By Alex Branch
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
PARKER COUNTY, Texas — Since Steve Anderson was convicted of burglary of a habitation 20 years ago, he has gotten married, become a state employee and volunteered for years as a firefighter in Parker County.
As he puts it, “I turned my life around.”
So Anderson says he was surprised when his chief at the Reno Volunteer Fire Department told him in February that Parker County officials would no longer contract with departments with members who have been convicted of felonies or some misdemeanors. He had to turn in his gear and quit.
Parker County officials call the change a liability issue and part of the standardization of its contracts with the county’s 20 volunteer fire departments, many of which they say already had rules against hiring people with criminal backgrounds. A state firefighter association official said Parker County’s action is in line with a trend in closer scrutiny of volunteer firefighters.
Anderson has protested, saying the criteria should be flexible and not automatically exclude people for past mistakes.
“I understand not wanting sex offenders or people with multiple DUIs,” he said. “But I was just young and stupid. We have some big grass fire out here, and we need all the men willing to help that we can get.”
Parker County Fire Marshal Shawn Scott said only about a dozen of the county’s more than 400 volunteer firefighters have criminal records. Three were from the Reno department.
“There was very minimal impact for most departments, and it hasn’t affected our coverage,” Scott said. “We’re just looking out for the safety of our citizens.”
Background checks
Anderson and new Reno Fire Chief Jimmy Boone appeared before Parker County commissioners last week to assure them that Anderson is no longer with the department.
Officials had heard a report that he was still a firefighter, Scott said.
The county decided to start doing background checks on volunteer firefighters late last year after discovering that not all departments had the same rules regarding felons, Scott said.
The county contracts with the departments for fire coverage in unincorporated areas. Of the more than 116,000 residents in Parker County, about 72,000 live in unincorporated areas, according to 2007 population estimates.
The Reno department is paid $21,000 annually and splits a pot of $240,000 with the other departments for each emergency call. It also has access to a county water-tank truck.
“We’re not telling anyone who they can and can’t hire, just that we won’t contract with them,” said John Forrest, attorney for Parker County. “Look at counties across Texas -- you’ll find they impose the same restriction within municipalities and emergency service districts.”
Tarrant County Fire Marshal Randy Renois said Tarrant County doesn’t have specific requirements regarding felons for volunteer fire departments but estimated that 90 percent of them do some sort of background check. The Texas Commission on Fire Protection does not regulate volunteer fire departments.
“It’s a local issue,” said Mark Roughton, a commission spokesman.
A reliable volunteer
George Robertson, who until recently was the Reno department’s fire chief, said Anderson told him that he’d been in trouble with the law but hadn’t gone into specifics. The department did not do its own background check.
Anderson was a reliable firefighter, he said.
“He’d always show up to fires and his job,” Robertson said. “I didn’t want to let him go but, if I didn’t, it would probably have jeopardized the department.”
Robertson said the county informed him that two other firefighters also have felony convictions. He said one was for assault and, while he couldn’t recall the other one, “it wasn’t a real bad one.”
With that, the department’s staff was reduced from 15 to 12 firefighters, he said. “It did affect some of the things we do, because we had less people,” he said.
Robertson said his own longtime involvement with the department ended two weeks ago when Boone, the assistant fire chief, showed up at his house and told him that the department had voted Boone into the chief’s position.
Boone, through another city employee, declined to comment. However, he told the Azle News that Robertson’s work schedule was too demanding for him to be the chief.
‘Want to do my part’
Anderson said he still hopes to appeal his status with the department.
He said he’s lived in Parker County for most of his life and likes protecting his neighbors. He is a maintenance technician for the Texas Department of Transportation.
“I’ve seen a lot of people lose things in their life to fire,” he said. “I feel like I’ve already paid for my mistakes and want to do my part in the community.”
Chris Barron, executive director of the State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas, said background checks of volunteer firefighters are not unique to Parker County. Many departments are starting to look into the backgrounds of recruits, just as municipal departments have long done.
One reason, he said, is that firefighters respond to more medical calls and have trouble getting medical certifications with felony convictions. Also, some volunteers have taken advantage of the job by stealing the department’s money.
“I think more departments are becoming aware of that trust that you need,” said Barron, who is a volunteer fire chief in Travis County.
Scott said the new requirements are nothing personal.
“I’m happy [Anderson] is making a living and doing well with his life,” Scott said. “But we have to know and be careful about who we’re sending out into homes and businesses.”
Copyright 2008 Fort Worth Star-Telegram