No bump-and-grind if it's on city time.
That's the line Jacksonville Fire Chief Marty Senterfitt is taking after six off-duty firefighters were reprimanded for what the department views as risque behavior at an Aug. 2 benefit auction.
From now on, firefighters will have to tone down the act if they even appear to be representing the city, Senterfitt said.
Photos from the benefit at Whisky River showed male firefighters faking sexual positions and a female lieutenant wearing firefighter pants and suspenders that covered only her nipples.
"I'm not going to allow anybody to go out there and do anything that resembles stripping," Senterfitt said.
He said in the future there will be "clear boundaries."
The most immediate effect may be on October's Southern Women's Show, an annual event that includes provocative performances by firefighters in a fashion show segment to raise money for charities their union supports.
The firefighters during the most recent benefit did not seek permission. They were off duty but wearing city-issued gear, and alcohol was being consumed. The violations included one for "disgraceful conduct."
Future requests for firefighters to perform will include an advance review by the mayor's office and the city's human resources department, Senterfitt said.
Randy Wyse, president of Jacksonville's firefighter union, said the men and women were off duty and the availability of alcohol isn't unusual at benefits.
He said firefighters were not representing the city at the private affair that raised money for the family of a firefighter who died accidentally.
"I'm beginning to wonder if there is a difference between on duty and off duty," Wyse said.
He doesn't argue that wearing city gear would violate city rules. But the bigger picture is whether the firefighters were doing anything illegal and not whether it was morally objectionable.
"Don't bring in the point of if that is right or wrong," Wyse said. "That's inappropriate. Did they break the law?"
Senterfitt said a department history of stretching the rules will have to change.
"Our culture within the fire department over the last decade has been a culture of 'We don't have to follow the rules that tight,' " he said. That begins to reflect badly on the department, he said.
"And inch by inch by inch you get this creeping away from policy and procedure to the point that bad things start happening," he said. "Bad behavior starts creeping and we wind up on the front page of the paper and that is embarrassing."
The six firefighters should have asked the chief or duty division chief for permission to use city gear at the Whisky River benefit.
"We have to reset the clock," Senterfitt said.
That would affect the weekend-long Southern Women's Show. The union has long-standing ties to the event and is working with organizers to participate this year.
The performances are titillating and include shirtless dancing by firefighters in front of crowds of mostly women.
Senterfit said past performances at the show were taken into consideration when the Whisky River issue came up.
"We recognized this wasn't that far a step beyond what has happened in the past," he said. "Obviously there was much more skin shown this time."
Involvement with the women's show initially entailed accompanying models on runway walks, he said.
"It's another thing to start into a strip performance," he said.
Elisha Jernigan, the stage manager for Southern Shows, said firefighters have raised money for charities for the past decade and have been asked to return this year.
"The decision may be made not to participate at all," Senterfitt said. If firefighters do participate, it "will be with very clear structure and very clear understanding of what you can and cannot do representing this organization."
Senterfitt said the six firefighters were given level-one reprimands that are letters saying they violated department policy. More serious reprimands would have meant possible suspensions, demotions and termination. For example, a firefighter caught drinking and driving automatically faces the second level of discipline and possible suspension.
Wyse said the investigation didn't include interviews with the six who were disciplined.
"Nobody in the department ever spoke to them," he said.
Copyright 2012 - The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
