Charlie LeDuff vs. Fire Dept. Brass

[eno]

Books, facilities of Detroit Fire Department raise alarms
Charlie LeDuff / The Detroit News
Detroit
Why is Detroit broke? Why are its books an unmitigated disaster? Why do things never seem to change no matter who occupies City Hall? Maybe something as simple as a screen door might explain it.
Three firefighters were caught last year scavenging a screen door from an abandoned house. Why? Their firehouse didn't have one and the flies were getting in.
The men were caught on video tape and disciplined. But the irony is that even in a city as broke as Detroit, $7 million in no-bid contracts were handed out over the past eight years to repair things like screen doors in its fire houses.
I took a trip to the Detroit Building Authority, which oversees city construction projects and dispenses city monies to pay for them. What I found among the records I pulled was shoddy bookkeeping, invoices to wrong addresses and, in many cases, missing paperwork. It would take a forensic accountant to sort it all out.
Then I went to the firehouses and listened to the complaints of the people who do the real work of putting out fires. They said the conditions in which they work only make a dangerous job more dangerous. I was shown mold, leaking pipes, exposed asbestos insulation, broken toilets, cracked floors and malfunctioning heating units. In one fire house the alarm bell is a jerry-rigged contraption of a door-hinge, a screw and an electrified pad.
A meeting with fire officials was arranged. Among them were Executive Commissioner James Mack Jr., Chief Charlene Graham, head of research and development and Second Deputy Commissioner Fred Wheeler, head of facilities and maintenance. All had high-ranking positions under disgraced former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and all were kept under new Mayor Dave Bing, who promised efficiency and transparency when he came to office.
"What specific questions do you have?" Mack asked.
Among the paperwork: Firefighters at Ladder 19 on Detroit's east side can't park their fire trucks in the main house because the floor is structurally unsound and condemned. But the city set aside about $400,000 to repair the floor back in 2003. Perhaps it was a clerical error and the floor was meant for Engine 19. The problem is there is no Engine 19, though that firehouse received $210,000 in renovations. It is unclear what ever became of the $400,000 or the $210,000 for Engine 19.
"I don't know what to tell you," said Graham, whose name appears on the paperwork.
Engine 22 was also awarded $400,000 for a new floor. That house -- located on Michigan Avenue -- was decommissioned about 30 years ago. It was last used as a restaurant: the Casa de España. Assuming a clerical error, then it is worth noting that Ladder 22 never got a new floor either, but the city did pay two contractors nearly $75,000 to study the feasibility of an addition at Ladder 22. Contractors found contaminated soil and left a heap of arsenic-laced dirt for firefighters to clean up. Furthermore, an annual building inspection of Ladder 22 has not been completed since 1999.
"I'll look into it," Mack promised. "Anything else?"
The Fire Training Academy -- a dilapidated mess that still functions as the school for new firefighters -- was awarded $1.5 million for a new training tower. A contract was drawn up but never signed. Fire Department officials said the tower project was abandoned and the money was reallocated to put a $900,000 roof on another building. However, there is no paper trail showing a stop work order on the training tower or what became of the other $600,000. City building inspectors checked the facility last year after a rash of complaints. That report has inexplicably been purged from the computer system.
"It's air," explained Wheeler. "That million was allocated [[for the training tower) but it's not there. In the case of canceled jobs, there is no paper trail. I guess you can infer a paper trail. That's how many things go down here."
A joint police precinct and firehouse on the city's west side began as a $240,000 no-bid contract but ballooned into a $17 million job. The general contractor took 13 percent of the pie though the national average for such work is 5-5.7 percent, according to the Construction Management Association of America. The floors in that firehouse are cracked, the heating doesn't work and water pipes to fill the fire engine were forgotten.
Here Mack stopped the meeting. "Make a list of questions, we'll get back to you," he said.
"Either someone let you in these firehouses, which is against department regulations, or you've got X-Ray vision," Graham said to me on my way out the door.
In the end I never got to draft the questions, because the next morning I received an unsolicited and disappointing e-mail from City Hall. Karen Dumas, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bing, wrote that all questions should be directed to the Building Authority. So much for transparency.
So, the contracts were sent to an independent expert to get his appraisal. "Controls by the Authority seem to be lacking," said H. Randolph Thomas, a professor of civil engineering at Pennsylvania State University and an expert on construction agreements. "Overall, the contract seems to have been written by amateurs."
I went back to the Building Authority: "The feds have been through here on a couple of occasions but they never inquired about the fire department," said Beth Duncombe, executive director of the Building Authority since Kilpatrick went to jail. "If you find something let me know, I will bring it to their attention myself."
charlie@detnews.com 313) 222-2071 Staff Writer Paul Egan contributed.


