Fairfax County Says It's Stopping Bullying In Fire Department

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — In a report released Tuesday, Fairfax County leaders largely defend its efforts to stop bullying and sexual harassment in the Fire and Rescue Department after investigating claims made by a top female firefighter who resigned in protest.

Battalion Chief Kathleen Stanley stepped down in January from her position as women's program officer. She cited a lack of progress in making the work environment safe from sexual harassment and other misbehavior after firefighter Nicole Mittendorff's 2016 suicide and Stanley's appointment to the position.

In her resignation letter, Stanley gave a number of alleged examples showing the lack of change at the fire department. "Fairfax County Fire and Rescue tolerates, and often defends, sexual harassment, retaliation and a hostile work environment: 'zero tolerance' is a hollow term thrown about with false commitment," Stanley wrote in the letter.

County leaders pledged to investigate Stanley's claims, and in a memo released Tuesday, County Executive Bryan Hill said that "leadership and communication are a significant challenge" in the fire department.

In Tuesday's report, David Rohrer, the deputy county executive for public safety, denies that Fairfax County and the fire department tolerate sexual harassment, discrimination and a hostile work environment. Rohrer said that he and the county's human resources director met with Stanley on Feb. 7 to hear her concerns.

The report addresses, point by point, each of the claims made by Stanley in her resignation letter. She cited a number of incidents of discrimination and harassment of women in the fire department, but Rohrer notes that they were investigated by the fire department, the county's Office of Human Rights and Equity Programs and its Internal Audit Office.

"Battalion Chief Stanley did not include all of the context or facts for some of the matters, including importantly that some had been previously reported and investigated," Rohrer says in the report. "She said that she chose to focus on the climate or work environment in which the behaviors had allegedly occurred."

Rohrer adds that several uniformed women in the fire department contacted him and said their personal matters, as reported in Stanley's letter, "were used without their permission and were taken out of context." The women told him that their original complaints "had not involved any real or perceived discrimination or harassment based on gender," and asked that their confidentiality be maintained.

The county government is also weighing recommendations from 10 working groups that examined the fire department's organizational climate. The working groups were created last year, after a consultant reviewed the department and identified issues involving leadership, bullying, harassment, discrimination, conflict management and hiring.

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In her letter, Stanley alleged that fire department leaders deny that there's a culture problem, and it's dominated by a "Good Ol' boy network," a small bevy of men who receive special privileges. In the report, Rohrer responds that the county will not tolerate favoritism or cliques.

The county and the department are committed to improvement, he says. "We need to acknowledge that change is not always readily accepted and the change process can be hard, but we have to be committed and consistent in our approach."

The culture change could be driven by a new fire chief. The county is searching for a new top firefighter after Chief Richard Bowers announced his retirement in February.

To see the report of the county's investigation, click here.

SEE ALSO:

• Fairfax Fire Chief To Retire Amid Claims Against Department
• Battalion Chief Resigns Over Unchanging Harassment Policies
• Widower Of Bullied Firefighter Demands Fire Chief's Resignation

Image: Fairfax County Public Safety Headquarters (Fairfax County)