By J. Brian Ewing
The News & Record
GREENSBORO, N.C. — An internal review of the city fire department found concerns about low morale, management and policy. The findings, which will be turned over to City Manager Mitch Johnson and the City Council later this week, have prompted new changes to the department’s massive restructuring plan.
Assistant City Manager Bob Morgan interviewed the department’s 27 command staffers during the past six weeks after allegations of nepotism and favoritism surfaced earlier this year. Morgan also is preparing an outline for use in soliciting consulting firms for an external review of the department.
“I think a year from now we’ll be well on our way to resolving some of these issues,” he said. “Really, I think we’ll be well on our way in six months.”
Richard O’Brien, the Greensboro firefighter’s association representative, brought the firefighters’ complaints to the City Council in February. O’Brien said he has not had an opportunity to review the new changes or to discuss them with the firefighters.
Fire Chief Johnny Teeters said in February he had shown the fire department’s command staff receipts from work he had hired other firefighters do for him. He did this, he said, to address rumors some firefighters were promoted for doing the work for free.
Teeters said some of the firefighters were promoted but not because of anything they had done for him. The work included landscaping, electrical work and house framing, Teeters said.
Firefighters also helped him move furniture without being paid, although Teeters objected to calling the task “work.”
Teeters is due to retire in December.
Morgan said the consulting firm will be asked to review the department’s promotions, hiring and training policies.
“These are not issues that are uncommon in other (fire) departments,” he said.
Morgan also said that promotions were given by a panel of administrators and not by Teeters alone.
However, he said hiring subordinates for personal work left room for suspicions. “It certainly opens you up to those accusations.”
The review is already affecting the department. Teeters said after hearing the concerns, he brought in his command staff last week to discuss how to address issues surrounding the department restructuring plan.
Teeters and the staff began work on the plan last summer after a city investigation into the same accusations. The restructuring overhauled the command structure and took effect last month, but complaints persisted.
Among those were concerns about firefighter Brad Shumate under the command of his father, Deputy Chief Danny Shumate.
In February, Danny Shumate was moved from the business systems division to field operations. At the time Teeters also began overseeing one of the department’s four divisions — urban preparedness.
Teeters said the command staff spent an afternoon last week discussing how to address the concerns without him present and presented their recommendations.
“I said, ‘I’m going to leave so you can feel comfortable,’” Teeters said.
Danny Shumate was moved back to business systems and the urban preparedness division now answers to a deputy chief.
“What we’ve done to clear the nepotism stuff up is to move all that back,” Teeters said, adding that he welcomes an outside review of the department.
“If it looks bad to our citizens, I want them to address it.”
Morgan did not know when the search for Teeters’ replacement will begin, but said it would be soon. He hopes the consulting firm’s review will be completed first so that any policy changes are in place and the new chief will have some direction.
Morgan said he will recommend the city search for candidates within and outside the department.