The popular chief of the Riviera Beach Volunteer Fire Company has been demoted and suspended following a county Fire Department review of alleged sex and alcohol improprieties at the station. And county police confirmed yesterday that they have launched their own investigations.
Lt. David Waltemeyer, a county police spokesman, confirmed that two investigations concerning Riviera Beach are under way, but said he could not elaborate.
"They are open investigations. That is all (the detectives) will let me say," Lt. Waltemeyer said.
According to company and community members familiar with the Fire Department investigation, as well as a published reports in The (Baltimore) Sun, fire officials found pornography on station computers and uncovered allegations of sexual activity in the bunks and volunteers responding to calls after drinking alcohol.
The station's board of directors also was investigating Volunteer Fire Chief Kenneth Hyde Sr.'s use of the company's credit card in 2004.
That investigation, which started shortly after the state revoked the company's tax status, was stalled Monday when the fire company's membership voted out several members of their board of directors.
"Riviera Beach is in awful bad shape," said one long-time supporter of the station who asked to remain anonymous.
Chief Hyde, who serves as the Chief of Homeland Security for the Baltimore City Fire Department by day, has led the station for 10 years and worked as a volunteer there for 25.
County Fire Chief David L. Stokes Sr. was unavailable yesterday and County Executive John R. Leopold declined to comment, citing the open investigation. Rhonda Wardlaw, a county spokesman, said Mr. Leopold told Chief Stokes to assist police in any way he can.
The county Fire Department launched its investigation of the station and their volunteer chief in July, after Chief Hyde and one of his volunteers accused each other of assault inside the firehouse.
Then-county Fire Chief Ronald D. Blackwell temporarily stripped Chief Hyde of any command authority at fire scenes, but he was reinstated when both men agreed to drop the charges.
The Fire Department's investigation continued though, ultimately leading Chief Stokes to send a three-page letter to the Riviera Beach Board of Directors.
Battalion Chief Michael Cox, a county fire spokesman, refused to release a copy of the letter, citing personnel matters.
The letter was read Monday night at a meeting attended by dozens of fire company members.
According to people at that meeting, Chief Stokes recommended Chief Hyde be suspended for 60 days and demoted for 90. The board followed the recommendations.
Chief Stokes also outlined the findings of the department's investigation in the letter:
- Minors were involved in sexual activity and drank alcohol on Fire Department property.
- Officers did not take allegations of sexual harassment seriously.
- Volunteers responded to emergencies after drinking alcohol.
- Firefighters viewed pornography on department computers.
- Fire response statistics had been falsified.
Chief Hyde did not return a phone call to his home yesterday and his wife referred questions to his attorney.
After the county launched its investigation in July though, Chief Hyde claimed the department was on a "witch hunt" when they switched out the station's computers and interviewed career firefighters and medics stationed there.
Chife Hyde's attorney, Peter S. O'Neill, said yesterday that the chief was removed from command only because the alleged improprieties happened on his watch.
"He's being held responsible for the actions of those under him," he said. As for the alleged misuse of the company Visa card, which company members say was in the tens of thousands of dollars, Mr. O'Neill said that was resolved in 2004 and Chief Hyde did nothing wrong.
"This matter was appropriately investigated by the Riviera Beach Fire Company," he said, claiming that Chief Hyde repaid all of the money at that time.
He said Chief Hyde no longer has any documentation to support that though since, "in our perspective, he was exonerated."
Chief Cox declined to comment about the credit card allegations. "That is a company matter," he said.
According to online state tax records, the Riviera Beach Volunteer Fire Company forfeited its tax status Oct. 6 when no one there filed a 2005 property tax return.
Members of the Hyde family have volunteered at the Riviera Beach station for more than 50 years. And Chief Hyde's father, Fred Hyde, is a member of the county's Fire Advisory Board.
Chief Hyde coordinated the Baltimore City Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Task force in March 2004 when a water taxi fatally capsized in the city's Inner Harbor, The Sun reported.
For his actions that day -- he pulled the first of three bodies from the water -- he was named one of Baltimore magazine's Baltimoreans of the Year in 2004 and received his department's Heroic Service Award.
Mr. O'Neill described Chief Hyde as a hardworking American and faithful volunteer who has donated thousands of hours of his time to the county.
"He's quite frankly a hero in my book," Mr. O'Neill said.
Courtesy The Capital
