An active duty female D.C. firefighter is breaking her silence to speak up for young female cadets who allege sexual harassment at the DC Fire and EMS Training Academy.
Fearing retaliation, the firefighter requested anonymity. She’s being referred to as “Susan” in this story.
She says when she joined a recruit class a few years ago, it came with a warning from a female academy employee about some of the male instructors.
“She just said, ‘be careful, because a lot of them, they don’t know their boundaries,” she says.
Almost immediately, Susan says, the sexual harassment began. One instructor commented, “guess who wore the wrong bra today,” she says.
After a tough day of training, Susan says that same instructor got her alone. She says his hand moved from her shoulder slowly down to the top of her backside.
“And then as the hand like went lower to like you know here, I was just like, ‘Um, yeah please don’t ever touch me. Like, that’s hugely inappropriate,’” she says.
Fearing for her job, Susan kept quiet until she saw ABC7′s recent investigation centering on two young female cadets, fresh out of high school, who accused two instructors of sexual harassment. She says those cadets came to her for advice and told her what the instructors said.
“You know, they’re babies. And, so for them to speak to them like that and you know, just make any sort of sexual comments toward them is just disgusting,” she says.
The fire department has reassigned the two instructors to positions outside of the academy and launched an internal investigation.
But when ABC7 approached D.C. Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe in February, he insisted the alleged harassment was “not” sexual in nature.
“What we believe happened was more some inappropriate language and touching, not of a sexual nature, but the matter made the youngladies uncomfortable,” Ellerbe says.
But one male firefighter says he also felt compelled to speak out, saying he’s aware of cases in which superiors intimidated female firefighters into not filing complaints.
“And I know of two issues uh, first hand, um where issues of sexual harassment or harassment towards women have been basically brushed under the table,” said the male firefighter who declined to be identified.
A fire department spokesperson declined comment about the status of the latest alleged harassment investigation. He did say the department provided additional training for staff to address concerns regarding inappropriate conduct toward colleagues. And a female instructor has been placed at the academy to train cadets as well.
It seems the DC Fire & EMS Department has been in the news almost constantly for the last three weeks and little of it has been good news. It has gotten to the point that today reporter WTTG-TV/ Fox5 reporter Paul Wagner confronted Mayor Vincent Gray about he leadership of Chief Kenneth Ellerbe:
Wagner: Do you still have confidence in Kenneth Ellerbe?
Mayor Gray: Yes.
Wagner: You do?
Mayor Gray: Yes
Wagner: Unequivocally?
Mayor Gray: I have confidence in our fire chief, is that your answer?
Wagner: Yes.
As for Chief Ellerbe, he has not been making any statements about the latest incident to put the spotlight on the department, the delayed transport for a seriously injured DC police officer. The chief is letting his boss Deputy Mayor Paul Quander talk with the press about this incident. Just two weeks ago Chief Ellerbe was more vocal, putting out three statements within 24 hours that addressed what the chief saw as inaccurate reporting on different stories about the department.
But Chief Ellerbe did talk with DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier about her officer being struck Tuesday night. Lanier, whose late dad was a chief officer with Maryland’s PGFD, talked with reporters today saying, “The last thing I want to think about it, you know is, a police officer who is injured that seriously to have to wait to get transported.”
The investigation into the delayed ambulance response for an injured D.C. police officer is focusing on 10 ambulance units that were out of service at the time of the call. The man in charge of the investigation told News4 he’s trying to find out why the units were unavailable and why they were all out of service so close to the end of their shifts.
The initial calls for a pedestrian down came about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night — just 30 minutes before the shift change.
“I want to make sure that in fact no one took themselves out of service without the proper authorization and especially when it came time to ending their shift early,” Deputy Mayor Paul Quander said. “That’s unacceptable.”
Thirty-nine ambulance units were on duty at the time of the accident, Quander said, and some of the 10 that were out of service had legitimate reasons for not being able to respond to the call.
“One of the things I need to find out from this internal review is what happened to 10 of the units that were not available at that critical time,” Quander said. “Some of them may have been on runs to hospitals. Some of them may have been being cleaned. There are others I need to focus on to see whether or not they took themselves out of service without authorization.”
The officer was eventually transported by a Prince George’s County ambulance with life-threatening injuries. He suffered multiple fractures to his left leg and has had two surgeries so far.
His recovery will be long, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.
But it’s what happened after the collision that is now the subject of an ongoing investigation involving D.C. Fire and EMS.
The Sixth District officer, who has now been identified as Sean Hickman, broke his pelvis and one of his legs and was on the ground waiting for help for as long as eight minutes before paramedics on an engine arrived to render first aid.
The officer then waited at least 15 minutes more for an ambulance that had to come from Prince George’s County because there were no ambulances available in the District.
The long wait for an ambulance is now the subject of an investigation by the deputy mayor for public safety who says some of the ambulance crews on duty that night may have left the streets before the end of their shift.
“We had 10 medical units that were not available for service and I need to know why,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Paul Quander. “Some of them were on runs, some were in for cleanup after you do a run, but I’m also looking to see if some went out of service inappropriately without authorization. They may have left their shift before it was over, but these are some of the things we have to sort out.”
Officer Hickman was riding a scooter when he was hit in the intersection of 46th and A Streets in Southeast D.C.
The long wait for medical help has infuriated the police union, which is now pointing fingers at the fire chief.
“Here in the nation’s capital that we would not have an ambulance available is inexcusable and who’s to blame? The Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe is to blame,” said Fraternal Order of Police Chairman Kristopher Baumann. “This is his department and this is not the first time we have seen mismanagement with story after story of how he has been unable to make this a working department.”
Chief Ellerbe declined a request for an interview and said all questions would be answered by the deputy mayor.
