Firefighters have been talking about a sex scandal within their department for months, but no word of it came to the public’s attention until last week, when TV reports aired that several Philadelphia Fire Department employees were about to be disciplined.
Seven firefighters could be subject to dismissal, demotion or suspension for alleged sexual misconduct while on duty. And, it’s not clear that the investigation is over.
City officials who asked not to be identified in July had said that police and the fire department had been investigating a female FD employee’s allegations of sexual liaisons by on-duty personnel. When it began, one city official said he expected it to be a long investigation.
Police briefly were involved in the probe to determine if any crimes had been committed, firefighters said.
A police spokeswoman on Jan. 28 said the Special Victims Unit had investigated the charges in the summer but found no evidence crimes had been committed. The investigation was referred to the city Inspector General’s office, which then interviewed 33 FD employees over the ensuing months, a firefighter said Jan. 29. Not all of those interviewed were suspected of misconduct, the firefighter said.
Seven department employees of various ranks believed to be involved in the scandal were told last week they would soon learn their fates. They could be dismissed, demoted or suspended, firefighters said. So far, who the firefighters are and how the charges against them will be handled have not been made public. “We don’t even know what the charges are,” one firefighter said on Jan. 29.
What sexual misconduct took place, where and when have been the subjects of internal speculation for months. There even had been a rumor in July that the city had reached a generous settlement with the woman who made the allegations, but that rumor was denied.
A department spokesman this week referred all inquiries to the office of Mayor Michael Nutter, but spokesman Mark McDonald said he could not comment because documents that are not public and personnel matters that are not public were involved.
The union that represents city firefighters and paramedics has not seen much information about the probe.
“We are aware of the Inspector General’s investigation, but can not and will not comment, as we do not know the specifics of the allegations or the conclusions drawn in the I.G.’s report,” Joe Schulle, the president of Local 22, the firefighters union, said in a statement released to the news media Jan. 28.
One firefighter said he suspects any discipline will involve only sexual misconduct while on duty. He said women have been employed in the Philly FD for about 30 years. There are no Philadelphia Fire Department rules that forbid dating, long-term relationships or marriage, he said. ••
