The Associated Press
DALLAS — Bureaucratic infighting has hobbled the performance of the Dallas-Fire Rescue, according to an independent study of the department.
The report, issued Friday to Dallas City Council members, said that three major areas within the department — firefighting, investigations/inspections and medical services — don’t communicate well with one another, leading to resentment and distrust.
Fire Chief Eddie Burns and First Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans pointed to last month’s explosion at Southwest Industrial Gases that injured three people as an example of such miscommunication.
A crew from the nearby fire station walked through the facility nearly two years ago to familiarize themselves with the property in the event of a fire. But no safety inspection had been conducted on the site in more than five years. Neither the fire fighters nor the inspectors knew what the other group had done, officials said.
The study noted “undercurrents” of racial and gender tensions among department personnel and that “attitudes ranging from antipathy to hostility with regard to female employees are barely disguised in some areas.”
The study also criticized the department for being unable to adequately respond to hazardous materials incidents. There’s one haz mat crew for the city, and the study calls for adding five more.
“I don’t know how they were operating,” said Burns, who took charge about 16 months ago. “I guess they were lucky.”
Burns said that the study confirmed many shortcomings that he and his staff had already identified and have been working to correct. The consultants praised Burns’ efforts so far.
The president of the Dallas Fire Fighters Association, which represents more than 1,000 of Dallas Fire-Rescue’s 1,700 firefighters, said the study’s $250,000 price tag was a waste of money.
“If you go through and look at the recommendations, that’s exactly what we’ve been telling them for years,” Capt. Mike Buehler said.
City officials estimate it could cost as much as $15 million over the next four years to fix the problems mentioned in the report, conducted by Ohio-based Berkshire Advisors, Inc.