“We had paramedics that arrived within eight minutes, which is well within the standard that we want,” said Deputy Mayor Quander. “What I also said is that the review will take a look at everything to see if we can improve, whether there was any impact to the officer’s care.”
On Thursday afternoon, FOX 5 asked D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray if he is concerned with the current state of emergency medical care in the city.
“With respect to the current situation, I’ve asked Paul Quander to take a look at it and he will have information and anything that will be broader than that, so let’s wait and see what he comes up with,” said Gray.
When asked if he still had confidence in the fire chief, the mayor replied “yes.”
The DC Fire & EMS Department seems to remain in the news these last few weeks with stories that linger. This one comes out of last week’s testimony by Chief Kenneth Ellerbe at a City Council hearing. Council member Tommy Wells has, for the second time this week, called for an inspector general’s investigation of the department. Wells wants to get to the bottom of an overtime list of mechanics at the department’s shop that became part of the questioning of Chief Ellerbe during the hearing. Reporter Matt Ackland at WTTG-TV/Fox5 has the story:
Why are D.C. Fire and EMS mechanics working so much overtime? Councilmember Tommy Wells wants to get to the bottom of it.
This week, Wells sent a letter to D.C.’s Inspector General asking for an investigation.
Wells told FOX 5, “It’s either mismanagement or fraud.”
Questions were raised last week when a report of the top overtime workers in the department was released. The top overtime earner, who works as a mechanic, made nearly $98,000 in overtime in 2012.
Wells also says there is a concern about worker safety if mechanics are working so much extra time around heavy equipment.
The head of the police union in DC says his members will join IAFF Local 36 members in not attending Mayor Vincent Gray’s luncheon to honor city workers who helped safeguard the Inauguration. The FOP is taken this action because of DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Kenneth Ellerbe. Kristopher Baumann told Washington Examiner City Hall reporter Alan Blinder, ”We’re not going to participate until this administration starts behaving like it’s run by adults and starts treating fellow workers with respect.”
IAFF Local 36 president Ed Smith also talked to reporter Blinder:
But Edward Smith, the president of the firefighters’ union, said taking part in the celebratory luncheon amid an ongoing review would have sent “a mixed message.”
“It definitely seemed inappropriate,” said Smith, who added that it “remains to be seen” whether the review will lead to discipline.
The White House flap is one of the news stories that prompted Chief Ellerbe to issue three statements within 24 hours last week (and here) claiming reporter accounts in each were inaccurate. One of the other stories was about sexual harassment claims made by cadets at the Training Academy against two instructors. The differences between the story reported by WJLA-TV/ABC 7 and information in Chief Ellerbe’s statement has Council member Tommy Wells asking for an inspector general’s investigation of the matter.
In a letter dated Feb. 26, 2013, Wells asks the inspector general to investigate the allegations. He states that there is wide difference between what fire officials say and what’s being reported by the media.
The story, which was an exclusive ABC7 I-Team Investigation, discovered looming sex scandal in the D.C. Fire Department involving female trainees. Multiple sources told ABC7 that two female cadets recently accused two training academy instructors of sexual harassment.
“We took immediate action to remove those members from the presence of our cadets and continued class,” says D.C. Fire & EMS Chief Kenneth Ellerbe. “The ladies have asked that we keep this matter confidential and we’ve done our best to do that until this matter is completely resolved.”
WRC-TV/NBC 4 reporter Mark Segraves is as least the third reporter this week who has had the accuracy of his reporting questioned in statements released by DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Kenneth Ellerbe. Segraves had reported late Friday afternoon that three firefighters, including a lieutenant who had done battle before with the chief, face possible disciplinary action for appearing in uniform at an event with President Barack Obama. A few hours later this statement from Chief Ellerbe was posted on the TV station’s website:
Contrary to reports in local media, the DC Fire and EMS Department is not considering any disciplinary action against uniformed personnel for appearing alongside President Obama. At the request of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, DC FEMS is simply reviewing its internal protocols for such appearances to ensure that both the Department and its employees are fully informed.
We fully support the efforts of President to highlight the essential and life saving work that our first-responders do every single day, and welcome his invitation for our members to participate. We’re exceedingly proud of the men and women that wear the DC FEMS uniform, and thank the President for his support.
If this sounds familiar, it’s probably because just 24 hours earlier Chief Ellerbe called into question the actions of reporters on two other stories. On Thursday evening, communications director Lon Walls sent out a pair of statements from Chief Ellerbe saying news reports on sexual harassment allegations at the Training Academy and on the death of a man on New Years at the time of an ambulance shortage were both inaccurate.
Also interesting, is a public Twitter conversation Chief Ellerbe had Friday evening with another reporter who covers the department, Andrea Noble of The Washington Times. Here it is:
This conversation ended with this Tweet from Chief Ellerbe to reporter Noble:
maybe you should schedule some time in our office to establish a foundation for accurate information as some others have done?
Yesterday evening Lon Walls, communications director for the DC Fire & EMS Department, sent out press releases on behalf of Chief Kenneth Ellerbe that described two recent news stories about the department as inaccurate. One is Chief Ellerbe’s detailed response to a story broadcast by WRC-TV/NBC 4 way back on February 8 about a bill for services to the family of a man who died on New Year’s Day. There was a lengthy wait for an ambulance in that case because of staffing shortages. For the first time since the incident occurred, the department has issued a detailed timeline. Click here for the release.
The second story is the one we brought you yesterday from WJLA-TV/ ABC 7 about claims by female cadets about sexual harassment at the Training Academy. Here is that release.
