Report says Ohio chief lacks skills & ability for job. FD dealing with racial issues including noose left on locker.

Miami Township Fire Department (Hamilton County, OH)

Read outside report about administration of Chief Steve Ober

WCPO-TV reporter Hagit Limor has uncovered not one, but two, previously unpublicized reports that shed light onto some unpleasant news about the Miami Township Fire Department in Hamilton County, Ohio (IMPORTANT NOTE: There are also Miami Townships in four other Ohio counties).

The video above is about a noose left on the locker next to one used by a lieutenant who is in an inter-racial marriage. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Department was called in to investigate but was unable to determine who left the noose. From the WCPO-TV website:

That lieutenant and others suspect the noose was intended for him. According to the sheriff’s report, the lieutenant cited that he heard racist comments “almost daily” around the station. Another firefighter also reported hearing the “N” word used regularly. Others reported allegations that three members of the department use racist language. One is alleged to have hung a noose on his rear view mirror. Another is alleged to be affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan.

The story below is about the efforts of Miami Township to look at the leadership of Fire Chief Steve Ober after almost two years on the job. Ober has 29 years affiliated with the combination full-time, part-time, volunteer department, but admits he was not quite prepared to take over as chief. The report, by retired Green Township Fire Chief Robert Weitzel, goes a lot further than that. It talks about racial slurs that weren't investigated, safety issues ignored and a shoving incident between a male lieutenant and a female firefighter that wasn't properly reported. Here are a few quotes from Chief Weitzel's letter to the Miami Township Trustees:

“Your fire chief does not have the skills or the ability to continue in his current position. He has lost the confidence and trust of the officers, and I don’t think he can ever gain that back. He has not followed through on many promises and has lied to his Chief Officers, Lieutenants and his Union Representative. Once this was done, and he was caught, he lost their confidence and trust."

 More from the WCPO-TV story:

Ober says, “I would say that I have some weak areas but I wouldn’t say I was incompetent.” But he readily admits the report is scathing, and says, “We have to make improvements, and I’ve made some mistakes.”