Union: Wilmington Fire Department 'broken'
The union that represents Wilmington's firefighters on Thursday submitted a letter to the city's elected officials saying the department is "broken," and asking for their help in removing the chief.
"It is with great regret that we report to you that the Wilmington Fire Department is broken and we need the help of our honorable elected leaders to fix it," said the letter signed by Bruce Schweiger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1590 and sent to Mayor Dennis P. Williams and City Council members. The "no confidence" letter obtained by The News Journal also asked that Anthony S. Goode be removed as chief.
"As such, we are respectfully requesting that the City of Wilmington take action and that Chief Goode be removed from his position as Chief of Fire of the Wilmington Fire Department," the letter said.
The letter was a result of a union vote on March 21 and 22 in which 97 percent of members "affirmed that they no longer have confidence in Chief Goode and his ability to lead from the role in which he was appointed to perform," according to the three-page letter.
The letter does not say how many of the department's 167 members voted.
Goode, who was reached on Thursday, declined to comment, other than to say he believed Williams would stand by him.
Members of the union leadership declined to comment.
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Councilman Michael A. Brown Sr., head of the Public Safety Committee, called the union's letter "most disturbing."
"Their concerns speak to a lack of fairness and integrity within the department," Brown said in a statement. "Their plea to fix the department, coupled with the recent revelations about a firefighter conducting either rogue or directed investigations of his colleagues, makes it imperative that this administration take stock of what is happening within the fire department and correct what is wrong. I urge the administration to review section 101.2 of City HR Policy regarding a hostile work environment."
The department has been conducting an internal affairs investigation into firefighters, according to City Councilman Robert A. Williams, who spoke with Goode Wednesday. That conversation was provoked by reports of a Wilmington Fire Marshal inspector being questioned by two police departments outside of the city after the inspector was caught snooping. In one of those incidents, the inspector was apparently punched and a gun was drawn.
The union's letter stated there is an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, so much so that members are afraid to file complaints about Goode "for fear of retaliation." And when firefighters file complaints with the city's personnel department, the letter says their complaints have fallen on deaf ears.
"In one instance, a member filed a complaint against Chief Goode with Human Resources and did not receive a response for nearly six months," the letter said. "In the response, Employee Relations Advisor Ms. Elinza Cain stated 'Please be advised that while your complaint of harassment is unsubstantiated, it was determined that some of the behaviors exhibited by Chief Goode were not representative of what is expected from an executive leader employed by the City of Wilmington. Therefore, steps are being taken to prevent future incidents from occurring.' "
Brown said he also was concerned with the responsiveness of the city’s Human Resources Department in listening to and investigating the allegations of the firefighters union.
"I would like to learn more from the HR Director [Charlotte B. Barnes] about why the union has this notion that a city department that is obligated to conduct an objective review of employee concerns may not be doing so," he said.
Wilmington City Council President Theo Gregory said the issue is taking on a life of its own.
"I think the mayor is going to stand by his chief and we on City Council will weigh in, but we have no authority to do anything," he said. "We could do a resolution which would be a vote of no confidence, but it is not binding on the mayor."
Gregory said he would consider a resolution, but needs to do due diligence first to determine if it is worth it.
Mayor Williams, asked about Goode after his State of the City speech Thursday evening, said: “Were here to talk about the budget right? That’s what I’m here to talk about.”
Earlier, Williams' spokeswoman, Alexandra Coppadge, issued a statement.
"Under the leadership of Chief Goode, the Wilmington Fire Department continues to be one of the most distinguished fire departments in the Northeast Corridor, as they maintain one of the fastest response times in the region," Coppadge said.
"As the leader of the Wilmington Fire Department, Chief Goode has increased the training and educational opportunities for the firefighters, as well as, acquired new equipment, apparatuses and gear for the entire fire department. Two years ago, he also strongly advocated to maintain staffing levels within the fire department, and stood beside members of Wilmington Fire Fighter Association IAFF 1590 as Mayor Williams signed a letter vetoing Council’s effort to eliminate eight firefighter positions.
"Both the chief and the union were able to stand together in past, and hopefully, will be able to reconcile their differences moving forward."
The letter also mentions Goode applies control by intimidation and fear and points to the chief bringing guns to work despite not being authorized to do so.
Goode turned in his city-issued sidearm in 2013 amid questions whether he violated city policy by carrying the gun on duty.
The city found Goode had not violated a policy barring most employees from carrying a firearm onto city property and while on duty because Williams had given him permission to have the weapon. Ultimately, the decision to turn in the firearm centered on liability concerns.
"Today’s letter seems to indicate that the chief’s fondness for his weapon still exists," Brown said. "These employees should not be made to work in an environment that could possibly affect their performance as firefighters. They deserve better and Wilmington deserves the proper management of a department for which life and death is an everyday matter.
"If what the firefighters union is claiming turns out to be true, then for the sake of the department and the city, Chief Goode should resign or be fired."
In addition to misbehavior within the department, the letter alleges Goode has enacted policies that prioritize cost-savings over safety, used his position to persuade people to support certain political candidates and allowed an aide to be disrespectful to a councilwoman.
Goode's conditional company closures practice, which closes certain fire stations throughout the city, is a danger illustrated in the Jan. 12 fire in which two sisters, a 3-month and 3-year-old, died in a house fire during a period that the closest fire station was closed, according to the letter. Goode has said conditional closures allow the department to save jobs rather than reduce what he called a "just manageable" staff. These closures began before Goode became chief.
While the letter does not explain how Goode uses his position to support political candidates, it brings up the Feb. 11 Public Safety Committee hearing in which a firefighter was heard calling City Councilwoman Loretta Walsh a "bitch." The firefighter, who was identified by Walsh as John Porter, was not disciplined by Goode.
"That was just a perfect example of how when anything goes wrong in that department, if you're in the favor of the chief, whatever one is accused of doing is dismissed," she said, adding that Goode told her Porter would not be disciplined. "He told me nothing was going to happen to him."
Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3. Contact Jenna Pizzi at jpizzi@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2837. Follow her on Twitter @JennaPizzi.