On this page are the two follow-up stories the TV stations did in reaction to the press releases from Chief Ellerbe. Above is the video from the Training Academy story and below is what was published on WRC-TV/NBC 4‘s website about the ambulace issue:
D.C. Fire and EMS released a statement Thursday explain what happened early New Year’s Day, when a man died after waiting for an ambulance.
Durand Ford Sr. waited 30 minutes for an ambulance as he was having trouble breathing and that ambulance came from Maryland, according to his family. While fire officials acknowledge a delay in getting an ambulance to the scene, they said a paramedic was on scene providing appropriate care in 10 minutes.
According to D.C. fire, after the call was dispatched at 1:26 a.m., a fire truck responded at 1:35 a.m. and a second truck – one with the paramedic – arrived at 1:37 a.m. A call for additional assistance was placed at 1:40 a.m., and because no D.C. ambulances were available, Prince George’s County responded to a mutual aid request, D.C. fire officials said. However, a D.C. ambulance became available at 1:42 a.m., and D.C. fire said the D.C. ambulance reached the scene at 1:55 a.m. – before a Prince George’s County ambulance got there.
The ambulance that did transport Ford was from D.C., not Maryland, according to D.C. fire. The ambulance from Prince George’s County was not used and returned to Maryland.
D.C. fire also cited a high volume of calls at the time as well as a high number of personnel out sick as the reason why an ambulance wasn’t available before 1:42 a.m.
Furthermore, what Ford’s family believes was a bill for $700 was a notice from the billing contractor requesting insurance information and permission to file an insurance claim, according to D.C. fire.
D.C. Fire and EMS does not generally comment on specific patient cases due to privacy issues, officials said, but they commented Thursday due to “inaccurate” information in newspapers, broadcasts and on social media.
An exclusive ABC7 I-Team Investigation has learned that there is a looming sex scandal in the D.C. Fire Department involving female trainees.
Sources tell ABC7 numerous women are part of a formal complaint targeting the department. Two training academy instructors have been accused of harassing female cadets and sources say that harassment was sexual in nature.
Young cadets are trained by mentors who shepherd the recent high school graduates into the field of fire fighting.
But multiple sources tell ABC7 that two female cadets recently accused two training academy instructors of sexual harassment.
“A young lady was touched and told to by the official to call them daddy,” says the mother of a female cadet, who asked to not be identified for fear of retaliation. She says while her daughter was “not” harassed, other young women told her daughter about various sexual advances directed at them.
“It was alleged that they mentioned about shaking their behind, mentioning of their breasts to some of the young cadets,” she says. “These young girls, they are in a position where they have to look up to these people and they should be setting some kind of example and not preying on them.”
“There have been some allegations that have been brought forward,” Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe says to ABC7. “We have referred them to our Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor, which means that we can’t discuss it any further
Ellerbe says he takes the allegations very seriously, but believes the alleged inappropriate conduct was not sexual in nature.
“The matter made the young ladies uncomfortable and we’ve done everything we can to remove those members from the process in training them and we’ll take additional action if necessary,” Ellerbe says.
D.C. Councilman Tommy Wells, as the chairman of the public safety committee, says he’s concerned that this is the first he’s hearing about these allegations.
“This is not something that I want to hear and it’s something that’s completely unacceptable, but I realize also they are allegations and there will be an investigation,” Wells says. “But in the event that it’s true it’s absolutely not acceptable. Not in our city.”
The chief says the reason his department didn’t release information about this investigation was the female cadets who brought these allegations forward asked the chief to keep the matter confidential.
But one parent told ABC7 that if these allegations prove true, some very public policy changes need to be made to make sure this never happens again.
The noise woke Louisville Fire Department firefighters around 4:00 Saturday morning. At first they thought the trash hauler for the dumpster had come early. Sgt. Douglas Hepner went to investigate. As he slid down the pole he saw a man jump through a firehouse window from the outside and start running through the station. That sparked an all hands search through the firehouse for the intruder. This story ends in a way that I am sure will be legend in the Louisville Fire Department for decades to come.
“It looked like he jumped head first through the window. The glass shattered and he came in head first and I just saw him take off running,” said Hepner.
“Once we found out the intruder was still in the firehouse, all members searched the firehouse very rapidly and that’s when I came across him,” Davenport said.
Down a long hallway they found him in the locker room.
“That’s where I found him sitting on the floor,” Davenport said. He actually made the odd discovery.
A police report said Nicholas Gonzales, 27, was found in the midst of a sex act when he was found.
“He never even acknowledged I was there,” said Davenport. “He continued his lewd act and that’s when I grabbed him by his shirt and drug him out.”
Three Polk County Fire Rescue employees were fired and another was suspended without pay as a result of an investigation into their alleged inappropriate behavior.
Polk County officials say their investigation, which began in January, confirmed allegations Michael Choate, Trampas Fletcher, Shellie Krauklis and Michael Tomlinson had engaged in sexual misconduct while on duty and on county property.
Investigators say they also found sufficient evidence Choate, a deputy chief, sent and received inappropriate text messages on his county-issued cell phone
In a five-page report released by the fire department, officials say medical supervisor Shellie Krauklis engaged in sex acts with medical supervisor Michael Tomlinson and battalion chief Trampas Fletcher, and she also exchanged inappropriate text messages with deputy chief Michael Choate.
The report says Krauklis engaged in sex acts multiple times with Tomlinson and Fletcher while on duty, though their separate accounts differ on how often and to what extent.
The report says Krauklis admitted to as many as 15 encounters with Fletcher, who conceded he engaged in sex acts while on duty.
Channel 9 also learned that Krauklis sent and received sexual text messages from Deputy Chief Michael Choate but he never made physical contact with him.
According to the county, at least one of the physical encounters happened where the ambulances are stationed.
Meanwhile, across the street, Choate was sending and receiving text messages on his county cellphone.
