Another Bad January for DeKalb County Fire
January 2010 was a very difficult month for Dekalb County Fire Rescue, and it appears that January 2011 is shaping up to bring problems of a different sort.
Recall on January 24, 2010,a fire at 1687 Houghton Court North in Dunwoody claimed the life of Ann Bartlett. Crews dispatched to the house hours earlier failed to fully investigate the initial call. Bartlett's death prompted a very public investigation, leading to the forced resignation of the fire chief, disciplinary actions against five firefighters, and a civil lawsuit.
Now January 2011 brings allegations of a different sort. Four off-duty firefighters are alleged to have gone to Fire Station 24 after going out drinking last Tuesday night. The four were scheduled to be on duty Wednesday morning at 0700, and opted to sleep at the station rather than drive home on icy roads and then drive back to the fire station for 0700. The allegations include the fact that the firefighters brought alcohol with them to the station, and that two of them were intoxicated at roll call Wednesday morning. Allegations have also been made that two chief officers were somehow involved.
While the media covering this story seem to have sensationalized every aspect of what occurred, off duty personnel bunking in to avoid icy roads or an unnecessary commute is hardly newsworthy. Bringing alcohol into the station and being intoxicated at shift change are certainly serious disciplinary matters, but again, hardly headline newsworthy – let alone worthy of making national news. What is going on in DeKalb County? There has to be more going on than meets the eye.
Very bad decisions to bring alcohol into the station and I would hope there is an SOP about drinking before shift but I agree this really shouldn’t be a news story.
Unfortunately the American fire service is starting to find out that their free pass on many issues is quickly disappearing, especially departments that have had issues in the past. It’s very unfortunate that the media has changed so much in our country but the reality is that it’s not changing back anytime soon. Because of this the fire service has to work hard to make sure people realize the real value of a well funded, operationally sound service. This begins with our leadership and must be carried forth by every man and woman riding the trucks.
Shane
Well said. The days of the fire service getting a free pass by the media are long gone.
My question is – how did the story come to the attention of the media? Is someone with a grudge feeding inside information to the media?
Time and time again we see firefighters with petty grudges trying to get other firefighters in trouble in the media – oblivious to the big-picture impact that such tactics have on all firefighters. Sometimes its the union trying to make the chief look bad. Other times its the chief trying to make the union look bad. Sometimes its different factions within a department – and other times it is strictly a personal grudge – but the result is that the unnecessary airing of these types of matters in the press gives 1.2 million firefighters a black eye.
I am not suggesting we condone misconduct, or cover it up. I am just saying that when minor matters become headline news nationally – my suspicions are raised that someone has leaked the details to the media for petty reasons.
There’s been an update in the story. It appears that one of the firefighters responded to alarms while impaired… and also engaged in making some videos that do not represent the fire department in a favorable light…..
http://www.wsbtv.com/2investigates/26565598/detail.html