the end of January, the report only makes mention of a DC Fire & EMS Department employee making the trip.

Nickles report also found that everything was legal and proper with the donation. Chief Rubin expressed his regrets over how the matter was handled. On Friday, STATter911.com contacted spokespersons for Chief Rubin and the city in an unsuccessful effort to learn more about the apparent conflicts between the testimony and the report.

More testimony on this matter from fire department officials and other top city government workers isn’t likely to happen anytime soon. After testimony by procurement officials on Monday that linked two members of Mayor Adrian Fenty’s inner circle to the donation, Attorney General Nickles advised there would be no further testimony from city officials. Nickles cited the ongoing investigation by the IG’s office.

Here’s how Neibauer begins his article:

Two members of Mayor Adrian Fenty’s inner circle asked the District’s contracting office to outline the process for donating a surplus firetruck and an ambulance to a beach town in the Dominican Republic, officials said Monday.

Chip Richardson, Fenty’s acting general counsel, and Thorn Pozen, the mayor’s special counsel, both contacted the Office of Contracting and Procurement about organizing the donation to the tourist enclave Sosua, Nancy Hapeman, OCP’s general counsel, told a D.C. Council committee Monday.

She said the District lawyers sought to use the District-based Peaceoholics as an intermediary.

And from an article by Nikita Stewart and Tim Craig in The Washington Post:

Nickles told officials from the fire department and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer that their testimony before the Committee on Government Operations and the Environment could interfere with investigations.

“It’s clear that they are circling the wagons and shutting down the accountability process,” said council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large).

Posted by on April 7, 2009 • Filed under: Chief Dennis Rubin • Tagged:

Quick takes

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Click here and then scroll down for the latest fire and EMS news from STATter911.com

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Multiple homes burn in Chicago 2-11: A wind whipped blaze damaged or destroyed five homes on Chicago’s Southwest Side. It happened early Sunday morning leaving 29 people homeless. No serious injuries, but a pregnant woman and her young child were treated for smoke inhalation. Click here for more details.

FF/PM rescues woman from damaged and burning exposure after explosion: The house that exploded in South St. Louis on Saturday night shook St. Alexius Hospital directly across the street. Help came running, including Firefighter/Paramedic William Wicker. We have video of the fire, interviews and before and after pictures of the house that was leveled. Click here.

Chilling story of rescues of 4 trapped FFs in Oklahoma grain bin fire that killed chief: Steve Marshall, who sent me this story, says someone should pin a medal on Jack Eardman. Eardman, an assistant chief with the Hobart FD, was working for a local ambulance company on March 23. He took in the fire at the grain bin, but little did he know moments later he would be leading rescue efforts for four downed firefighters. Eardman himself was almost felled by the CO levels inside the bin. The fire killed Hydro Chief Nolan Schmidt . Make sure you take the time to read the details of this one.

Funeral for Trenton’s Manny Rivera: Tributes for Firefighter Manny Rivera. The 42-year-old Rivera died on Tuesday seven weeks after collapsing and going into a coma following the rescue of a man hanging from a third-floor window at a fire. A detailed look at the funeral can be found here.

Woman and young son rescued in Rochester: The woman told 911 she was in the bathroom on the second-floor of the burning home. That’s where Rochester, NY firefighters found her. We have video of the fire and a bit of the rescue of the woman’s young son, along with links to the fireground audio from Monroe County Fire Wire. Click here.

Charges announced in Houston crash: The police department has made it official and a spokesperson confirms the driver of Ladder 16 will be charged in last week’s collision with Engine 7. Click here for details.

EMS station burns in Claremore, OK: A fire Sunday burned an ambulance and command vehicle at the Oologah-Talala Emergency Medical Services District building. Read the details.

Officer cuffs fire lieutenant at emergency scene: Click here in case you missed this story from New Haven that we posted on Friday.