From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100218/...#ixzz1ANL2p5U5

[eno]

Bing: Detroit fire commissioner, deputy resign
Christine MacDonald / The Detroit News
Detroit— Mayor Dave Bing this morning announced he had demanded and accepted the resignations of Fire Commissioner James Mack and Deputy Fire Commissioner Seth Doyle. Flanked by Deputy Mayor Saul Green, Bing said he asked for their resignations this morning because of a combination of problems in the department.
"When things aren't working, I'm not going to stand pat," Bing said. "We will make the moves needed to improve public safety."
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Bing said one of the issues leading to the dismissal was his disappointment of finding out Thursday through the media, and not Mack or Doyle, about a police investigation into allegations first reported by WJBK-TV [[Channel 2) that a firefighter had stolen a wallet containing $110 while on the scene of a carbon monoxide call in early December. The homeowner went to the responding fire station to complain and received the wallet and money, WJBK reported.
Bing said the incident "reflected an internal disconnect that has plagued the department."
Green also said there were other problems that were factors in the decision, including lagging response times.
Council President Pro Tem Gary Brown said today he supports the mayor's decision and said Detroit deserves more timely emergency response.
"I applaud the service that [[Mack and Doyle) have put in, but I certainly support a change," Brown said. "I just have a problem with the productivity, and I believe the troops have just stopped listening to that voice."
Bing said Deputy Chief Fred Wheeler will serve as acting fire chief while a national search gets under way to replace Mack, who was named fire commissioner in September 2009 and has been with the department since 1978.
Come back to detnews.com as this story develops.


From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110107/...#ixzz1ANMKqBdu

[daddeeo]

Nice to see a shakeup.
Bingo.

[Buy American]

Bing needs to look from within the Fire Department for a replacement for Mack. Absolutely no one [[especially someone from out of State) knows the DFD like a seasoned Detroit Firefighter. Maybe it's time to get someone on board who will make sure the Department gets what it needs to keep the firefighters safe and well-equipped. Weed out the bad apples from top to bottom....and I hope Bing does this in each and every department within the City of Detroit.

[fryar]

Glad to see Mack go. He has been on my list ever since he made that crack about not needing GPS's if they had native Detroiters as Detroit EMTs. "That old canard?" I thought, "I bet he's dirty."

[Carey]

Charlie LeDuff has received a lot of criticism on this forum, but his reporting on the DFD for Channel 2 has been oustanding, especially in the past two weeks. In addition to the report Thursday about about the cover-up of the wallet caper that led to the two firings today, he has done stories on two incidents in which people died when EMS failed to show up in a timely manner.
There's a lot of pie-in-the-sky discussion about the Detroit that could be on DetroitYes, and that's great. But LeDuff and his Channel 2 colleagues are telling the world about the Detroit of today that must be fixed before the city will ever be a functioning, attractive city. People dying in their homes because the ambulance doesn't show up? That should outrage everyone.

[mtm49269]

eno,

I read that article months ago and was just disgusted with the misuse of urgently needed funds. I'm glad to see Mack and Wheeler finally being cut lose but I wish the Feds would also look in to them and their contracts. Wonder if they'll find stashs of cash as they did with Ferguson.

Although my Dad retired ages ago, he spent almost 40 years on the DFD and even back then, they didn't have much or well working equipment back then. At least, though, the engine houses weren't such dilapitated messes.

[Motor City Sam]

So a wallet stolen by a firefighter was enough to get Mack and his deputy fired, but the article LeDuff did almost a year ago about the hundreds of thousands of dollars intended for firehouse improvements that mysteriously vanished didn't even warrant a public statement from the administration.

[Carey]

BAmerican: Why wouldn't a smart, accomplished fire executive from, say, Chicago or New York not be able to help the DFD? Big cities often hire their top cops and fire fighters from out of town.

[gnome]

carey, i believe the answer is that detroit sees itself as a small town.

[Buy American]

BAmerican: Why wouldn't a smart, accomplished fire executive from, say, Chicago or New York not be able to help the DFD? Big cities often hire their top cops and fire fighters from out of town.