While Choate wasn’t fired, he was suspended for a week, costing him about $2,500 in lost wages.
“We’re all human,” said Cash. “These are good employees that made a bad decision.”
Three Nashville firefighters accused of paying for sex and having women strip at a local firehouse resigned Thursday as the fire department and Metro police continue their investigation of the allegations.
Quincy Corbitt, Kerry Sales and Jason Copeland resigned, while Capt. James Overton remains under investigation. Another firefighter, Darrin Bell, was cleared of any wrongdoing.
“Evidence showed that most likely these allegations did occur on multiple occasions, at least three times that we know of, at (Fire Station 24 on Clarksville Highway),” said Deputy Fire Chief Kim Lawson. “Obviously, it’s awful. We think that it’s very disrespectful to the citizens in that area, disrespectful to the Nashville Fire Department, to their co-workers and to the people they work for: Metro government.”
This incident came to light in late August when Metro police responded to General Hospital in regard to a woman who believed that she may have been drugged after visiting the Antioch home of Copeland.
In addition, the 23-year-old told officers that she and two friends had actually been to a fire hall on at least one occasion when Copeland was present to strip for money. There were also allegations of a woman or women performing sex acts for money.
Days later, during a police interview with Copeland, detectives learned that he was being extorted by a friend of the 23-year-old woman.
Copeland reported that he was called by suspected gang member Ray Dontrell Johnson, 26, and told that there would be “blood” if Copeland did not leave $500 at the Clarksville Pike Pizza Hut.
Copeland’s employment was also allegedly threatened by the disclosure of his relationship with the 23-year-old.
A volunteer fire department is changing it’s policy and is no longer even going to try to determine who is hooking up with who as part of its very famous annual auction, a key department fundraiser. This very personal information about sex lives was something once thought vital to this event but it turns out the men involved are having sex with so many women it’s just impossible to keep good records (and the women are no angels either).
Okay, so I went tabloid on you this morning with this (it was good for me, was it good for you?). Hopefully the video above gave you enough clue before you became completely outraged that I was talking about the annual pony auction of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
Denise Bowden, the department’s public relations officer, unlike me, very professionally explained to Malissa Watterson at Delmarva.com that recording lineages of the foals as part of the Chesapeake Pony Registry has become near impossible.
But attempts at listing the direct descendants of foals has been challenging and inaccurate, Bowden said.
“We can’t be 100 percent sure who the father of a colt or filly is. Every stallion has a band of mares, and one of those mares might go off to another band and do their own thing,” she explained.
Because of such discrepancies, last month the fire company voted in favor of eliminating the pony registry.
Those making purchases at future auctions will still get a certificate showing the pony came from the Chincoteague VFC, but it will no longer list the father and mother. The fire company says this should not have an impact on the average auction winner but will be of concern to those making money through breeding.
A suspected gang member and another man are under arrest in Nashville, Tennessee. Five firefighters are suspended with pay. Police say the case involves an attempt to extort a firefighter by a local gang and charges of sex at the firehouse
Capt. James Overton, engineer Kerry Sales, firefighters Darrin Bell and Quincy Corbitt from Station 24 and firefighter Jason Copeland from Station 11 were placed on paid administrative leave after fire officials learned about the incident.
According to sources, Copeland took three females to Station 24 in the Bordeaux area on Aug. 21. At the station, the women allegedly stripped for money, then performed sex acts.
The case began when a 23-year-old woman on Saturday told Metro Police that she suspected she had been drugged when she went to a firefighter’s home. She also told police that she was at a fire station while someone stripped and another person performed sex acts for money.
When Metro Police questioned the firefighter in the drugging allegation, identified as Jason Copeland, he told them that he was being extorted by a suspected Gangster Disciple gang member for his relationship with the woman.
Deputy Chief Kim Lawson said Sales, Corbitt and Copeland participated in the firehall incident, but Bell wasn’t on duty that day and Overton was asleep.
Metro police spokesperson Don Aaron said the investigation began Saturday when officers responded to Metro General Hospital in regard to a 23-year-old woman who believed she may have been drugged while visiting the Antioch home of Nashville firefighter Jason Copeland.
In an interview Tuesday, Copeland, 32, told police he was being extorted by a friend of the woman.
Now, comes word of an even older incident. One that occurred 13 years ago. And it involves the current LAFD chief, Brian Cummings. Cummings was the captain of the Venice fire station when the firefighters asked a bikini clad woman walking by to pose with them. According to KTTV-TV, at least one photo was taken of the woman appearing topless while on the fire truck.
So, who broke this news? Who was dredging up this dirt on a fire chief who took office just a month ago? The best we can tell from the articles we've read so far, the answer is Brian Cummings. Yes, it appears the chief blew the whistle on himself. In addition, despite the incident being well beyond that two year statute of limitations, the chief has also punished himself. He will be doing 120 hours of community service at a women's shelter and a youth mentoring program.
Here's some of what Chief Cummings had to say (from KTTV-TV):
"I apologize to the residents of Los Angeles, Mayor Villaraigosa and the brave men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department for this incident," Cummings said.
Cummings called his part in the photo incident "irresponsible and inappropriate" and said he came forward with the picture for accountability.
"This is an opportunity for a teachable moment," Cummings said. "To be able to use my personal experience of what happened to me to be able to help my young firefighters, to keep them from making the same type of mistake is invaluable."
To anyone in a position of leadership who reads STATter911.com, do yourself a favor and take note of how Chief Cummings dealt with this situation. Even if it turns out that a reporter had been asking questions that brought this response from the chief (again, there is no indication of that at this point and, in fact, the chief said he self-reported this information to the department's professional standards division), the chief has shown great leadership in his actions and message to the department and has provided the rest of us with a great example of an extremely effective way to handle bad news.
