April 03--City officials could begin interviewing Decatur firefighters Thursday, upholding their end of a "gentleman's agreement" with two fire lieutenants who want Fire Chief Charlie Johnson ousted.
Firefighters Lt. Craig Corum and Lt. Don Palmer are staying quiet in exchange for the city reviewing their complaints. The two outlined their issues, including safety concerns, in a letter Corum intended to read at a March 26 City Council work session.
Before Corum could approach the podium, City Attorney Herman Marks and Council President Gary Hammon confronted him, with Hammon directing him to turn the letter over to Marks. Hammon then barred Corum from identifying anyone by name during his address to the council.
Since then, Marks, Corum and Palmer have refused to release the document, which The Daily is challenging under the state's open records law.
Information related to the public's safety should be open, said Dennis Bailey, attorney for the Alabama Press Association.
"The city could easily redact specific allegations that are pending personnel issues, if there are any in the document," Bailey said. "I find it inconceivable that the entire letter is 100 percent personnel issues."
If the contents of the letter are "too general," as Marks has claimed, then it does not fall under the legal protection of pending personnel matters that detail alleged incidents against specific employees, Bailey said.
If that's the case, it should be released in its entirety, he said.
The Decatur Firefighters Association's discontent with department leadership is nothing new, Corum said. He and Palmer met with Mayor Don Stanford to go over their grievances in January, but nothing came out of the meeting.
'Nothing' addressed
"Basically, we feel like nothing has been addressed by Chief Johnson or Mayor Stanford, and the City Council was the only (governing) body we hadn't gone to with our issues," Palmer said. "We were just following up on the meeting we had with the mayor because we felt we didn't get a response."
Johnson said Stanford talked to him about the issues Corum and Palmer raised at the meeting.
"He (Stanford) asked me a few questions, and I thought I gave him satisfactory answers and explanations," Johnson said. "I came away from that meeting with the impression that he was satisfied with my answers."
Palmer said more training sessions have been scheduled since the January meeting, when they complained about inadequate training, among other issues. Firefighters underwent emergency training drills last week at the training and administration building on Old Highway 31.
The city budgeted $20,000 for training this fiscal year, down $20,000 both from Johnson's requested $40,000 this year and fiscal 2011's appropriation. The fire department spent $14,890 on training in fiscal 2010, $29,942 in fiscal 2009, $41,298 in fiscal 2008 and $33,555 in fiscal 2007, financial records show.
The city budgeted $70,000 for safety gear this fiscal year, up from the $50,000 last year and $21,710 in 2010. However, the fire department spent $186,479 on safety gear in fiscal 2008.
Palmer called last week's training session "the best we've been through in several few years."
Corum added: "But that's how it has been in the past. We bring up these issues, and things get better for a couple weeks to a month. Then everything goes back to normal."
Firefighters' complaints date to 2007. Personnel records show reports of intimidation, retaliation, harassment and apparent in-fighting within the department. However, all documents related to the city personnel board's 2009 investigation of those claims and subsequent findings were permanently sealed. Corum said the DFA's attorneys are fighting to get those records. The Daily filed a public records request for the documents Monday.
Not first time
This isn't the first time Corum and Palmer have cited safety concerns. In 2009, they publicly opposed the city's promotion system, which gives education more weight than experience. Lt. Janice Johnston and Lt. Lorenzo "Sonny" Jackson had just been promoted to battalion chiefs. Personnel Director Ken Smith said then that Corum and Palmer did not get along with Johnson and would have to get used to taking directions from their new supervisors.
Corum and Palmer said the promotion system isn't driving this latest disagreement with Johnson. Both said they haven't taken the promotion test for battalion chief. The fire department plans to fill two vacant positions soon, Johnson said.
"I've never taken the test, partly because I don't think I could pass it," Corum said. "But I also like where I am. I like being a lieutenant."
Marks and Stanford both have consistently emphasized they are confident in the fire department's abilities to help residents. Johnson said residents should feel safe because Decatur's firefighters are well trained and equipped.
Copyright 2012 - The Decatur Daily, Ala.