In my opinion, someone from within the ranks of the DFD would be better suited for the job. Not only would he/she be known by the existing firefighters, but he/she would be respected more. In just about every case, [[at least within the City of Detroit) an appointee usually turns up dirty at one time or another. After 30 or 35 years on the DFD no one would know the City of Detroit better and no one would know what's needed to get the Fire Department running smoothly again. I retired after 30 years on the Department as a Lieutenant and I would know more than someone from outside the Department and outside Detroit.

[Carey]

But I'm thinking of William Bratton, who ran the PDs in Boston, NYC and L.A. until retiring last year. He is a Boston native, but he received enormous praise for his work as an "outsider" running NYPD and LAPD, two huge departments riddled with problems. I have a lot of respect for Detroit firefighters, but it seems the DFD, with its insular culture and unique, seniority-only promotion system, could stand some shaking up.

[gdogslim]

Thats what happens in a public union environment where no one cares as long as they get their tenure, union raises and pension. They don't care much.
Many of the people who did care, left, or were driven out intentionally.

[Baselinepunk]

Good to see some shakeup if things are not working out.

An aside; what's up with LeDuff's code switching?

[Chuck La Chez]

So a wallet stolen by a firefighter was enough to get Mack and his deputy fired, but the article LeDuff did almost a year ago about the hundreds of thousands of dollars intended for firehouse improvements that mysteriously vanished didn't even warrant a public statement from the administration.

Bing's a successful businessman. I suspect that he waited until he had a guaranteed replacement on board.

[Ray1936]

I'm shocked. Shocked!

[Buy American]

Thats what happens in a public union environment where no one cares as long as they get their tenure, union raises and pension. They don't care much.
Many of the people who did care, left, or were driven out intentionally.

I totally disagree. If you look at what's been going on inside the Detroit political enviornment, it's not the union members bringing Detroit to its' knees...it's scum like thug KK, Conyers, Puke, Miller, Milton, Cunningham and a lot of the clergy in Detroit who have brought the City down...no union enviornment there....just plain greed.

What makes you think that because one belongs to a union that they don't care? I think that 100% of the working people in Detroit and throughout the U.S. or the world want what is due them...whether it be tenure, raises when appropriate, pensions, etc. What's wrong with that? Wages and benefits for non-union workers have increased for most because of unions. Vacation time and sick time has been increased for most non-union workers because of the unions. Union workers have a stronger voice in the workplace. Declining unionization rates mean that workers are less likely to receive good wages and be rewarded for their increases in productivity, therefore they don't care.

[wolverine]

BAmerican: Why wouldn't a smart, accomplished fire executive from, say, Chicago or New York not be able to help the DFD? Big cities often hire their top cops and fire fighters from out of town.

Uh, in my opinion, many positions within the city of Detroit should be held by people from elsewhere. Think of it as a healthy blood transfusion. There's so much broken leadership that continues to perpetuate itself year after year. Bring in some new people and new ideas, and most important...responsibility.

[Chuck La Chez]

Uh, in my opinion, many positions within the city of Detroit should be held by people from elsewhere. Think of it as a healthy blood transfusion. There's so much broken leadership that continues to perpetuate itself year after year. Bring in some new people and new ideas, and most important...responsibility.

I'm under the impression that that's how broken cultures are repaired. It wasn't a Ford that fixed Ford, for example.

[Meddle]

But I'm thinking of William Bratton, who ran the PDs in Boston, NYC and L.A. until retiring last year.

We must be thinking of a different Bratton.

[JohnnyFreddy]

I agree. Why DOES it take an 'outsider' T.V. reporter, who conducts, what seems
to be, a pretty basic but efficient investigative report, to bring to a cohesive light
the allegations [[?), the well known, to every DFD worker allegations, of corrupt
decisions, unfulfilled contracts, missing monies, unfair/vengeful firings, unsafe
working conditions, inept, Kilpatrick Administration cronyism, and COMPLETE
facade/clueless acts [[these cronies know what's up...they're stealing too).
Why do you think they get so pissed off when someone inquires about these problems?
I ask the question; Why doesn't Mayor Bing know about these things already?
He has been in office now, for some time....and he did run on the promise of
shaking up Detroit, and figuring out it's problems. Now I'm not saying the man is perfect, and we all know how hard it is to get things done around here, but.....
the man is THE MAYOR !!!!!
Shouldn't he have free/untethered access to just about every dept.?
With all the reporting recently over EMS/DFD/DPD deficiencies, you'd think
he'd be all over this stink. Come on, people's lives are at stake here!!!
I have mentioned a few times here on this forum, my dismay over Mayor
Bings' actions, or lack of action, especially since he promised to only serve
'one term'. Again I put forth the question, "Is Dave Bing going to serve only one term?" If so, why? And how can he possibly presume to solve ANY problems
in this very complex situation we call Detroit.
He MUST begin to see more than what he's seen thus far.
He MUST open his eyes and look within his present administration, just
a little bit harder. Many, it seems, are leftover administrators from the thoroughly
corrupt Kilpatrick era, and must be investigated, found out, fettered, and thrown
off the 'Matty' bridge.
Short story long....Why isn't Bing finding these things himself? Is he trying to?
This big 'Tough Guy' show of his, is usually a little too late, it seems, in most of
these situations.