AG says all A-OK, but IG is now looking into fire engine and ambulance donation: Friday’s report from the DC Office of the Attorney General indicates everything was above board and proper about the donation of a surplus fire engine and ambulance and a trip to the Dominican Republic by a deputy fire chief. Still that 3-page report seems to be in conflict with some of the testimony last week by Chief Dennis Rubin and Assistant Chief Alfred Jeffery. Two council members, in an effort to find out who else had been visiting the beach resort of Sosua, have demanded city travel records and an IG’s investigation. Click here for the latest.

The Washington Post finally got into this story, a week late, on Friday. Read what the Post’s Nikita Stewart has in today’s paper.

More videos from inside the command post: Two more recent ones added from the collection of City of San Bernardino Battalion Chief Mike Alder. Click here.

And also from San Bernardino: A 45-year-old firehouse is like new again and the firefighters only have themselves to thank for it. The remodeling was done in-house, by firefighters. Read the article (including quotes from BC Mike Alder).

NC fire museum to close: Seven years after it opened, higher rent is forcing the closing of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fire Museum. Read the story.

Good pictures from fiery Beltway crash: Readers at fire stations on Baltimore County’s west side are once again sending us pictures. Click here.

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Another one from the west side of Baltimore’s Beltway: Michael “FirePix1075″ Schwartzberg’s video from a wreck on I-695 at the Windsor Mill Road overpass in Woodlawn on Friday night. A van was on top of a car, with the car wedged up against the guard rail. Michael reports it took 30-minutes to free the woman inside. You can see his still pictures here and read an account of the rescue at Pikesville VFC’s site.

Posted by on April 6, 2009 • Filed under: Uncategorized

UPDATE: Report says fire engine and ambulance donation is totally proper. Read full report. Also, City Council wants detailed travel records.

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Click here and then scroll down for the latest fire and EMS news from STATter911.com

Read report from Office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia

Click here for our previous coverage including the full City Council testimony

Read letters from council members Mendelson and Cheh requesting travel records and IG investigation

(UPDATED AT 11:30 PM)

While DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Dennis Rubin has indicated in interviews and a City Council hearing he regrets how the donation of a surplus fire engine and ambulance was handled, the man in charge of investigating the matter believes the process was totally proper. The 3-page report issued Friday afternoon by DC Attorney General Peter Nickles describes the process used to donate the equipment to the non-profit group Peaceoholics and eventually to the town of Sosua in the Dominican Republic.

Here is how the report begins:

The report raises some other questions about the fire department’s testimony Wednesday before the DC City Council Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary. Both Chief Rubin and Assistant Chief Alfred Jeffery made it clear that Deputy Chief Ronald Gill Jr. was part of a delegation of city workers who took the trip to Sosua at the end of January. Efforts by committee chairman Phil Mendelson to learn the names of the other government workers and their agencies were not successful.

The report from the Office of the Attorney General referred only to “a due diligence trip to Sosua by a District Fire and Emergency Medical Services employee to confirm their need and assess their infrastructure and capabilities.” It makes no mention of other city employees involved in the trip and their duties as part of the delegation.

In Wednesday’s testimony Chief Jeffery said, “I don’t know how many went. There were other District employees that went. They don’t work for me so I don’t know who else went.”

Chief Rubin interrupted, “I don’t think that we are sure of any of that. That’s all speculation on our part. I don’t think we took them to the airport. I don’t think we drove them.”

But in further questioning from Mendelson Chief Jeffery relayed some of his conversations with Deputy Chief Gill saying, “I heard there were other employees from other agencies going down. He said there were other people from other District agencies. We really didn’t get into that because they don’t work for me so I didn’t pursue it.”

During his testimony, Chief Rubin expressed his reservations about the process that took place by saying, “I am sorry that Chief Gill went on this trip. I wish I knew more about it on the front end.”

Later Rubin said, “The belief was this was a project supported by the city.” The chief added, “I think we are equally disappointed that whatever fail safes slipped though.”

The report from Peter Nickles was distributed Friday afternoon by Mayor Adrian Fenty’s Office of Communications. We have contacted deputy director Erica Stanley in an effort to find out more about these differences between the report and the testimony on Wednesday. We also asked how Attorney General Nickles can “direct” the return of the equipment since it apparently is no longer the property of the city. We have not received a response.

