Florida: Wearing tightie whities and watching the Playboy channel while on duty - Oh My!

Volusia County fire - Sexual Harassment claim costly for firefighters

By DINAH VOYLES PULVER
Environment Writer

Editor's note: This story has been modified to include new information on who paid for the Playboy Channel and to correct the punishment for one lieutenant.

DELAND -- Volusia County firefighters watched the Playboy channel while on duty and supervisors failed to investigate claims of sexual harassment, concluded an investigation that cost two captains their jobs.

The investigation also resulted in disciplinary action against four lieutenants, who were suspended or demoted or both. One firefighter was disciplined for poor job performance.

Internal affairs investigators did not substantiate the harassment claims, but did find that male firefighters were sleeping in their "tightie whities" briefs in the presence of female firefighters. It concluded the officers failed to take appropriate action to follow up on a dispute between two firefighters or to nix the Playboy channel, which the firefighters were paying for.

County Manager Jim Dinneen launched the inquiry last summer after learning that several complaints made by firefighter Laura Chorost had not been investigated.

Dinneen met with a group of female firefighters, then ordered a full investigation into actions surrounding Chorost's charges of harassment by other firefighters and poor job performance by her partner, Mark Nordquist.

Roughly a third of the department's 185 field personnel were interviewed during the five-month investigation last summer. Fewer than 10 percent of the department's field personnel are women.

Dinneen has made it very clear to employees that any kind of harassment "would not be tolerated," said county spokesman Dave Byron. As a result of the inquiry, the county has begun renovating fire stations around the county to ensure firefighters have separate sleeping quarters and separate restroom arrangements. The county also is "undergoing a series of serious sexual harassment training especially among supervisors."

Efforts to reach the disciplined officers Monday night were unsuccessful.

Captains William Whalen and John Moak were dismissed for failing to take appropriate action after learning of the problems.

"The real failure was the failure of supervisors to take this seriously and take the appropriate action as supervisors, and that is unacceptable," Bryon said.

The report found that supervisors told Chorost to "let it go" or keep it "in house."

In a letter, Jim Willits, director of the county's department of public protection, wrote that both captains blamed their problems on too-little supervisory training. However, Willits noted, both had seen years of service with other fire departments, including serving as supervisors.

"As a fire services supervisor, you know or should know what is acceptable behavior, and what is not," Willits wrote in one letter.

Byron said all county employees receive training regarding sexual harassment when they're hired and supervisors received additional sensitivity training.

Nordquist was disciplined for failing to meet his responsibilities as a paramedic and for watching the Playboy channel while on duty.

Lieutenants Jason Castelli and Eric Nicholson, were demoted to firefighter and suspended without pay for three 24-hour shifts. Lt. Michael McMillen was demoted and suspended for 10 24-hour shifts. Lt. Arlene Redmond was suspended without pay for one 24-hour shift. Lt. Arlene Redmond was issued a written reprimand.

Four firefighters were commended for their performance during the investigation: Captains Jeff Smith, John Pasqualle and Andrew Millwater and Firefighter/Paramedic Melissa Wolf-Johnson.

Source: news-journalonline.com - Link