Westbrook a Testing Ground for Public Safety Consolidation

PPH:

[Public Safety Director Michael] Pardue said the consolidation of [and fire and
police[ chiefs' jobs isn't right for every community. It made sense for
Westbrook because the police and fire departments were already in the same
building and both had strong leaders as second-in-command, he said. "The stars
have to be aligned correctly." Still, considering the cost savings on
administrators' salaries, and increased coordination and efficiency among the
departments, the structure should be considered more frequently, he said. "It's
a concept that I think has the potential to be evaluated by other communities as
we look to streamline our resources and answer the economic challenges we're
faced with at this time," said Pardue.

- John C.L. Morgan

City's Settlement with Firefighters Costs About $850,000

AJ:

Two female firefighters who made charges of sexual
harassment and discrimination against at the Westbrook Fire Department will
receive a total of about $850,000 between them in separate settlements with the
city. The payments to firefighters Lisa Theberge and Kathy Rogers, who made
their claims two years ago and subsequently filed state and federal lawsuits
against the city, will be for lost compensation such as overtime and sick time,
damages, attorney's fees and other costs. In exchange, the firefighters will
drop their legal claims against the city. Of the total payment to settle the
claims of the two women, the city of Westbrook is responsible for nearly
$228,000 or about 27 percent. The city's insurance carrier, the Maine Municipal
Association, will cover the remainder, which is about $620,000 or 73
percent.

- John C.L. Morgan

Two Firefighters Lose Jobs, Former Chief Sues City

PPH:

Two Westbrook firefighters who were arrested last month and placed on leave have
lost their jobs. James Gammon, a full-time firefighter for the Westbrook Fire
and Rescue Department, is "not currently on the city's payroll," City
Administrator Jerre Bryant said Monday. He was on the city's payroll Friday,
Bryant said. Richard Dorr, a captain with the call company, was terminated
during his meeting with city officials Monday. The moves come about two weeks
after the resignation of a third firefighter who had been named in a
protection-from-abuse order.

PPH:

Former Fire Chief Daniel Brock has sued the city of Westbrook and Mayor Colleen
Hilton, claiming the city violated its charter and his constitutional rights
when Hilton dismissed him in January.The lawsuit, filed in Cumberland County
Superior Court on July 20, contends Brock "has suffered pecuniary loss, damage
to his reputation and emotional distress" from his public dismissal during the
mayor's inauguration speech on Jan. 4. "He was wrongfully discharged, and
nothing was done to explain or rectify the situation," said Barbara Goodwin, an
attorney for Murray, Plumb & Murray in Portland, who represents Brock.

- John C.L. Morgan

Part-Time Firefighter Resigns Amid Legal Issues

PPH:

A part-time Westbrook firefighter who was put on
unpaid leave after a woman got a protection-from-harassment order against him
has left his job.James Harbaugh resigned Monday from the Westbrook Fire and
Rescue Department.Since July 7, he has also been on paid leave from the
Scarborough Fire Department, where he has been a part-time firefighter and
rescue worker since 2000.Westbrook officials put Harbaugh on leave in June,
after he was accused of harassing and threatening a social worker who shares an
office with Harbaugh's wife.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: City Places Three Firefighters on Leave for 'Legal Tangles' (July 1, 2010)

City Places Three Firefighters on Leave for 'Legal Tangles'

AJ:

Three Westbrook firefighters have been placed on administrative leave for
getting into legal trouble outside of work, Mayor Colleen Hilton said Wednesday
evening. "They are on administrative leave, but it's not work related," Hilton
said. She said three have been put on leave because they got themselves into
"some legal tangles." Hilton said that because the matter is a personnel issue,
she could not provide more details or identify the firefighters, who she said
Fire Chief Michael Pardue placed on leave last week.

The Press Herald's account of the suspensions is here.