Watch the video above and read the KTTV-TV and Contra Costa Times stories on the chief's announcement. Now, picture how this story would have looked to the public and his firefighters if Chief Cummings did what so many leaders still do when there is embarrassing news about them or the department (think of former Congressman Anthony Weiner). Here's what you don't see or hear in this story:
A reporter chasing the chief down the street yelling questions about some racy photos.
A reporter saying they have uncovered a department scandal.
The chief reading from a statement or issuing one through his press office and then refusing to answer questions.
A "no comment" from the chief or a PIO.
A "we can't talk about it because it's a personal matter" type statement issued from the press office.
A union president saying there is a double standard on how discipline is handled in the department.
What you do see is a chief in charge, admitting he made a mistake, taking responsibility, apologizing and then explaining his proposal on dealing with these type issues in the future.
There is a great deal to gain by releasing bad news yourself rather than wait for it to leak out to reporters. It allows you to take some control of the story and puts you ahead of the game in the ultimate goal of getting this news behind you so you can move forward. For this to be effective, it means you really have to come clean. If you don't get all of the bad news out, it can, and likely will, come back to haunt you.
Besides the problem of lawyers telling you not to say anything about a sensitive subject for fear it will cost you later in court, the biggest obstacles in handling bad news this way tend to be the ego and emotion of the person in charge (again, think Anthony Weiner). From what we can see in our vantage point all the way across the country, Chief Cummings had no problem with any of this. As long as there are no other similar skeletons in his closet that we are not hearing about, Chief Cummings has turned a story that had potential to seriously damage his career into one that will likely do him a world of good.
You may recall the controversy that surfaced two months ago after a Philadelphia firefighter posed shirtless for a charity calendar. We are sad to report that the firefighter involved, 31-year-old John "Jack" Slivinski of Rescue 1, was found dead in his home in Lawndale yesterday morning. The death was confirmed for Philly.com's Joelle Farrell by Commissioner Lloyd Ayers:
"The Philadelphia Fire Department has lost a son," Ayers said. "As you may imagine, this is devastating to everybody."
Ayers would not say whether foul play is suspected. Slivinski was not on duty at the time of his death, he said.
Police were not immediately available to comment on the case.
Ayers, who was originally critical of Slivinski and IAFF Local 22 President Bill Gault for doing the photo shoot without approval from the commissioner's office, made a rare appearance at the trial board for Slivinski and recommended he be allowed to return to Rescue 1 with just an oral reprimand.
There are currently no further details on Firefighter Slivinski's death.
Why were pictures of three teenage girls posing in their underwear allegedly taken at the Bayside Park Volunteer Fire Department? Two of the girls were reportedly 16, the other was 14. And that, investigators say, is considered child exploitation.
Consequently, Assistant Fire Chief Clarence "Zeke" Hall and volunteer fireman Vincent Reiber have been arrested and accused of taking lewd pictures of three underage girls.
Authorities say the incident happened at the Bayside Park Volunteer Fire Department. They say following a boot shake to raise money for the department, firefighters gathered at the station, where the pictures were allegedly taken.
It sounds like the Pasadena (Texas) Fire Department brass made all of the right moves three years ago when they were made aware that nude photos were on the Internet that had been taken inside the firehouse. Posing next to a fire engine with just a fire coat barely covering her body, was the wife of a volunteer firefighter. Her husband had taken the pictures inside the station. The department parted ways with the volunteer and the chief thought the offending pictures had been removed from the Internet.
But the pictures caught the eye of quite a few on the Internet. All you have to do is put the phrase "Nude chick at Pasadena fire station" in Google and you will find many sites showing off the wares of the firefighter's wife with the Pasadena FD logo on the fire truck about chest high (something tells me most people won't notice the logo first).
Now, three years later, someone in South Africa sent them to Houston TV station KPRC. This brought reporter Amy Davis to Chief Lanny Armstrong's door. From what I can see the chief handled the interview exactly how it should be handled, directly and honestly. But it has to be frustrating for Chief Armstrong and others in the department knowing these pictures aren't going to disappear. Just as Anthony Weiner learned a few weeks ago, even something that was on the web for a hot minute before being deleted can come back to haunt you in a very big way.
As I have been saying for a while, there's a whole generation who have grown up in the digital age with the belief that everything that happens in life needs to be on the Internet. But that doesn't always mesh well with what happens in fire and EMS. It is important for fire chiefs and others to not only to set a digital policy, but to have discussions and training on ethics and social media.
Obviously in this case, even without the Internet, there were some pretty clear ethical lapses that you would hope a fire chief wouldn't have to go over with a new member or recruit. I am sure many fire chiefs reading this are adding this line to the personnel manual and/or department rules: No nude pictures of the wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, friends or strangers are to be taken on fire department property. And you would think that is one you wouldn't have to spell out. But as they say, you can't fix stupid.
A man claims that forcible sodomy is a "prerequisite" for volunteers at the Piermont Fire Department. He says that when his teen-age son volunteered, firefighters "forcibly caused [him] to engage in acts of sodomy, all against his will and consent," and that this "ritual" is "a prerequisite" for all people who want to join.
Mark Bernstein sued the Village of Piermont and three named firefighters in Federal Court, on behalf of his 17-year-old son.
Bernstein claims the village knew about the hazing ritual and "took no steps to prevent this rite of passage and as such acquiesced in its implementation."
He claims that when his son volunteered for the force, in August 2010, he was "battered, physically restrained, pushed, shoved and forced into submission," and that the sexual abuse left him "physically and psychologically ill." It caused him to seek medical and psychological treatment and has left him "permanently damaged."