STATter911.com contacted a spokesperson for the DC Fire & EMS Department trying to better understand Chief Rubin’s concerns that “fail safes slipped through” in light of the report that now says everything was proper.

The City Council is also moving forward with trying to get some answers. From the DC Wire of The Washington Post:

In a letter to Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Ghandi, council members Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) and Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) ask for a “detailed accounting of every travel expenditure incurred by the Executive Office of the Mayor and every subordinate agency” during the time period.

The two have also asked the inspector general to investigate.

Posted by on April 3, 2009 • Filed under: Chief Dennis Rubin, DC Fire & EMS Department • Tagged:

Quick takes

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Vacant Indiana house fire: Exterior attack on this house in Gary. No reports of injuries.

Deadly fire in Virginia is suspicious: STATter911.com has learned there were multiple points of origin in the fire that took the lives of two people in Herndon early Thursday morning. The bodies were found in two separate bedrooms. Click here to read and watch this story.

Will today be the day?: For a week now few answers have been coming from the administration of Mayor Adrian Fenty about the unusual surplus fire engine/ambulance give away and the city workers who went to the Dominican Republic. So far, only DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Dennis Rubin is apologetic about the role of a deputy chief who went on the trip to Sosua. What has been made clear is that Chief Rubin and his department apparently aren’t the guiding force behind this deal. Then who in the city government is responsible? The Office of Attorney General has been hinting at a late week report. Bad news for governments often comes out at 4:00 PM on Fridays. Will that be the case today?

The only thing new we learned yesterday (or watch the video) is that Deputy Chief Ronald Gill Jr. claims he spent his six days at the resort town studying Sosua’s infrastructure and particularly its limited hydrant system. We are told he was looking at how the donated pumper could be used.

The Washington Post, which has not covered this story, has an editorial about the Sosua deal and the lack of information from city officials, including the fire chief. Click here.

And by the way, we need to give credit where credit is due for finding this story. DC Watch’s Dorothy Brizill helped sound the alarm when she spotted the emergency rule making in the DC Register.

One more note. Even as late as yesterday, news organizations were reporting this fire engine and ambo combination is worth $340,000. As I have reported since Friday, maybe new they were worth that much. This is a 1997 Seagrave with 197,000 miles on it and a 2001 ambulance with 106,000 miles. You do the math.

CFSI dinner was a proud moment for Prince George’s County, MD: Three Suitland High School graduates were up on stage together last night as one of the top awards at the annual Congressional Fire Services Institute dinner at the Washington Hilton was presented. The oldest of the three (a 1957 graduate) happens to be the House majority leader. The middle of the trio (Class of 1959) was a county fire chief, public safety director and council member. The baby (Class of 1969) is also a former PGFD chief who runs the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute. If you haven’t figured it out, Steve Edwards was presented Motorola’s Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership award by Congressman Steny Hoyer and Chief Jim Estepp.

If you were among the 2000 or so in attendance you may have heard a brief mention of Chief Edwards’ gold medal for saving two firefighters while a company officer for PGFD. Make sure you click here to see pictures I took from that spectacular December 7, 1978 fire involving 12-million-feet of nitro-cellulose film at the Washington National Records Center (just down the street from Suitland High School).

By the way, despite each of these men having been on the receiving end of an unpleasant story or two from a pre-STATter 911 Dave Statter, they still talk to me (Estepp, a wise man, almost always let Edwards and the other deputies handle the bad news). I guess they taught them not to hold a grudge at Suitland.

Check out both Firehouse.com and FirefighterNation.com for more complete coverage and pictures from the dinner.

Former executive officer for Dallas Fire-Rescue claims harassment right at the top: Until a recent demotion Leanne Siri was the highest ranking civilian in the Texas department. Her complaint goes right to the top claiming, “The chief openly stated that the problem was I was a woman”. Siri also says the was called the “B” word some of the departments highest ranking officials. An independent report two years ago said that “undercurrents of racism and sexism are prevalent in the department.” The city attorney says the Chief Eddie Burns has expanded opportunities for women and made it easier to file complaints. Read more from WFAA-TV.

