By Matthew M. Burke
The Cape Cod Times
BOURNE, Mass. — Fire union officials are alleging that town and fire department administrators ignored evidence and repeated warnings that a high-ranking firefighter was under the influence of some kind of drug and/or alcohol while on duty.
The Professional Fire Fighters Union has issued a statement and supporting documents to the Times alleging that town officials “failed” in their responsibility to ensure public safety by not aggressively pursuing disciplinary action in the face of mounting evidence that fire Lt. Kelli Weeks was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol while on duty. The statement also claims town officials have misled the media and public by denying a police investigation of Weeks ever took place.
The documents describe a laundry list of incidents pointing to alleged drug and/or alcohol use, including drastic mood swings, unusual behavior such as meeting suspicious individuals outside the station, crashing a ladder truck, and sleeping through calls at night.
The documents allege that firefighters first brought their concerns about Weeks to the attention of fire department leadership two years ago, and to Town Administrator Thomas Guerino one year ago, but nothing was done until she crossed paths with a police drug surveillance operation earlier this year.
The union statement, released Friday, goes on to express surprise that town officials took little action after that.
The statement also generally addresses the rift that has developed between the union members and town officials, including a controversial veterinary clinic opening in the fire station.
The statement comes in the wake of Police Chief Earl Baldwin’s remarks last week at a selectmen’s meeting that Weeks had appeared at a Bourne police drug surveillance operation driving a department vehicle. He said she was identified a short distance from the location, but because no hand-to-hand transaction was observed, there was not probable cause to pull her over or search her vehicle.
No charges filed
Weeks has not been arrested or charged with a crime, but she was on medical leave for close to four months, according to union President Penny Fusco. She came back to work last month and her assignment has changed. Gil Taylor, a union spokesman, added that as of Friday, Weeks had worked only one full day in the past 13.
Weeks did not return messages left for her yesterday.
The statement says that the union’s membership regrets that the internal problems of the department have garnered so much media attention. However, the statement says, union leaders felt compelled to go public in the interest of public safety.
“On multiple occasions over the last two years concerns were raised regarding the unusual behavior of a department member,” the statement says of Weeks. “The Town has much to protect by making their denials and by releasing inaccurate and misleading statements; all which serve to undermine the confidence and integrity of the Professional Firefighters of Bourne in the eye of the public.”
“Some of our members have spoken to the media regarding this issue anonymously out of fear of retribution from the Town. These members felt that it was their responsibility to step in to protect the public and where the Town had failed in their responsibility.”
Police not ‘involved’
All the logged observations of Weeks by fellow firefighters were handed over to police Friday, but detectives told union officials they “were no longer involved” in the case, Taylor said.
Baldwin declined to comment but confirmed receipt of the documents. He said that he had not read them in their entirety.
Acting Fire Chief Dan Doucette was not working yesterday, according to a department spokeswoman, and could not be reached for comment. Guerino said he had not seen the documents and declined to comment.
Taylor said the log items were written by firefighter Rich Doherty, who handed them over to union officials, who passed them on to the police.
Guerino, who made a phone call to the Times last month in which he tried unsuccessfully to obtain the newspaper’s source for information on the case, threatened Doherty with termination. Doherty was then hospitalized with high blood pressure and anxiety and is out of work, Taylor has said previously.
Doherty declined to comment on the documents yesterday, but several of the firefighters named in the logs as witnesses have confirmed their accuracy.
Copyright 2009 Cape Code Times