Meet the Chief: Douglas Barry, Los Angeles Fire Department By Jamie Thompson FireRescue1 News Editor   AP Photo/Nick Ut Douglas Barry speaks during a news conference in December 2006.      There were likely few less desirable jobs in the fire industry than that of Los Angeles Fire Department Chief just over 12 months ago. The LAFD had been subjected to a string of lawsuits alleging sexual and racial harassment, and union relations were seriously strained. The turmoil crested in December 2006 when then-Chief William Bamattre resigned amid a furor over a black firefighter, Tennie Pierce, being served spaghetti mixed with dog food. Fortunately for the LAFD, Bamattre's replacement, Douglas Barry, has helped to steady the ship — even if he was initially reluctant to take on the job. Barry was a 31-year veteran of the LAFD, having served as firefighter, engineer, captain, battalion chief, chief of staff and assistant chief. The chief's position seemed the logical next step, but at the time of Bamattre's resignation in December 2006, Barry had already scheduled his retirement for just several months later. And, in Barry's own words, "I've always preferred to working behind the scenes, not upfront where the fire chief is and very visible." But as Barry began his work as interim chief, seeing firsthand the huge challenges the department faced, the sense of loyalty and pride that goes with more than three decades on service began to have an effect on him. Change needed In addition, his efforts in rallying the beleaguered department seemed to be having an effect. Also — and perhaps most importantly — for the first time in what seemed like years for many in the city, everyone seemed to agree change was needed, from union leaders to local politicians. "Many departments and groups had come to all work together to resolve these issues and I saw the opportunity was there to really get some things done that the fire department had been trying to do for a long time," Barry said. "The environment was perfect for it; people seemed to have confidence in the city." Barry's retirement plans are now on hold. Now that he's begun to initiate reforms and cultural change within the department, he has strong sense of seeing those through. "I worked on getting reforms in place and when it came to deciding whether I would become the full-time chief, we were making progress with things, even though it was slow," he said. "I decided that I wanted to finish that." One of Barry's first actions that won favor with department personnel and unions alike was the decision to meet his members across the city face-to-face. Shortly after being appointed interim chief, he set out a schedule to visit the department's more than 100 work locations, a figure he is still working his way through. He said his aim is to "effectively communicate the expectations of the department and myself as the fire chief." The decision to go for the personal touch, rather than my memos or e-mails, he said, stems from his experiences as a supervisor, where he found the most effective way to communicate to people was "face-to-face." "It has also been the chance to listen to what they thought the department should be doing, and I learned a lot from the members," Barry said. "I'm not only talking to the people but I'm also listening to what they have to say." Upon his appointment, Barry admitted that his biggest task was to put an end to the "frat-house culture," as local media described it, that seemingly allowed hazing and discrimination to spiral out of control. However, he insists the issues within the LAFD are not as bad as they have been painted in some quarters. Reflection on society   Photo Mike Meadows An LAFD firefighter uses a hose line on flames during the Corral Brush Fire near Malibu in November.   The LAFD, or any large department or organization, is a reflection on society, according to Barry. In addition, the well-documented issues have been given more exposure because of the size and stature of the LAFD, he added. "Some of these things have happened at other departments," Barry said. "But because we are a large department and we are in the limelight, a lot of it gets more attention. But similar things do happen in other departments as well; we're all a reflection of society." In his own rise through the ranks, Barry, who is black, said he never experienced any overt racism, before adding, "Maybe I'm just a very fortunate person." Of course, it hasn’t just been internal departmental affairs that have consumed Barry's time and efforts. The SoCal wildfires toward the end of last year posed their own particular challenges to the city, namely staffing. Barry said that the LAFD's main role was providing resources, sending roughly 30 companies to assist other fire departments. "It was a big challenge for us insofar as sending the resources that were needed, but to make sure we had enough resources here in case something happened in the city," he said. As for tests that lie ahead, Barry identifies budgetary issues as the biggest challenge facing not only his own department but those nationwide. It’s the constant headache faced by any chief, he said, of "being asked to do more and more but with less and less money.” "Thirty years ago, it was firefighting with some EMS and little bit of fire prevention," he said. "But now it's so much more than that. Firefighters are being pushed to have so many new skills in different areas and be proficient in all these various fields." Now 12 months in as chief, it has been a steep learning curve for Barry in finding out what makes a good chief.     AP Photo/Nick Ut William Bamattre resigned in December 2006.   For him, there are two things involved in being an effective leader: building the trust of your people and consistency. "You need to be consistent, people need to know where they stand and what to expect from you," he said. "You also need to build trust and provide a vision and the direction the department is going in — but it has to be shared." Barry looks back on the first year with both pride and honesty. "We've had everyone working together, pulling together, and progress is being made," he said. "Perhaps my only disappointment is that the progress hasn't been fast enough in some ways."

 

Audit: Culture Of Discrimination, Harassment, Hazing Plagues LAFD

POSTED: 6:53 pm PST January 26, 2006

LOS ANGELES -- A culture of discrimination, harassment and hazing against women and minorities still plagues the Los Angeles Fire Department, despite work to clean up the agency 11 years ago, according to an audit released Thursday.