The father says every prospective firefighter is subjected to this hazing and that Piermont "manifested a deliberate indifference to these violations of civil rights" and created "a receptive atmosphere for the various acts of pedophilia performed by the co-defendants."
The complaint states: "(S)ometime prior to Aug. 14, 2010, and on occasions too numerous to mention, the defendant the Village of Piermont promulgated, fostered and implemented a policy whereby new arrivals ('initiates') into the position of volunteer firefighter would be subject to a form of 'hazing' whereby fellow firefighters would restrain the initiate's movements, depriving him of his freedom of movement, expose their genitals to the said initiate, and attempt to forcibly cause the initiate to place his hand upon and/or fondle the genitals of various members of the Piermont Fire Department, and/or force the said initiate against his will by dint of duress to sodomize an existing firefighter.
"Sixth: That upon information and belief, the aforementioned exercise of what the defendant The Village of Piermont deemed to be 'hazing' was done to each and every named individual defendant herein and further deemed to be a ritual utilized as a 'rite of passage,' a prerequisite in acceptance into the Village of Piermont Fire Department".
The father and son seek damages for battery, civil rights violations and outrage. They are represented by Richard Gilbert with Levine & Gilbert of New York, N.Y.
Piermont, on the west bank of the Hudson River, is a town of about 2,600. Its median household income of $88,000 is 61 percent higher than the state average, according to city-data.com. Its fire department apparently is all-volunteer. The town budget for fire protection is extremely low; the village has no official website. It decided to create an official website 2½ years ago but the site is still under construction, according to an Internet search this morning (Thursday).
Our short local nightmare is over. Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers made his point that Firefighter Jack Slavinski violated department policy when he posed shirtless for a charity calendar. But in the end, the commissioner sent Firefighter Slavinski back to Rescue 1 with only an oral reprimand. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer this happened yesterday when Commissioner Ayers made a rare appearance at Slavinski's trial board hearing.
A spokesman for Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter reiterated Ayers' previous position that the department is in the safety business and not the beefcake business. Here is an excerpt from Robert Moran's article:
Slavinski appeared at a hearing Tuesday and was facing three disciplinary charges, said union official Mike Kane.
In a surprise move, Ayers appeared at the hearing and agreed to simply give Slavinski an oral reprimand and reassign him back to Rescue 1.
Kane said he had participated in more than 50 such hearings and "it was the first time the commissioner walked into the room and talked to anybody."
Firefighter Slavinski is one of a dozen firefighters across the country who were asked to be part of the charity calendar. He posed for photographer Katherine Kostreva in front of a well known Philly fountain. The union had help set up the shoot and expected the city's portion of the money raised to go to the survivors of fallen firefighters. IAFF Local 22 president Bill Gault confirmed for reporters they failed to run the shoot by the commissioner's office.
Last week Commissioner Ayers told Philadelphia Daily News reporter David Gambacorta, "We get letters from children. They look up to us. We cannot allow them to be showing nipples in photographs of Philadelphia firefighters."
Ayers is catching some grief today about this even becoming an issue from Philadelphia Daily News columnist Ronnie Polaneczky who cites what she calls a double standard by the commissioner. Polaneczky pointed to a YouTube video of Ayers (below), in uniform, providing a testimonial while shopping in the Philadelphia book store Black and Nobel.
Polanecsky believes that the store's home page might be more offensive to some than exposed nipples.
"I went to the store to get black literature and the guy stuck a camera in my face to say things about the store, but I didn't know he was going to put it on YouTube," Ayers said defensively. "I don't see how this issue ties in to the calendar controversy."
Here's how it ties in:
The commissioner did something well-intentioned that he never expected would be taken the wrong way. Just as Slivinski did something well-intentioned that he never expected would be taken the wrong way.
Ayers' first response should've been to extend to a decent, hardworking underling the same compassion he affords himself.
The mayor's spokesman told reporters the city is considering legal action to keep Slavinski's photo out of the calendar.
The picture above has Firefighter Jack Slivinski in a bit of trouble with Philadelphia Fire Department Commissioner Lloyd Ayers. Commissioner Ayers told Philadelphia Daily News reporter David Gambacorta, "We get letters from children. They look up to us. We cannot allow them to be showing nipples in photographs of Philadelphia firefighters."
According to the article, Firefighter Slivinski has been removed from his assignment to Engine 1 and is losing OT money while his role in a charity calendar is being investigated. New York photographer Katherine Kostreva came to Philly last week just to shoot Slivinski in front of the Logan Circle fountain. He is one of a dozen firefighters from around the country who are posing for this charity calendar. Bill Gault, who is president of IAFF Local 22, wanted Philadelphia's share to go to spouses of local firefighters.
The commissioner said he had good reason to be fuming at Slivinski and Local 22.
For one thing, Ayers said, the department has long been opposed to its members posing for "beefcake calendars."
"We don't sell sex, we sell safety.," Ayers said. "That's been our mantra for the longest time."
The article says the policy of the department is permission must be granted by supervisors before posing for outside publications. Gault admits he screwed up by not running it by Ayers, but says everyone's intentions were good ones. Photographer Kostreva agrees and added, "I think the commissioner is just overreacting."
Some previous columns dealing with first responders, cameras & the web: here, here, here, here, here and here
From what I have seen since starting this blog in May, 2007 when firefighters get into serious trouble these days there usually is some connection to the Internet. Add a still or video camera to the mix and the possibilities for a suspension or firing and embarrassment to a department seem to increase exponentially. The problem is the "Look at Me Generation". I believe The Wall Street Journal is officially credited with that term, but I swear I was using it before them (or at least before I heard it elsewhere).
With this group there may not even be a generation gap, because it appears quite often their parents have taken on this singular characteristic that defines their children: making sure everybody knows what they are doing, every minute of the day.