Does this department qualify for E-One’s “Tell Us Your Story” contest?: Mississippi’s East Central Volunteer Fire Department says the $177,000 fire engine it leased in 2004 has been in the shop more than its out. Because of that the department is now suing the manufacturer claiming the rig is a lemon. Read more.

Firefighter charged in Virginia fire truck wreck: The driver of a rig in Spotsylvania County has been charged in connection with a crash early Thursday that sent him and another firefighter to the hospital. The charges are failure to maintain control and failure to wear a seatbelt. Read more.

I told you there is a lot of this going around: Yet another fire department where most of the firefighters are quitting because they don’t like the new chief. This time it is in Newberg, MO. Click here to find out what this one is about.

Take-home cars under scrutiny: It started with The Washington Post looking at the police department last summer and WTTG-TV looking at the fire department last week, now Fairfax County, VA is auditing all of its take-home vehicles. Click here for the story.

Posted by on April 3, 2009 • Filed under: Uncategorized

Quick takes

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Long Island house fire: Bill Bennett video of a fire early Tuesday morning on Lakeview Avenue in Rockville Centre, Nassau County. A passerby alerted a woman and four children their home was on fire. All got out safely. One firefighter had minor burns. Read details

Lots of questions, but few answers as DC fire chief is grilled about donation and deputy’s trip to Dominican Republic: The DC City Council member who oversees the fire department’s budget says the answers from Chief Dennis Rubin and his staff defy logic. Specifically the questions surrounded why a deputy fire chief’s trip to Sosua to help with a fire engine and ambulance donation was approved and who in the city government is responsible for this deal. Chief Rubin says while was only recently made aware of the trip, he takes responsibility. Council member Phil Mendelson thinks that may not be the case. We have our TV story and raw video of the hearing. Click here.

Two dead in overnight fire in Virginia: Fairfax County firefighters reported heavy fire showing at a house on Eddyspark Drive in Herndon. Two people were found dead. A little bit more info here.

April Fool’s prank doesn’t get much funnier than this, huh?: What better way to show your playful side than to call your aunt at 2:00 in the morning on April 1 to say you and your uncle (aunt’s brother) are trapped in a car that drove off of the Oglethorpe Bridge and landed in the Flint River in Albany, Georgia. What a kidder? I am sure first responders in Albany couldn’t stop laughing when they discovered the rescue efforts they started weren’t really needed. But there is always one without a sense of humor who just can’t take a joke. Can you imagine that the Albany fire chief thinks the 23-year-old woman (other articles refer to the jokester as a teenager) should face criminal charges? Read more. Watch the story.

Hearing set for chief accused of racial slurs: An update on the allegations against South Milwaukee Chief Jay Behling. Click here.

Firefighter charged with attacking neighboring chief: A Benton Township, Michigan fire lieutenant is accused of grabbing Berrien Springs-Oronoko Township’s fire chief at the scene of a barn fire last week. Read the details.

Fire in dentist’s office: A dental technician was seriously burned and two others suffered lesser burns from fire in a dentist’s office in Austin, TX. The technician was using an alcohol-fueled torch to work on dentures when the fire occurred. Read more.

CO level very high in fire station: Read about problems at a Sandwich, MA, fire station.

Dramatic video from gas pump fire: Firegeezer takes us to Chandler, Arizona where a man rescues his wife and child as a gas pump goes up in flames and burns a man. Click here to read the story and watch the video.

“Everybody Out”: Firefighter Spot has a recent video from a house fire in Great Neck where the order comes to exit the home. Click here.

Posted by on April 2, 2009 • Filed under: Uncategorized

DC’s Chief Dennis Rubin grilled on deputy’s trip to the Dominican Republic. City Council wants answers about fire equipment donation. Watch testimony.

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Above is Part 1 of Wednesday’s city council hearing. Click for Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

For our previous coverage of this story click here and here.