[Locke09]

So a wallet stolen by a firefighter was enough to get Mack and his deputy fired, but the article LeDuff did almost a year ago about the hundreds of thousands of dollars intended for firehouse improvements that mysteriously vanished didn't even warrant a public statement from the administration.

Because it is unlikely that any money "vanished".

Two things should be considered:

1. When you talk about money being "allocated" for something you are just talking about the budget. Budgets are just plans based on projected revenue and projected expenditures [[allocations). Both change throughout the year.

2. Budgeted or allocated money is not actually sitting in an account somewhere, so there is no real paper trail for something that didn't actually happen [[hence the statement: "It's air".) As revenue comes in, someone is looking at what money is actually needed at a certain point in time, based on actual current liabilities [[contract payments, debt obligations, payroll, etc.). That's "cash flow analysis" and I understand from financial people that it's a nightmare.

If an organization is receiving less revenue than it planned on receiving, the people watching the cash flow will require you to delay certain planned expenditures, do something less costly, or eliminate some expenditures altogether. There is no money to vanish or account for because it never actually existed.

But you should be able to account for every dollar that actually was spent. I didn't see in the article that there were actual payments made to someone but the work wasn't actually done. It just talked about allocations and unfortunately not everything that is allocated gets done. Employees generally don't know that their bosses have been ordered to stop spending because there's a cash flow problem.

[bobby wobby]

You don't have to worry about an outsider getting the commissioner job,that's the last thing Detroit wants, If you believe for one second Bing is being honest when he says hes doing a national search for a candidate then I have some swamp land Id like to show you.Mark my words Wheeler will have the job,their just rearranging the deck chairs.

[Carey]

And if bobby w is correct, and Fred Wheeler becomes commissioner, it begs the question: What qualifications put him in a position to get the top job? Wasn't it a Kilpatrick connection? Fred Wheeler's older brother is Heaster Wheeler, a former firefighter who is executive director of the Detroit NAACP and, once-upon-a-time, an aide to U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick. Fred was just an ordinary firefighter during the Kilpatrick era, when, presto!, he was elevated to second deputy commissioner, in charge of buildings.
So, for all the firefighters on the forum, is Wheeler qualified? Who would make a good commissioner? Will any commissioner be able to suddenly repair all the broken rigs, hire people and make EMS show up on time?

[Buy American]

And if bobby w is correct, and Fred Wheeler becomes commissioner, it begs the question: What qualifications put him in a position to get the top job? Wasn't it a Kilpatrick connection? Fred Wheeler's older brother is Heaster Wheeler, a former firefighter who is executive director of the Detroit NAACP and, once-upon-a-time, an aide to U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick. Fred was just an ordinary firefighter during the Kilpatrick era, when, presto!, he was elevated to second deputy commissioner, in charge of buildings.
So, for all the firefighters on the forum, is Wheeler qualified? Who would make a good commissioner? Will any commissioner be able to suddenly repair all the broken rigs, hire people and make EMS show up on time?

http://www.theskanner.com/article/20...ure-Over-Taxes

In my opinion, Heaster Wheeler, [[although he's not a part of the DFD now) like Puke, thug KK and many others at City Hall aren't capable of handling large sums of money without some of it disappearing or bills not being paid or having "misconceptions" about what they "thought" they should pay.

....and Heaster Wheeler was the biggest racist in town when he was on the DFD. If Fred follows in his brothers footsteps then he certainly won't be able to do much to improve the DFD. I hope Bing sees this and reconsiders his choice, there are so many capable people in the DFD that could handle the job in the interim or permanent.

Quote from The Detroit News by Hester Wheeler:

"I'm very proud of my brother being in this space," Heaster Wheeler, a former firefighter, said Friday. "I know he is extremely capable [[and) brilliant. He's got the experience, knowledge, skill and ability. He's got some good ideas and some enlightening perspectives that will serve the citizens of our city well. I'm definitely biased."
^^^That's an understatement.