It is not enough to experience life. It really didn't happen unless you took pictures or video, then posted it on Facebook, uploaded a clip to YouTube, wrote about it on your blog, Skyped and Tweeted.
The latest firefighter to experience the downside of "look at me" is Alejandro Garza, seen in the picture on the left from KXAN-TV's website. According to the TV station, the Austin, Texas firefighter takes "look at me" a little further than most. His is more like "look at all of me". The Austin Fire Department has indefinitely suspended Garza after a jealous husband told the department about nude photos of the firefighter on the web. The article indicates Garza initially told supervisors those were old photos, but it was soon discovered there was recent stuff.
Some of you are probably saying if this was done in his off time, it shouldn't matter. Maybe. Maybe not. Here's how the Austin Fire Department looks at it:
The suspension memo said the sexual activity "clearly represents conduct unbecoming a member of the Austin Fire Department." It also said Garza "brought further discredit to the department by including information which identified him as a firefighter in the City of Austin" in the postings.
The indefinite suspension cites a violation of the AFD rule against firefighters committing "acts showing a lack of good moral character."
The Austin story joins a growing list that includes the firefighter in Spalding County, Georgia facing termination after taking cell phone video of a dead woman, and numerous other recent disciplinary actions involving firefighters and their use of the Internet. Add to it the more general concerns that arise with cameras used by first responders and my recent discussion about the race against Facebook when there is a line-of-duty death. These issues aren't going to disappear by themselves. The fire service needs to be proactive if there is any chance of changing the culture.
Obviously, many young firefighters are coming into your departments not knowing any better (or, a less charitable view is it's an issue of not caring). They have grown up with the cell phone glued to the palm of their hand. They think it is an important part of life to keep everyone informed as to when they got up, what they are doing at home, at work, while they are driving, in the bedroom and even in the bathroom. I used to cringe at someone who regularly tweeted as they were enroute to EMS calls (I haven't seen that one of late).
I think it's long overdue that recruit classes include training on ethics as it relates to social media. If there are some fire chiefs already requiring it, good for you. If you aren't doing it, or haven't considered it, I hope these recent stories push you in that direction.
I am aware you aren't going to stop the digital revolution or change society as a whole. But just like teaching a new firefighter to rack hose your way you probably need to mold these new hires to make sure they understand that "look at me" may not be a good fit with what is expected of them as a member of your department.
In short, you need to make it clear to the young firefighter what is acceptable for posting and what your department's rules are when it comes to cameras. Of course, this training should probably extend beyond recruits to the entire department.
There will be some challenges with this type of training. With the technology evolving people are always finding new ways to get into trouble on the web. At the same time rules, regulations and ethics discussions aren't always keeping pace with reality. Also, if you aren't careful, your department's policies in this area do have the potential to be seen as infringing on someone's freedom of speech. What may seem common sense to you and me may be problematic for your department's legal counsel.
But don't let that stop you. Would you like to be the Austin fire chief or the Spalding County chief right now having to answer some really tough questions about what your firefighters have been up to? Or, would you rather have given it your best shot at preventing a young (or old) firefighter from having to update his (or her) Facebook status to "terminated" while you are scrambling to save the department's reputation?
Do you recall our story from last September about the man with ring around the collar? That was the one from Newport Beach, California where the Costa Mesa Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue team was called to a hospital in Newport Beach for what the firefighters are probably hoping was just a once in a lifetime call. They used a rescue tool to remove a dumbbell ring fastener from around a man’s tool.
We don’t want anyone to think that this is strictly an American problem or that other firefighters aren’t up to a challenge like this.
We take you to the United Kingdom, slightly east of a land where the pipes, the pipes are calling. In this case it was one pipe calling one man. So much so that the pipe and the man became one. United, the man and his metal mate found their way to Southampton General Hospital.
But unfortunately in this case all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put this 40 something man back together again (which in this case meant prying them apart). That’s when the hospital’s top docs reached out to the people everyone calls when they are in a tight spot. An I can’t imagine many that are tighter than this one.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service bravely answered the call with seven of its best. But initially even they weren’t prepared for what they saw. We will let you read the rest of this tale of love gone very wrong from the people who are expert at discussing such delicate matters in a frank, but reassuring way. Of course I am referring to the British tabloid, The Sun, where the article is attributed, I kid you not, to a ”staff reporter”:
The crew used a metal grinder for the delicate 30-minute operation, after doctors at Southampton General Hospital tried to release him without success.
The medics failed because the restricted blood flow had caused the man to become aroused.
A crew from the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service used the four-and-a-half-inch grinder (lucky it didn’t become the organ grinder) to cut the pipe free on Tuesday morning.
Afterwards, the patient was given an anaesthetic and although his willy was left bruised and swollen it was otherwise unharmed.
The anxious man aged about 40 failed to explain how the pipe had become stuck.
A Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said today: “Initially the crew did not have the appropriate cutting equipment to free the man.
“It was a very delicate operation that required a very steady hand and the crew was worried about things getting too hot during the cutting.
“It’s certainly an unusual call-out and I’m sure the man won’t be getting into that situation again.”
Photo of Dr. Yvonne K. Fulbright from foxnews.com.
I realize this is not the usual STATter911.com type of story. I apologize ahead of time to those who think I may have once again lowered the bar. If you read my Quick Takes this morning you will realize what is really going on is that I am just trying to be more like my favorite blogger Firegeezer Bill Schumm (who never met a firefighter/sex story he didn’t like).