Watch story from 9NEWS NOW at 6:00 PM (or here)

Since Friday, reporters and the DC City Council have been trying to find out who in the city is behind an unusual deal sending a surplus fire engine and ambulance to the beach resort Sosua in the Dominican Republic. Answers have been hard to come by.

DC Fire and EMS Department Chief Dennis Rubin was the first on the hot seat in front of Phil Mendelson, the chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary. As part of a regular budget hearing, Mendelson wanted to know why the department sent Deputy Chief Ronald Gill Jr. to Sosua for 6 days earlier in the year. Gill is in charge of fleet maintenance for the department.

Chief Rubin, who said he was unaware of the trip until after the fact, takes responsibility for the fire department’s actions and is sorry the trip was made. Assistant Chief Alfred Jeffery gave permission for Gill’s travel as part of a delegation of city employees. Jeffery was unable to tell Mendelson who else from the city went to Sosua and who in the city government approved the trip or the donation of the fire equipment.

The donation was made through the group Peaceoholics which works with young people in the city in an effort to curb violence. After the donation was made public Peaceoholics co-founder Ron Moten ordered the equipment returned to the city. It had made it as far as the Port of Miami.

Rubin and Jeffery indicated this deal was in the works before either man was appointed to their positions in the department.

In one of a number of testy exchanges with the fire officials, Phil Mendelson said the answer to why Chief Jeffery approved the travel defies logic and wanted to know why the assistant chief didn’t ask more questions.

The whole deal is now part of an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General. Mendelson believes there may be a conflict of interest because he says that office approved the emergency rule making allowing Peacoholics to be given the fire equipment.

Posted by on April 1, 2009 • Filed under: Chief Dennis Rubin • Tagged:

Update on DC fire engine, ambulance giveaway: Report that apparatus chief took trip to Dominican Republic at taxpayer’s expense.

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Deputy Chief Ronald Gill Jr., Fleet Management Director, District of Columbia Fire & EMS Department from IABFF.org.

For five days the story of a surplus fire engine and a surplus ambulance from the District of Columbia Fire & EMS Department has been making news. The details are leaking out a little bit at a time about an unusual arrangement allowing a group known for working to stop violence among the city’s youth to broker a donation to a beach resort town in the Dominican Republic.

Since Friday we have been asking officials of the DC Fire & EMS Department what the top brass knew about this deal. Even though DC Examiner’s Michael Neibauer reported on Friday that Peacoholic’s co-founder Ron Moten said he “approached the D.C. government about the donation through an assistant fire chief”, the word back from public information officers and others in the fire department is that all of the assistant chiefs and everyone else denies knowing anything about the donation.

The fire department also told us it knew nothing about the report we discovered in a Dominican Republic newspaper saying on January 29 “a delegation from the Washington DC arrived in Sosúa to officially hand over an ambulance and fire truck to the town’s Mayor”.

Instead the fire department consistently told us that this issue was not its problem because surplus equipment is handled by the Office of Contracting and Procurement.

Now tonight, Michael Neibauer reports that someone high up in the DC Fire & EMS Department did know about this deal. That man is in charge of the apparatus division for the DC Fire & EMS Department. From Neibauer’s story:

Deputy Fire Chief Ronald Gill Jr. was in the Dominican resort town of Sosua, from Jan. 29 (originally reported due to a misprint by the Examiner as Jan. 26) through Feb. 4, spending $135 per day for a total cost of $810, according to documents provided to the D.C. Council’s public safety and judiciary committee. The travel information was submitted March 4, in response to questions from the council panel ahead of the fiscal 2008 oversight hearing.

The Examiner’s article prompted a new round of questions this evening for the DC Fire & EMS Department. They all surrounded the theme of how could a deputy fire chief spend 7 days in the Dominican Republic at taxpayers expense and Chief Dennis Rubin, or Gill’s boss, Assistant Chief Alfred Jeffery, not know about it?

As they have been doing since Friday, the DC Fire & EMS Department referred us to Mayor Adrian Fenty’s press office for answers to our questions. The mayor’s communications people have not gotten back to us.

We are told by sources in the DC government the fire engine and ambulance in question made it as far as Miami and have now been turned around for a return trip to Washington.

