Posted on 01/10/2007 5:48:25 AM PST by Jonx6
Police investigating incident at North Austin station.
Authorities are investigating an incident in which a recently promoted Austin firefighter found human excrement smeared on her locker at a Duval Road fire station.
Firefighter Rebecca Farris discovered the waste when she showed up to work Dec. 21, about four months after being promoted to drive the fire engine at Station 25 in Northwest Austin, fire officials said Tuesday. Officials said she also found urine in a shampoo bottle.
Assistant City Manager Mike McDonald said police investigators might require the 15 firefighters assigned to the station to provide DNA and fingerprint samples to determine who was responsible. He said criminal charges are possible.
"We're going to do everything we can to the fullest extent of the law and everything we can administratively to get to the bottom of it," McDonald said.
Farris, who joined the department in 1993, declined to comment.
Stephen Truesdell, president of the Austin Firefighters Association, said that the incident was sad and unfortunate and that he hoped it would be resolved quickly.
"Our members should be able to enjoy a harassment-free workplace," Truesdell said.
The incident raises new questions about the acceptance of women and minorities into a profession that in Austin has historically drawn white males.
Women make up about 4 percent of firefighters in the Austin Fire Department. Farris is the lone woman at Station 25.
In 2005, city officials made diversity a focus of contract negotiations with the firefighters union and attracted a current cadet class that is 17 percent female.
The working environment has improved over the years, but problems still exist, said Jan Wesson, past president of the Austin Women Firefighters.
The problems are exacerbated by the department's lack of a strong policy to prevent discrimination and hostility in the workplace, said Wesson, who has almost 23 years of experience. She was not speaking for the organization, whose current leaders declined to comment.
Firefighters who have learned about the incident have been appalled, Wesson said, and the perpetrators are the exception.
McDonald said, "This is a sick act by one or two individuals and is certainly not something that takes place in the culture of this organization."
Fire Department spokeswoman Michelle DeCrane said that supervisors alerted Chief J.J. Adame about the incident the day it happened and that he immediately began an investigation.
Officers in the department's professional standards unit initially investigated and gave their findings to Austin police.
Austin police said they could not comment on an ongoing investigation.
"The Austin Fire Department prides itself on creating a culture of freedom and personal responsibility," Adame said in a statement. "Those in the department who go against that philosophy are not only a personal disappointment to me but to every citizen who entrusts us with their lives, their property and their tax dollars.
"The bottom line is that we won't and don't put up with this sort of behavior."
The fact that she has been with the department for 13 years only proves that political correctness has been implemented for that long, not that she has the necessary skills and strength to pick up a grown man and carry him out of a burning building.
Firefighters save lives,
Female firefighters risk lives.
Not true. Not every role in firefighting requires carrying humans. She drives the engine, probably works comms/ valves/ pumps/ EMT stuff. (But how many male firefighters are restricted on the roles they can fill cuz of strength?)
True: everyone who fights structural fires -- goes in-- or 'mans' a hose needs to be strong enough to do their job.
True - is she (or anyone) ain't strong enough to haul my unconscious arse out of a tight spot, then don't put them in there with me. ... as long as that role is expected of the person.
Just my opinion, based somewhat on experience. (been a volunteer firefighter)
Happens regularly across the nation... but because it's a woman, it's a headline story. PC is a sickness.
LOL
After 13 years the burden of proof is on you.
he didn't excuse the behaviour, he tried to explain it -- there's a difference. A rationale/motive is not an excuse. read his post?
I've been in companies that took this stuff seriously, and some that did not. It's obvious if you've experienced both.
A good fist fight will settle this. If she weren't an equal match to the men she wouldn't be there right?
Keep in mind this is Austin, Texas' embodiment of Berkeley or Ithica. The clouds of outrage would not have developed over most of the state.
As have I.
"It's obvious if you've experienced both."
Agreed.
So my question remains, besides reviewing and discussing the sexual harassment policy twice a year with your supervisor, what else should be done, in your opinion?
It should be investigated.but if it's not a hoax, Just fire the people involved and be done with it
She is probably too tough for the sissy who would resort to such juvenile tactics. Sissy as in the girly person who flagged my post at 50.
When dealing with people who are more predetermined to doing stuff like this(as opposed to a white collar business), you MUST show examples of how such actions would be investigated and what the outcomes could be.
Simply saying "Doing this is bad", "doing that is bad" doesn't cut it. And having your manager sign off is meaningless other than taking attendance.
Hubby (retired) was a firefighter for 33 yrs. A Captain for about 20 of those yrs. Here Captains are totally in charge of their station. He had female trainees and a female firefighter.
His firefighter was liked by everyone and is still a friend of ours. She did not destroy the cohesiveness of the station, she was part of the crew. She gave and took the jokes and pranks really well too.
Having said that, you are correct about one thing. The female firefighters do not last. Most of them wind up going off on some time of injury/disability leave. They do not have the strength needed to perform the job.
This is NOT a typical firehouse prank and whoever did it was being malicious.
I agree with you, with the obvious qualifier that if the woman is willing and able to perform all (and I mean all) of the duties of a firefighter, then she deserves to be right there in the firehouse.
What p*sses me off is situations where the rules are bent or changed to accomodate the ladies. If I'm stuck on the top floor of a burning building, I want to see a guy my size at the top of a ladder, not a 110 pound waif. Unless she's a powerlifter, there's just no way....
Agreed and that is discussed twice a year.
"Simply saying "Doing this is bad", "doing that is bad" doesn't cut it."
I like the way you reduced biannual sexual harassment training to two silly sentences, it’s cute as well as specious.
"And having your manager sign off is meaningless other than taking attendance."
I whole heartedly disagree with this statement. But, OK, I'll bite. So who do you think should sign off that your subordinate understands, and is complying with, department policy?
How can a dalmation user a toothbrush? It's probably dog poo.
Hard to make a judgement on this without photos.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.