Acting on a complaint from a firefighter, the state Department of Labor inspected the Danby Fire Department and cited it with a series of safety and health violations, including eight deemed "serious."
The fire company has addressed each and fixed them, according to the fire commissioner, who also admitted filling key leadership posts has proven difficult.
Adam Crown, a firefighter formerly with the Danby Volunteer Fire Department, filed an 11-page complaint with the Department of Labor listing 23 incidents.
The Department of Labor’s Public Employee Safety and Health division carried out an inspection of the department’s Danby Road facility in March. It issued 18 violation notices, eight of which were deemed "serious." It upheld several of the complaints and found others, including:
Getting information about fire company also a concern
* Failure to document risk assessment for emergency escape rope systems.
* Failure to develop and implement an emergency response plan.
* Failure to provide protective chaps for employees during chainsaw operation tasks.
* Outdated respiratory protection procedures.
* Expired medical supplies.
* Backup power cord not properly grounded.
* Insufficient restroom facilities in building under renovation.
* Biohazard refuse bin not properly labeled.
Other non-serious issues included failure to post a workplace violence prevention policy statement and annual summary of occupational injuries as well as record-keeping discrepancies regarding hepatitis B vaccinations, emergency use respirator inspections and other personal protective equipment, including portable fire extinguishers.
It also noted that documentation about the training or competency of each employee was not satisfactorily available and that the designated fire safety officer did not have documented fire safety officer training. Another member of the department did, however.
It ordered that the violations be abated by July 16.
Crown, a former U.S. Coast Guard seaman and martial arts instructor, joined the department in 2007 with ambitions of becoming a fully trained firefighter. He enrolled in several courses at the Tompkins County Fire Training Center and New York State Fire Academy in Montour Falls, and the experience he gained from that training prompted some of his concerns about the way things were done at his own department.
As an example, he cited an incident where an untrained volunteer was allowed to rush into a brush fire without water or tools and proceeded to stomp out the fire with her boots.
Crown said he tried to resolve some of the issues internally, but was met with resistance. He admits he has a personal bias. He ran unsuccessfully for fire commissioner last year and has since been removed from the department; an action he believes was done partly in response to his complaints.
Crown told the Journal he believes the department puts firefighters at risk.
"They make a standard practice of assigning persons to tasks for which they have not been adequately trained and are not qualified, both on the emergency scene and off.
Related
Getting information about fire company also a concern
"I have discontinued responding to calls because I have no confidence whatsoever that the officers know what they’re doing and will not put me or someone else in unnecessary jeopardy," he added.
Danby Fire District Commissioner Patrick Caveney said the department has addressed each of the violations and was reinspected shortly after the deadline. He is waiting to receive official notification from the Department of Labor, but said he was told their corrective actions were satisfactory.
"The inspectors were very helpful, very proactive in helping us to get things in place. In many cases, we just weren’t aware of the regulations," Caveney said. "Certainly there were things that needed to be rectified, but there wasn’t anything where people’s lives were in danger. Anything that they pointed out, we corrected, and then some."
Crown said he believes part of the blame lies in an antiquated organizational structure that allows inherent conflicts of interest, with fire commanders also serving as the commissioners tasked with overseeing operations.
Two of the five district commissioners are also current officers of the fire department, while a third is a past officer and current trustee, he said.
Tompkins County Emergency Services Director Lee Shurtleff said it is a challenge encountered in many small towns with a potentially limited pool of candidates interested or qualified for leadership positions within the department.
Caveney, who has been a commissioner for more than 12 years, said that is certainly the case for fire commissioners in Danby.
"It’s not a position which we have had people clambering to fill," he said.
He believes there is no conflict of interest, and is confident the department is well-run, with a good training program and a dedicated group of volunteer firefighters and officials who put in a tremendous amount of hours with no pay.
"We’re not trying to hide anything. We have limited resources," Caveney said. "We do our best as unpaid volunteers to keep things in the best shape we can. We are all people that are dedicated to making sure we have the very best emergency services we can provide for the town within the confines of our budget and within what the taxpayers can afford to pay."
Related
Getting information about fire company also a concern
The Ithaca Journal made repeated requests to the Department of Labor for an interview to clarify these violations, find out whether they were abated, and determine the number of violations issued to any other departments locally and statewide. After a month, the newspaper was told "there may be an appeal" and was asked on Aug. 19 to file a FOIL request, which is still pending.
