BARTOW, FL—Polk County Fire Chief Tony Stravino, faced with an outside report critical of how the department handled a fatal fire in November, is retiring.
Stravino, 62, told County Manager Jim Freeman on Tuesday he planned to leave in 30 days.
The meeting with Freeman came a day after a report brought to light a number of errors that occurred in the department during the response to a Nov. 23 fire on Rockridge Road in North Lakeland that left a 76-year-old woman dead.
Freeman announced at the beginning of a press conference that Stravino would be leaving the department.
Freeman declined to answer whether Stravino would have been fired if he hadn't retired. He said the retirement made any disciplinary action moot.
Stravino, who could not be reached, has been chief for three years. He oversees 500 employees at 44 stations in the county.
In the coming days, Freeman said he planned to name an interim chief.
The press conference and preceding presentation by Emergency Services Consulting International described a number of mistakes made within the department, including the possibility that an attempt to rescue Lorretta Pickard could have been made.
"It appears we had opportunities to do certain things differently during that response," Freeman said. "I can speak for all of us when I say how deeply sorry we are for the family of Mrs. Pickard."
"By all accounts she was a kind and loving person devoted to her family," he said.
After a presentation by the company, Freeman approached the sister and niece of Pickard, offering his hand in condolence to them.
The county faces a potential lawsuit by family members.
Pickard's niece, Amber Addison, said she was angry with the report's findings and plans to move forward with the lawsuit.
"We did not get what we wanted," Addison said of the report's findings. She said Deputy County Manager Joe Halman and Kandis Baker-Buford, the head of human resources involved in hiring former Polk County Fire Rescue Capt. James Williams, were the ones who should be fired because they attempted to protect Williams. Williams, who oversaw the first fire response, resigned in March.
An outside investigation did not provide any evidence of Halman or Baker-Buford attempting to protect Williams.
But Halman and Stravino defended Williams during an initial press conference in February. Halman became agitated and defensive with a television reporter's questions and accused her of being a racist when she asked about a possible cover-up and whether there should be an outside investigation into the fire.
"It's interesting that all the individuals you pointed out are African Americans," Halman said during the press conference. "It's interesting that the captain of this case is African American.
"Every single thing you have made an allegation to is incorrect and not true when it comes to these African Americans," Halman told the reporter.
Halman, who oversees Stravino, then denied any allegations of a cover-up. Halman did not attend the press conference Tuesday.
Freeman described Halman as a dedicated administrator with decades of service. County spokeswoman Mianne Nelson said he did not receive any reprimands for his role in the fallout from the fire.
Before the press conference, the company focused on five of 24 key findings in the 250-page report.
Some of the findings included:
- The fact that the first responding fire engine's computer wasn't working. Without the computer, the crew did not have access to additional information through a computer-aided dispatching system. Richard Talbert, associate consultant for ESCI, said the information from the computer should have been shared verbally over the radio.
- Concerns about officer development, training and mentoring. Talbert urged the county to utilize policies and procedures, such as academies in the area.
- A failure to bring rescue tools to the burning home. The department must emphasize equipment required to come off the truck with firefighters depending on the type of fire.
Commissioners had questions after the presentation.
Commissioner George Lindsey asked Talbert for an overview of the night of the fire. Talbert said it appeared Williams had tunnel vision, rather than focusing on "full situational awareness."
"Based on the timeline, radio communication logs, and discussions with responders, there was no indication that the E6 crew was either focused on or in a mode to perform a search and rescue after the initial size-up as described," the report states.
Talbert said that Williams may not have understood that the caller speaking with the dispatcher and Pickard were the same people. "I think once they fully determined that, it was a defensive fire and they were not going to make entry into the home."
Commissioner John Hall asked the group if they were ever asked to guide the investigation a certain way. Talbert said they were not.
Talbert said it was unclear if Williams was shooting video while Pickard was still alive. When Williams resigned, county officials said he would have been fired for shooting videos at fire scenes.
Talbert said it was unclear from the evidence if she was alive. But Freeman said county officials investigated further.
"It's not definitive but there are certain indications that it was after the victim was deceased," Freeman said. "It's terribly bothersome that the question has to be asked because of the actions of that captain."
Lindsey said commissioners will focus on the company's recommendations.
"I would invite the team to come back in 18 to 24 months and grade us," Lindsey said.
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