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Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Fairfax calls 911 on its own fire department
Posted by:
Fox News
()
Date: May 26, 2016 01:44PM
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fairfax-calls-911-on-its-own-fire-department/2016/05/20/a14938aa-1d41-11e6-b6e0-c53b7ef63b45_story.html
Supervisors to hire an outside consultant to examine the agency, its work culture and its personnel practices.
Among the most jarring of the reports is that Guy Morgan, who heads the fire department’s Office of Professional Standards, is under investigation for posting lewd photos on his personal Facebook page. (A 6-foot snow penis and a gallery of nearly naked young women featured prominently in the sophomoric gallery.)
As some veteran firefighters noted, Mr. Morgan’s job description — in effect, he is the department’s standard-bearer of probity and good conduct — imparted a fox-guarding-the-hen-house aspect to the scandal. “The pictures are totally contradictory to the title he holds,” said Mike Mohler, president of the Virginia Professional Firefighters’ Association. Mr. Morgan, who is the subject of an internal probe, has been relieved of his investigative powers for the time being.
The supervisors’ call for outside help is well justified. The reports about Mr. Morgan followed news a few weeks earlier that firefighter Nicole Mittendorff hanged herself after being mocked and degraded in a series of sneering posts, allegedly written by her co-workers, in an online forum called Fairfax Underground. If Fairfax’s vaunted fire department, or parts of it, has taken on the characteristics of a high school clique full of bullies, it’s time for a serious cultural do-over — and for some firings that convey that message loud and clear, provided that the culprits can be traced and credibly identified.
Ms. Mittendorff’s death prompted the fire chief, Richard Bowers, to initiate an internal investigation. The department must also fully cooperate with the outside auditor, when one is chosen, to get to the bottom of that event. Key questions include whether it was symptomatic of deeper rot in the department’s morale and work environment, whether adequate mental-health support is available for employees, and whether leadership has been effective in communicating basic expectations regarding workplace ethics and conduct.
The county’s fire department handles more than 90,000 calls annually; distractions are an unaffordable luxury. It’s the job of county leaders and Mr. Bowers to ensure that a highly professional force stays that way.
Supervisors to hire an outside consultant to examine the agency, its work culture and its personnel practices.
Among the most jarring of the reports is that Guy Morgan, who heads the fire department’s Office of Professional Standards, is under investigation for posting lewd photos on his personal Facebook page. (A 6-foot snow penis and a gallery of nearly naked young women featured prominently in the sophomoric gallery.)
As some veteran firefighters noted, Mr. Morgan’s job description — in effect, he is the department’s standard-bearer of probity and good conduct — imparted a fox-guarding-the-hen-house aspect to the scandal. “The pictures are totally contradictory to the title he holds,” said Mike Mohler, president of the Virginia Professional Firefighters’ Association. Mr. Morgan, who is the subject of an internal probe, has been relieved of his investigative powers for the time being.
The supervisors’ call for outside help is well justified. The reports about Mr. Morgan followed news a few weeks earlier that firefighter Nicole Mittendorff hanged herself after being mocked and degraded in a series of sneering posts, allegedly written by her co-workers, in an online forum called Fairfax Underground. If Fairfax’s vaunted fire department, or parts of it, has taken on the characteristics of a high school clique full of bullies, it’s time for a serious cultural do-over — and for some firings that convey that message loud and clear, provided that the culprits can be traced and credibly identified.
Ms. Mittendorff’s death prompted the fire chief, Richard Bowers, to initiate an internal investigation. The department must also fully cooperate with the outside auditor, when one is chosen, to get to the bottom of that event. Key questions include whether it was symptomatic of deeper rot in the department’s morale and work environment, whether adequate mental-health support is available for employees, and whether leadership has been effective in communicating basic expectations regarding workplace ethics and conduct.
The county’s fire department handles more than 90,000 calls annually; distractions are an unaffordable luxury. It’s the job of county leaders and Mr. Bowers to ensure that a highly professional force stays that way.