Two members of the Westbrook Fire Department who were punished last year are facing additional disciplinary action from the city.
Firefighter Matthew Lamontagne and Lt. Donald Trafford were given the chance to defend themselves at hearings last month.
The punishments would be the result of an ongoing investigation into the department regarding sexual harassment claims made by firefighters Kathy Rogers and Lisa Theberge, who have been on leave since September 2008 due to a hostile work environment. The latest developments in the Westbrook Fire Department’s long-running history of trouble come at the same time the City Council is considering spending another $20,000 in harassment training.
In a lawsuit filed last month in Cumberland County Superior Court, the female firefighters accused Lamontagne of assaulting Theberge, masturbating in the fire station and inappropriately touching victims while in a rescue vehicle. They said in their suit that Trafford threw equipment at Rogers while she was driving a fire truck and used discriminatory language against women.
Seven firefighters were disciplined in December 2008, including Lamontagne, who was suspended for 60 days, and Trafford, who was demoted from lieutenant to firefighter. Trafford’s demotion was later overturned by a state arbitration board and his rank was reinstated. Lamontagne was also previously fired from the Falmouth Fire Department, where he served as a volunteer EMT/firefighter from 1999-2004.
“Any discipline that would be meted out to either Trafford or Lamontagne will be the subject of arbitration hearing,” Howard Reben, attorney for the Teamsters Union Local 340, said Wednesday.
Though Reben said both employees’ cases have been heard by the city, he wouldn’t confirm whether punishments yet had been doled out because it “is not final action.”
When city employees are disciplined, they are given an opportunity to appeal their punishments before being made public. City Administrator Jerre Bryant also declined to comment on the discipline.
Resolving the issues in the fire department was a priority Mayor-elect Colleen Hilton stressed during her campaign and, she said, continues to be at the top of her agenda.
“This is a multi-faceted problem and it’s going to take a multi-faceted approach to solve it,” she said Tuesday.
One initiative the city has already taken is implementing an intensive harassment-training program in the department.
Earlier this year, the council approved spending up to $20,000 for Stephen Wessler, executive director of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, to conduct the training. He’s completed the first phase of that training and is now asking for another $20,000 to complete the second and final phase.
After interviewing members of the fire department at all levels, Wessler concluded that there are “very serious inadequacies in communication within the department” and there needs to be “strong leadership within the department on addressing bias and harassment.”
For the second phase of training, Wessler is recommending that he work with the human resources director “to further develop the fire chief’s leadership and communication skills.”
Fire Chief Daniel Brock was hired in January, taking over from Police Chief Bill Baker, who was serving as the department’s interim head. Former Chief Gary Littlefield abruptly retired in October 2008, after Rogers and Theberge went on leave. Brock, who didn’t return a call seeking comment, has been characterized by city officials as a quiet leader.
The fire chief is one of the positions Hilton will have to reappoint when she’s inaugurated in January. During the past month, Hilton has been getting caught up with city business and meeting with department heads to determine if and where changes need to be made.
“I want to make sure that we really solve this problem and not just keep throwing money at it,” Hilton said. “It’s going to take some tough, bold decisions.”
Wessler said that the ongoing investigations into the department and previous and pending litigation have caused “destructive tensions.” He proposed developing and implementing a plan to reintegrate Rogers and Theberge back into the department.
“It will be critical that officers and firefighters understand specifically what is expected of them to make Kathy and Lisa’s return as successful as possible,” Wessler wrote in an e-mailed list of recommendations to Bryant.
Hilton said she has not yet been convinced that Wessler’s continued work is worth $20,000 and said she’s been looking at other firms that offer harassment training.
The City Council is scheduled to approve the expenditure on Jan. 11 – Hilton’s first meeting as mayor. Though Mayor Bruce Chuluda has largely taken a back seat during council debates when the mayor doesn’t have a vote, Hilton said she plans to be more vocal at the meetings.
“People will know how I feel about an issue,” she said.
As of now, Hilton said, she’ll “need to see more” from Wessler in order to support spending the money on his firm, but regardless, she said, more harassment training needs to happen.
“I just want it to be the right training,” she said.
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