The audit by City Controller Laura Chick blames a "lack of strong and decisive" leadership by Fire Chief William Bamattre and previous members of the Fire Commission for allowing inappropriate behavior to continue within the department.

"We have a duty to provide in this city a work environment free of harassment, free of prejudice and free of spiteful retaliation," Chick said. "The department must give equal protection to all of its employees."

Chick launched her audit last August after hearing reports of inappropriate behavior from at least two "whistleblowers" inside the fire department.

The audit resulted in 21 recommendations for the department, including calls for developing a written "vision" for the agency, setting a tone of accountability and establishing better communication from Bamattre and the Fire Commission to the department's rank-and-file.

"We can solve these problems," she said. "These are good people in the Fire Department, they just need the right vision, the right guidance, the right rules and fair treatment and we can get rid of discrimination, harassment and hazing."

In a statement issued this afternoon, Bamattre said he has reviewed the audit and generally agrees with its recommendations. He said the department will work to implement the audit's recommendations to complement improvements that have already put in place.

"I am very proud of the public safety service that the LAFD provides, however, I will not be satisfied until the Fire Department excels in all its responsibilities."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa commended Chick's audit, saying it addresses issues he has discussed with Bamattre over the last six months.

"My concern over these long-standing, unresolved issues is surpassed only by my determination that they be fully addressed by the Fire Commission," Villaraigosa said.

The mayor sent a letter to Fire Commission President Dalila Sotelo today, asking the commission to submit a plan in 90 days that will address Chick's audit and recommendations.

While 13 firefighters were disciplined for inappropriate behavior last June, and nine firefighters remain under investigation, Chick found more instances of harassment and discrimination that largely went unreported.

Among some of Chick's findings:

A dead rat was found in the bedding of a firefighter who had reported alleged misconduct of a colleague.

A fire captain failed to report that a firefighter served dog food to another firefighter.

A male firefighter took improper photos of a female colleague "in various stages of undress" at the fire station.

Chick said she found that part of the hazing and discrimination came from a perception that women and racial minorities are not qualified to work in the department.

More than half of the recruits who failed the academy -- many of whom were women and racial minorities -- were reinstated by upper management for the sake of diversifying the department, Chick said. The failed recruits had a higher rate of failing their probationary period than those who passed their training exercises.

"I care very much about attracting and retaining women, gays and lesbians, African-Americans, Latinos to reflect what our city is all about, and also to attract talented firefighters and paramedics," Chick said."But we have to have minimum standards."

As a result, Chick recommended that the department only hire recruits who have passed performance standards. In addition, Chick said Bamattre should no long be able to overrule an instructor's recommendation to terminate recruits.

Pat McOsker, president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112, said he asked the city to investigate the hiring of failed recruits more than a year ago because it raised concerns of safety among firefighters.

"An appropriate and reasonable standard of performance needs to be enforced," said McOsker, whose union represents the city's 3,600 firefighters. "Our recruits need to be ready to serve the community, not compromising their safety or the safety of others."

The firefighting academy, also known as the "drill tower," offers three months of classroom and physical training to recruits.

"We know that passing unqualified recruits has led to a low morale among firefighters."
- Pat McOsker, president of Local 112

"We know that passing unqualified recruits has led to a low morale among firefighters," McOsker said.

The fire department has grappled for more than 30 years with problems in hiring minorities.

The federal government filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles in 1972, alleging the city discriminated against blacks, Latinos and Asians. The city agreed in 1974 to abide by the terms of a consent decree that set hiring goals for minorities and implemented a race-based application system for the department. A federal judge finally lifted the consent decree in April 2002.

In January 1975, the department's percentage of black, Asian and Latino firefighters totaled 5.06 percent. In 2005, racial minorities made up 47.4 percent of the department's force.

In the meantime, Bamattre was hired as fire chief in April 1996 by then- Mayor Richard Riordan, replacing longtime Chief Donald Manning, who abruptly resigned amid budget cuts within the department and allegations of discrimination.

A videotape, dubbed "female follies," made fun of the physical abilities of women recruits and was circulated throughout the department, prompting allegations of sexual harassment during the mid-1990s.

As a result, the City Council worked with the city's Personnel Department in 1995 to develop ways of addressing discrimination in the department, Chick said.

"The solution has failed... because former fire commissions did not enforce this," said Chick, who was a city councilwoman at the time the city's resolutions were adopted. "This is a loud call to the current fire commission appointed by our mayor to turn back the clock and take the mandates of 1995 very seriously.

"We're not saying we need to go back to the table," she said. "Take what's already been done and make it effective."

Chick also recommended that the Fire Department establish a separate Internal Affairs Division to investigate personnel complaints.

She said current complaints of harassment "lack independence and are undertaken by untrained and inexperienced personnel."

Chick stopped short of calling for Bamattre's resignation, saying that decision is up to the mayor and council.

"I always have been an incredibly optimistic person in my belief of a person's ability to change, so of course he can change, the situation can change," Chick said. "I'm always to hold the person at the top accountable. The buck stops with the boss."

Copyright 2006 by NBC4.tv. City News Service contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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