- John C.L. Morgan

State Board Blames Unitil for Punctured Gas Line

AJ:

The Maine Public Utilities Commission is blaming Unitil for the gas line
ruptured in downtown Westbrook Monday during highway reconstruction. "The
line had not been marked by the utility," said Evelyn deFrees, a spokeswoman for
the commission. "It's a pretty clear-cut case." A natural gas supplier, Unitil
was once known locally as Northern Utilities. Investigation of the incident is
continuing and penalties range can from $500 to $5,000 per violation, according
to deFrees. No one from Unitil could be reached for comment by American Journal
deadline Wednesday.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Construction Crew Strikes Gas Line on William Clarke Drive (June 21, 2010)

City Officials, Anti-Harassment Trainer Claim a Changed Culture at Fire Department

AJ:

A female firefighter on leave after charging the Westbrook Fire Department with
sexual harassment returned this week to a very different work environment,
according to city officials and a consultant who provided harassment prevention
training to the department. Lisa Theberge and another female firefighter, Kathy
Rogers, went on paid administrative leave in September 2008 due to what they
said was a hostile work environment. The two women also have a lawsuit pending
against the city. Rogers has not returned to the job. However, Theberge's first
day back at work was Monday, said the new fire chief, Michael Pardue. "She is
back in a very professional culture...and a very professional environment," said
Pardue, who has led the department since March. "This is an organization working
very hard to change whatever the image was previously."

- John C.L. Morgan

Construction Crew Strikes Gas Line on William Clarke Drive

AJ:

A gas line rupture at the William Clarke Drive reconstruction site Monday
afternoon in Westbrook closed the highway and evacuated 13 downtown buildings.
Westbrook Fire Chief Mike Pardue said Grondin, contractor for the construction
project, struck a gas service line into the former Sebago Moc building at the
corner of Mechanic Street and William Clarke Drive. "The main 6-inch line is
spewing gas, it's a high pressure main," Pardue said at the scene. According to
Westbrook dispatch, utility workers stopped the gas leak at 2:01 p.m. about one
hour after the rupture was reported at 1:07 p.m. No injuries were reported and
the highway reopened.

- John C.L. Morgan

City Councilor Suffers Heart Attack, Credits Firefighters for Treatment

AJ:

"I want to thank them and also acknowledge the fine job they did," Emery said
Tuesday, nearly a week after the June 9 incident, in which he suffered a heart
attack while waiting in line for sandwiches at the store at 120 Main St. "Who
knows? They may have saved my life by doing their job instead of listening to
the patient."

- John C.L. Morgan

City Restores Demoted Firefighter's Rank

PPH:

Westbrook officials have restored the rank of Lt.
Donald Trafford of the city's Fire and Rescue Department. Trafford, who was
demoted from lieutenant to firefighter in December, will receive back pay for
the difference in rank, said Dan Walsh, a business agent for Teamsters Local
340, which represents firefighters and rescue workers. Trafford was demoted by
city officials after an investigator looked into allegations by a female
firefighter that Trafford had made her feel uncomfortable during a
conversation.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: State Board Reinstates Firefighter's Rank (June 16, 2009)

Fired Firefighter Reinstated by State Board

PPH:

A state labor board has overturned the firing
of Matthew Lamontagne, a Westbrook firefighter who lost his job after an
investigation into allegations of sexual harassment in the fire department. The
Maine Board of Arbitration and Conciliation ruled that the city's decision to
fire Lamontagne in December was unfair because the city had agreed to limit his
discipline for alleged sexual harassment as a result of a previous
investigation. It also ruled that the incident for which Lamontagne was fired
did not constitute harassment.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Fired (December 9, 2009)

City Names Interim Fire Chief, Tries to Reconcile Costs

WMTW:

At a news conference Wednesday, Mayor Colleen Hilton introduced Michael Pardue,
of Kennebunk-based Central Intelligence, one of two consulting firms the city
hired while it continues to search for full-time leadership.

For their part, WCSH has footage from the press conference.

And in other WFD news, the AJ is reporting on the costs associated with the City's attempts to turnaround the department:

On Monday alone, the City CounciI supported
spending money--likely as much as $100,000--on insurance deductibles for two
sexual harassment claims, attorneys' fees for a special legal project and
contracts with two outside management companies - all costly items city
officials say are necessary for turning around the fire department.

- John C.L. Morgan

City Officials Weigh Leadership Options for Fire Department

PPH:

City councilors met in executive session Monday
night to consider contracts for hiring an interim leadership team for the city's
Fire and Rescue Department. Mayor Colleen Hilton asked the City Council to
consider hiring Central Intelligence, a management recruitment firm in
Kennebunk, to provide the city with a fire chief. The council will consider
hiring Municipal Resources Inc., of Meredith, N.H., to provide a deputy fire
chief. City officials have scheduled a news conference Wednesday at the Public
Safety Building to announce who will lead the department temporarily.

