Voters Turn Out To Support Firefighters Despite Misdeeds

In these difficult economic times, the average taxpayer does not appear to be inclined to tolerate too much in the way of misconduct from public employees. So firefighters in Key Peninsula, Washington were bracing for the worst last week when the fate of a $1 million tax levy to provide paramedic service was in the hands of taxpayers. Fortunately the public looked past the problems and approved the levy on August 17, 2010 by a large margin

The vote came on the heels of two highly publicized disciplinary incidents involving seven firefighters that provided plenty of fodder for the anti-levy advocates and the media. A failure to pass the levy vote would have striped the department of more than $1 million in taxes and trigger layoffs of 14 staff members, including nine paramedics. Read here.

Five firefighters were disciplined over an incident that occurred on June 11, 2010 when personnel attended a training conference in Wenatchee. The five went to the hotel lounge where a firefighter is alleged to have gotten drunk in the company of two battalion chiefs, a lieutenant and an administrator. He later passed out or fell asleep in the shower at the hotel room with the water running, resulting in extensive flooding. The hotel did not press charges saying that there was no permanent damage.

The firefighters decided not to report the incident, but when the chief found out he took disciplinary action by terminating the firefighter, demoting one of the battalion chiefs and the lieutenant, and reprimanding the administrator. Charges against the other battalion chief are still pending.

Earlier this year two off-duty firefighters were disciplined following an incident at a bar in Tacoma. An investigation concluded that a firefighter put a woman in a choke hold while the other firefighter scuffled with another patron. Both were disciplined but retained their jobs.

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