But unlike Bill, it is the science I am interested in. This stuff is coming from a real doctor. She’s the woman to the left. Dr. Yvonne K. Fulbright is the Fox Sexpert (as in Fox News). Her column today begins this way:
Seems like “playing doctor” never gets old. Neither does role-playing the firefighter who saves your life, the nurse who tends to a soldier’s wounds, and the police officer who rescues the “kidnapping” victim.
The good doctor goes on to write about how the “save me” theme is a turn-on. She even cites personal experience:
I once had a partner who was not only a pilot, but a former paramedic, firefighter and soon-to-be doctor. Talk about having your fantasies rolled into one! Needless to say, I was quite the envy of my friends on this one. People know the potential such job titles – real or feigned — hold for better sex.
Raw video from deadly basement fire in DC: DC Fire & EMS Department photographer Vito Maggiolo was on the scene Monday night at 9th and Kennedy, NW as firefighters attacked a fire in the basement of a boarded up home and found a victim. Attempts to revive the woman were not successful.
Must see video of extrication by neighbors: One of our regular readers points us to this story from Ft. Lauderdale where a man was purposely run over by the driver of a car. Neighbors jumped in and not only held the driver for police, they joined an arriving cop in lifting the car off of the victim. Click here to see the story.
A timely call in Richmond: Also from VAFireNews.com, the story of a house fire as snow was falling late Friday night in Richmond. According to Lt. Shawn Jones, the department’s PIO, crews were ordered out of the home about 60 seconds before there was a partial collapse of the roof. Click here for details.
DA to look at FDNY EMTs’ actions: Prosecutors in Brooklyn are looking into whether the actions, or possible inaction, by FDNY EMS workers is criminal. Read the latest on the break time controversy.
Who ya gonna call? Sal, of course: Credentials aside for a moment, Cara Buckley of The New York Times believes the name alone may have been reason enough for Chief Sal Cassano to be appointed FDNY’s new commissioner. Check out her reasoning.
A big issue for the new commissioner: Watch the story of a lawsuit from a man burned trying to do the job of firefighters by attempting to rescue his neighbors in Queens from a burning home. The suit says the fire department was delayed because of an error involving the Unified Call Taker system.
Former battalion chief loses sex discrimination and retaliation lawsuit: A jury ruled in favor of the Kanas City (MO) Fire Department in a lawsuit by Kathleen Kline, a former battalion chief. Read details.
Basement fire in St. Louis: Fire on Friday at 3337 Missouri Avenue. It is a described as a two-story, two-family flat. It had burglar bars on the basement windows that a firefighter aggressively attacks.
CapeCodOnline.com photo of Lt. Kelli Weeks. For the first time we are getting details on the charges against Weeks who has been at the center of a lot of drama in the department. Click the image for the latest.
Did FDNY EMS crew on break refuse to help dying pregnant woman?: That’s the claim in Brooklyn following an incident at a coffee shop near FDNY HQ. Read more.
We have heard from the NC firefighter seen with his helmet on fire: Will Gregory from Erwin, North Carolina sent us a comment about the dramatic pictures from a house fire a week ago. Gregory and another firefighter were briefly caught in a flashover but walked away with no injuries. Click here for the pictures by Brian Haney and scroll down for Gregory’s comments.
Chief Ellerbe speaks: Sarasota Chief Kenneth Ellerbe assures those in Florida he is not coming back to Washington despite still being on the DC payroll. We also hear from Joe Morgan, the critically burned firefighter who didn’t quite find it as easy to stay on the fire department’s rolls. Check it out.
Cheating scandal widens: Two Omaha, Nebraska firefighters are now implicated in the effort to give test answers to new applicants of the Papillion Fire Department. In October and November we first mentioned the cheating scandal that required officials to throw out the test and discipline some employees. Omaha World-Tribune has received a confidential report about the incident that quotes one of the firefighters saying it is part of the “brotherhood” to “help” family and friends get on the job. Click here for the update.
Chief in trouble again: Eunice, New Mexico Chief Ron Grogan and a bunch of his firefighters are charged with theft of a radar detector which was evidence at a crime scene. Grogan also made headlines in September after he was accused of fondling a woman. Click here.
Sorry, you are too late. STATter911.com again becomes a video killer. When we first spotted it late Sunday there was just one view on this video of firefighters from PGFD Station 807 being towed behind a pickup truck through the streets of Riverdale Park, Maryland. A few hundred views later and after a series of negative comments by STATter911.com readers, the video was pulled overnight. You can click the image for the comments.
What were they thinking?: It appears that Tampa’s MJ Morning Show crew got what they wanted. That would include a blazing fire from turkey fryer inside a van and a lot of publicity. But will this stunt end up giving them a little MORE than they wanted, once fire investigators finish up? Click here for our first posting on this stupid act. Then click here as Dave points out that one of the radio crew’s biggest crimes is that they weren’t even funny and constrasts it to a radio turkey stunt that was hilarious.
Geezer’s weekend stuff: Lots of entries by Bill Schumm at Firegeezer.com, but my favorite is a picture of the set up inside a vehicle that might make many a mobile command post jealous. Click here.
I’ve fallen and I can’t get up: That’s probably what Konrad would have yelled if he could. But Konrad is a horse. And this horse slipped on the ice and had a great fall (miserable winter though). A three hour drama in Connecticut ended happily after firefighters put Konrad back together again. Click here and here.
San Diego commercial fire: This is from a week ago after a two-alarm fire destroyed Blowout Video and the largest selection of DVDs in the area, along with the corporate office of Showgirls, a strip club business.
The chief and four of his firefighters are accused of stealing a radar detector from a crime scene. They face charges that include burglary, tampering with evidence, and attempting to tamper with evidence.
Now, the same city manager who made it clear in September it was his decision not to fire Chief Grogan and not the mayor’s says the chief’s future “is not very promising”.
Most Recent Comments