- John C.L. Morgan

WFD: The Latest

News that the former chief is pondering a lawsuit against the City wasn't the only bit of media coverage concerning the Westbrook Fire Department this week.

On Wednesday, the AJ quoted a document written by a harassment prevention consultant that observes: "We have never seen a level of tension and anxiety among staff that comes close to reaching the level which exists at the Westbrook Fire and Rescue Department," a sentiment echoed in today's PPH article on the impending training department personnel will be undertaking.

Here's to the WFD eventually gracing this site only when they're, you know, fighting fires.

- John C.L. Morgan

Fired

PPH:

A Westbrook firefighter was fired last week after a
disciplinary hearing to address allegations of sexual harassment made by two
female firefighters who sued the department and the city. Matthew Lamontagne was
dismissed Friday from the Westbrook Fire and Rescue Department for allegedly
violating the city's harassment policy, said Dan Walsh, a business agent for
Teamsters Local 340, which represents firefighters and rescue workers. Walsh
declined to say Tuesday whether he would appeal the decision. "The union will do
everything within their power to defend the rights of the members," he
said.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Consultant: Fire Department Needs More Training (December 8, 2009)
Related: State Board Reinstates Firefighter's Rank (June 16, 2009)

Consultant: Fire Department Needs More Training

PPH:

The city's Fire and Rescue Department needs stronger leadership and significant
training in communication skills, says a consultant hired to address issues of
gender bias and allegations of sexual harassment raised in a lawsuit by two
female firefighters. The consultant, the Center for the Prevention of Hate
Violence, presented a training proposal Monday to city councilors. The sessions,
targeted for the command staff, would focus on improving communication within
the department and developing strategies to resolve conflicts.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Two Firefighters Formally File Lawsuit Against City (Thursday, November 5, 2009)

State Board Reinstates Firefighter's Rank

AJ:

After a hearing, which concluded last month, the
Board of Arbitration and Conciliation ruled Friday that the city’s demotion of
[Donald] Trafford was “a penalty that exceeds the situation,” according to a
written decision from the three-member panel.

- John C.L. Morgan

(Update: The PPH has more on this story.)

Related: New Fire Chief Hired; Firefighters Demoted And/Or Suspended (December 24, 2008)

Fire Department Hemorrhaging Overtime Pay

PPH:

The priciest month for Fire Department overtime so
far was December, when the city anticipated spending about $15,800 on overtime
pay but shelled out just over $48,500. The total was the most the department has
spent on overtime in more than four years, according to the expense report. The
department paid more than $212,000 in overtime from the beginning of the fiscal
year in July until the end of January. That's $63,000 more than the city
budgeted for the entire fiscal year.

Reporter Elbert Aull points to short-staffing caused by the sexual harassment complaints of two firefighters as the cause for the explosion in overtime pay. Besides the two firefighters who filed the complaints being placed on paid leave, five full- or part-time firefighters were suspended for various lengths of time as a result of the City's investigation into the complaints.

- John C.L. Morgan

More on Brock

The AJ's Leslie Bridgers has a profile of the new Fire Chief Daniel Brock, which includes this factoid:

Though Brock still has some names left to learn, there’s one face in the public
safety building that’s very familiar to him. Brock said he and Police Chief Bill
Baker grew up as neighbors in Southborough, Mass., and later, Baker served as
police chief there while Brock’s father was fire chief.

- John C.L. Morgan

On Brock

From the PPH's profile of Daniel Brock, the newly confirmed (by unanimous vote) fire chief at the Westbrook Fire Department:

Westbrook's new fire chief says he wants to create a better work environment
within the department, where complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination
have led to discipline against several firefighters and their supervisors. "One
thing we are looking to do is to have members focus on their jobs and what they
can do for the city, and that would help bring them together as a team," said
Daniel Brock, who started work on Tuesday.

Tom Bell's article is a good primer on the new Chief, containing information about his employment history, education, etc. One weird thing, though: Brock refused to disclose his age. What's up with that?

- John C.L. Morgan