Since this story broke on Friday STATter911.com has been questioning the $340,000 price tag put on this donation. If this is truly surplus equipment, it isn’t likely to have a value that high.

We have been told by sources familiar with the deal that the pumper is a 1996 or 1997 model and the ambulance was made in 2001. Each has in excess of 100,000 miles. Industry sources familiar with DC’s equipment, estimate the combined maximum value at less than $35,000.

So, the questions continue about this deal. We are told to expect more questions on Wednesday. This time they won’t be coming just from reporters. Chief Dennis Rubin has a scheduled 10:00 AM budget hearing before the DC Council’s Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary chaired by Phil Mendelson.

One final note on this for the evening, check the picture below that accompanied the latest article in the Examiner. My guess is that Acting Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Services Chief Richard Bowers is ready to provide Chief Rubin all of the mutual aid the city needs, but would rather not see his fire trucks used to illustrate a controversial DC story.

Posted by on April 1, 2009 • Filed under: Chief Dennis Rubin • Tagged: , , , ,

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UK Fire Service believes uniforms may be key to hiring more women and minorities: Trying to change its white male image, the fire service in England has unveiled uniforms tailor made for women and the religious and cultural needs of minorities. This includes head scarves for Muslim women. The picture above from the BBC. Read their story.

Sudden u-turn for DC fire engine and ambulance donated to Dominican Republic beach resort: The Washington Examiner now reports there is some truth to STATter911.com’s discovery that the donation to the town of Sosua may have been a done deal. Reporter Michael Neibauer writes, “A city hall official who asked not to be named told The Examiner on Monday that the vehicles, on their way to the Dominican Republic town of Sosua, had been ordered turned around”. The equipment been estimated as wroth $340,000 which many in DC think is a lot of value left in truly surplus equipment. Still a lot of unanswered questions that no one seems to be ready to answer about the three way deal with the group Peaceoholics. Read the Examiner article. Read our previous coverage. You can also keep tabs on this one from columnist Mike DeBonis in the Washington City Paper and his Loose Lips Daily.

PGFD’s and Probie Days author Jerry Engle out as theft from firehouse is investigated: From Kentland to Riverdale to Bladensburg to Riverdale Heights, Jerry Engle has a knack for being involved in controversy wherever he goes as a volunteer firefighter in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Engle has been operationally suspended after being accused in a criminal complaint of stealing equipment from the Riverdale firehouse while Riverdale Heights was at the station on a transfer. Riverdale Heights tells STATter911.com that Jerry isn’t coming back. Will this latest incident be the end of Jerry Engle’s days with PGFD? Click here for the details on Sunday’s theft complaint and a Jerry Engle retrospective.

Never mind … Boston is not the most expensive fire department: You may have seen the stories yesterday that ranked Boston as number one in the country in per capita costs for a fire department. Wrong. The Boston Globe story was based on faulty numbers provided by the City of Columbus, Ohio which had studied the issue. Boston is really number two and trying harder. Read the update.

Latest on the collision of Houston rigs that injured 11: The brother of the bicyclist buried under the wreckage of Houston’s Ladder 16 talks about his sister who is in critical condition. Click here.

Two of the nine firefighters suffered broken bones when Ladder 16 was hit by Engine 7 at an intersection. Most have been released from the hospital. The woman whose car was crushed had only minor injuries. Here is an excerpt from the latest article in the Houston Chronicle-

“Whoever has the green light has the right of way,” (District Chief Tommy) Dowdy said. “We don’t know who had the green.” Also at issue is the possible role an Opticom — a device mounted at intersections to regulate traffic signals as emergency vehicles approach — played in the crash.

Click here for our earlier coverage.

Firefighter fired and paramedic resigns over YouTube video: This is the latest development in the story from Milwaukee we recently told you about. The two are accused of shooting a video with derogatory language while on duty. Read the update, including the reaction of the fire chief.

Bruce Willis loses ski lodge in fire: A fire Monday morning destroyed the main lodge at a small ski operation co-owned by Bruce Willis near Fairfield, Idaho. No one was injured. Willis was at his home in Hailey at the time. Read the story. Watch slideshow.

Howard County, Maryland to add two fire stations and eight 911 positions: Firegeezer recently predicted the downsizing of fire engines as a nod to the poor economy. How about fire stations? Bill Goddard, the new fire chief in Howard County, says the county will build its first new stations since 1994, but that they will be the bare bones version. In an announcement with Goddard’s boss and the police chief, the county is also expanding 911 positions. Read more.

Townhomes burn in South Minneapolis: Heavy fire conditions as a pair of homes burned on Monday. Click here (or here) for video and the story.

Texas fire chief found shot to death: Gun cleaning equipment and a new gun were found near Cleveland, Texas Chief Steve Wheeler’s body. Police are waiting for an autopsy to determine if the death was an accident, suicide or homicide. Read the story.

The postman always rings twice, but knocks real hard when there is a fire: In this case it was a postwoman (alright, female mail carrier) delivering the mail in West Bloomfield, Michigan who helped alert a woman her home was on fire and brought the woman to safety. Read the story.

Queen for a Day, the E-One version: When I was a little boy home sick from school I remember sitting with my grandmother watching the game show Queen for a Day. An applause meter would help decide which woman told the most heart wrenching story about her down and out life.
Host Jack Bailey would then crown her queen and she would win a bunch of prizes. I am sure Firegeezer recalls it too, with the only difference being Bill was watching it sitting in the firehouse. My point in bringing it up is that the TV show reminds me of E-One’s “Tell Us Your Story” contest where a new Tradition ES pumper is given away to some lucky fire department. The choice of a winner is to be based on need, heroism and tragedy. The contest is down to 7 finalists. Click here to find out who they are.

Posted by on March 31, 2009 • Filed under: Uncategorized

Damned if you do, damned if you don't: Surplus DC Fire & EMS equipment under scrutiny again as it heads for Dominican Republic resort.

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The Sosúa Fire Department at Los Charamicos from Sosúa-News.

You may recall our story on March 3, and the DC City Council hearing a day later, about what the District of Columbia does with its surplus uniforms, gear, and other equipment from its public safety departments. The city has had a long-standing regulation that surplus government material is to be auctioned.

It became an issue when we discovered that fully marked and functional uniforms and PPE were auctioned to the public at the same time there is concern terrorists will imitate first responders.

We found that some other departments faced with the same problem donate the surplus material to needy fire departments in this country and around the world. There are similar suggestions in the comments section by a number of STATter911.com readers.

Now comes today’s story in the Washington Examiner where the city made such a donation to what was described as a department in need in the Dominican Republic. But that move isn’t going so well either.

Michael Neibauer’s article points out the donation of the rigs, worth an estimated $340,000, is being done through Peaceoholics, a city anti-youth violence organization. Sosúa is a beach resort community in North Coast of the Dominican Republic, which is a top tourist destination for Europeans.

According to Neibauer, the ball started rolling on this when the organizations co-founder contacted an assistant fire chief.

Neibaurer reports it took some new rule making by the city’s contracting office which allowed donations specifically to Peaceoholics. The whole process now has a council member asking if this fiscally prudent in these tough economic times. DC Attorney General Peter Nickles is also taking a look at the the propriety of this deal.

One thing we haven’t figured out is the timing of all of this. The Examiner reports the rule making change was last week and that the donation “will” occur. An article at Sosúa-News has a different timetable. In a February 12th article it says:

On Thursday 29 January a delegation from the Washington DC arrived in Sosúa to officially hand over an ambulance and fire truck to the town’s Mayor.

It goes on to say:

The ambulance and fire truck will be transported by ship, and should arrive in Puerto Plata around mid-February. The Americans will also send instructors to train paramedics and personnel from the fire department on how to use such modern equipment.

We have put in request with city officials for some answers about the articles, where the equipment is currently located, and more details about who, if anyone, from the DC Fire & EMS Department will be taking the trip to a beach resort in the Dominican Republic.

Posted by on March 27, 2009 • Filed under: Uncategorized